Well•Spring unveils new brand architecture and awareness campaign to align, spotlight nonprofit’s growing line of services for older adults

GREENSBORO, N.C. (April 26, 2017) – The parent entity of Greensboro retirement community Well•Spring, as well as home- and community-based resources for older adults including the Adult Center for Enrichment, today announced a comprehensive update of its brand architecture and a new awareness campaign to highlight the expanding direction of the nonprofit’s mission.

The Well•Spring Group, the newly renamed corporate entity, is turning the spotlight on a full range of services for seniors – both inside and outside the walls of its well-known retirement community – president and CEO Stephen P. Fleming said. “Meanwhile, we also will continue highlighting the life plan community, the flagship of our operations.”

“As we approach the 25^th anniversary of our award-winning retirement community, many people know us for that wonderful place,” Fleming said. “But today Well•Spring encompasses not only one of the finest life plan communities in the country but also a full range of services for older adults that can be delivered at home or at locations throughout Greensboro. As we prepare for exciting growth and expansion, it’s time that we comprehensively communicate everything we offer our area’s older adults.”

To this end, the company has branded its home- and community-based service line as “Well•Spring Solutions,” a name that combines the highly regarded Well•Spring brand with what many older adults in new and challenging circumstances are seeking – solutions for their unique situations.

“Oftentimes older adults experience an unexpected and sudden occurrence that can dramatically affect their lives and those of their loved ones,” Fleming said. “These moments are emotional and confusing for these folks and their families, who perhaps have never experienced situations such as these.”

To provide greater ease at such times, a new, streamlined approach has been launched through which new clients can easily contact Well•Spring and begin the process of identifying the right solution for them. “Just1Navigator” is a program featuring a social worker who can be reached via one phone number. The Navigator will meet with the individual in need of service and/or their caregiver, provide – at no charge – an assessment of the person’s situation, living environment and caregiver’s abilities and recommend a strategy for addressing their new needs. This may include home care, adult day care, medication management and independent or assisting living, among other strategies.

“Of course we will make the person aware of Well•Spring’s particular services – but if for any reason one of our offerings is not the ideal fit, the Navigator will provide information about optional resources in the area,” said Chip Cromartie, executive director of Well•Spring Solutions. “The Just1Navigator program is designed to make typically challenging situations easier to deal with and provide a recommended strategy for moving forward.”

A few years ago, Fleming said, The Well•Spring Group began to look at how to expand delivery of its mission, which is to serve the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of an evolving and diverse population of older adults. Well•Spring’s life plan community, opened in 1993, has successfully served older adults whose needs range from on-site independent or assisted living to skilled nursing or memory care.

“But now, when an average of 10,000 adults are turning 65 every single day and 75 million baby boomers are about to retire, additional types of support are

Steve Fleming & Alan Tutterow

critically needed,” said Fleming, who also is the incoming chair of the national group LeadingAge, the country’s preeminent industry advocate for the needs of older adults. “The United States is on the verge of a challenging time in caring for older adults, and we need to position ourselves to respond to these dramatic shifts.”

Well•Spring Solutions and additional long-range plans by The Well•Spring Group are intended to do just that, he pointed out.

“Recently we announced we’re applying, along with Weaver-Kirkland Development in Greensboro, for affordable housing tax credits through the state with which we intend to build a senior-living apartment complex,” Fleming said. “This community will be made up of affordable and moderate-rate, one- and two-bedroom units. This is yet another example of how The Well•Spring Group is working to assist older adults – and offer our services to a broader demographic.” The project, to be located on approximately 16 acres of land on which The Well•Spring Group has an option, would begin construction by mid-2018 – contingent on the approval this August of the affordable housing tax credits application.

The life plan community also is positioning for a robust future. Having launched the new Greenway Villas complex across the street, construction has begun on a $30-million addition on the central campus. This project will result in nearly three times the space for dining, a 320-seat theater, a new lounge, art studios, a woodworking shop and more. “Once this exciting facility is completed in 2018, we will be able to bring many cultural experiences directly to our residents,” said Alan Tutterow, executive director of Well•Spring, A Life Plan Community.

Well•Spring’s full range of services is being featured in a comprehensive awareness campaign that rolls out in April and May, said Lynn Wooten, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations. “We have quite a story to tell, and there are multiple aspects of who The Well•Spring Group is that many people simply don’t realize,” he said. “We want it widely understood that Well•Spring is here to help people throughout the entire community, with many options to best serve their own individual situations.”

Fleming said it’s the start of a new era for Well•Spring.

“Nearly 25 years ago, a group of visionary citizens, including a number of area churches, got together and established the Well•Spring retirement community. We are now poised to expand the work of our mission and become a trusted resource for a wide range of people in our community,” Fleming said. “That’s not only very exciting, but truly rewarding, as well.”