April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 71
ranked by Oregon Business Magazine as
among the 10 best Oregon non-profit com-
panies to work for. That recognition is an ex-
cellent indicator of the strong relationships
the group has fostered between residents,
staff and management. It’s also a concrete
indicator of their “real sense of community,”
Kaiser says. “We work hard at the relation-
ships with the residents. We have a very ac-
tive resident council.”
Mary’s Woods works closely with their
resident leadership group to ensure that all
issues and concerns are promptly resolved.
The administration meets with that group
once a week. When they created a new stra-
tegic plan for the community, they made
sure to involve the staff, residents and com-
munity members. “We try to work very hard
at making sure we’re a community that lis-
tens to each other as we develop and reflect
on our community’s future,” says Kaiser.
When looking for a new caregiver or nurse
to introduce into that community, Mary’s
Woods looks for two key characteristics –
the first is a person’s professional credentials.
“We want to make sure they’re well-prepared
and trained,” Kaiser says. “We have a series of
standards for those professions, whether it’s
a nurse or a CNA or therapist.”
The second thing they look for is a per-
sonal commitment that reflects the organi-
zation’s mission, values and heritage, which
is built on “characteristics of the heart,” Kai-
