A specialist in the development of senior housing communities with Senior Housing Partners, a division of Presbyterian Homes, Dustin is on his way to completing the MSRE degree this December and continuing to excel in the development business.
What is your education and professional experience?
After I graduated from Northwestern College, I began a housing development internship at Presbyterian Homes. During the one year internship, I was able to shadow the development process, which was very helpful since I didn’t have prior experience in real estate except for working as part of a construction crew. Assisting with tasks like coordinating neighborhood meetings really gave me an understanding of the many facets of building a new community. Once I completed the internship, Presbyterian Homes hired me on full-time and I have been working there for five years now.
Presbyterian Homes is the 5th largest senior housing developer in the US and the second fastest growing; we currently have five projects in process and another three launching within the next month. Pres Homes really focuses on quality of life issues for seniors. For example, studies have indicated that seniors who exercise are less likely to experience problems with balance which can contribute to falls; falls are the number one health risk to seniors. With this information in mind, Pres Homes began a Wellness Centers initiative with its 34 communities. I managed the design and construction process for the Wellness Center projects, which entailed visiting 28 communities and determining where we could build out new fitness centers. A lot of my time went into two major additions at Farmstead in Andover and Mississippi Shores in Monticello; the wellness centers turned out great and it feels good to know that our work helps to keep seniors safe and healthy.
Read the rest of this "Real Estate Matters" interview with Dustin Sayre »
