Page 28 - BWA FEB 2013

28 | Business World Magazine | February 2013
and managing member Wayne Kaplan, has
more than 30 years of extensive experience
in senior housing. Kaplan focuses on the op-
timization of the company’s day-to-day op-
erations to ensure efficiency, quality, service
and cost-effective management of resources,
while Premier’s other Co-Founder andMan-
aging Member, Bob Borsody, heads the com-
pany’s acquisitions and financial operations.
Kaplan’s path to a career in seniors’
housing actually began with his family’s in-
volvement in the motel industry. Years ago,
his family owned two motels along a busy
main road in Long Island, only a quarter-of-
a-mile apart from each other.
“My brothers and I grew up in the
business. We changed sheets, cleaned toilets
and cooked the food. We literally grew up in
the business,” recalls Kaplan.
The emergence of larger brands in the
hospitality industry slowly impacted small-
er operations that lacked the budgetary re-
sources and brand recognition to compete,
and little by little, business started to slow
at Kaplan’s motel. Struck by an idea, on one
night in 1972, they put a sign in the win-
dow that read “Retirement Hotel” - this not
only drew the attention of local residents,