Erickson Senior Living CEO Featured in Annual Executive Forecast

Each year, Senior Housing News, one of the industry’s leading trade publications, invites leaders to share their predictions for the year ahead in their annual Executive Forecast.

This year, Erickson Senior Living’s chief executive officer, Alan Butler shared his perspective on what he expects 2025 to bring. Enjoy an excerpt below.

"For senior living to thrive in 2025, we need to recognize that Baby Boomers are no longer coming—they’re here, enjoying life as active members of our communities, with more moving in every day.

No matter their generational label, seniors are looking to simplify their lives. They want a safe, comfortable place to live, convenient access to high-quality health care, meaningful relationships, and the peace of mind that comes from making a sound financial decision.

At Erickson Senior Living, we have been building on these fundamentals for more than 40 years. We continue to evolve our products and services in response to resident and prospect feedback, but the core of our offering remains the same—the opportunity for seniors to live their best life as part of a community. 2025 will be no different.

For example, we know that Baby Boomers are far more proactive about their health and well-being than previous generations. In response, we have been enhancing fitness spaces indoors and outdoors, with state-of-the-art equipment and in-demand amenities like pickleball and bocce courts. It’s not just physical spaces, though. Enriched programming is also helping residents build connections through shared interests and experiences.

We also continue to evolve our unique medical platform, providing concierge-style services where providers develop a relationship with each resident to understand their personal health needs. In 2025 and beyond, we will continue to expand our home health support so residents can live comfortably in their homes at our communities longer. We are also making modifications to our continuing care neighborhoods to allow couples to remain together as needs change.

Whether it’s offering larger square footage in residences, more variety in dining, including bars and coffee shops, or the next trend in technology, we are focused on remaining agile to meet customer needs.

And the need is great. As we enter a new year, we acknowledge the responsibility to continue growing to address the unprecedented demand ahead of us. Even during the pandemic, we maintained an aggressive growth plan, expanding our footprint with the opening of new communities like Siena Lakes in Naples, Florida; Avery Point in Richmond, Virginia; and Woodleigh Chase in Fairfax, Virginia.

We’re moving ahead with new projects now, too, with the anticipated opening of The Grandview, our first vertical living community in Bethesda, Maryland, in late 2025, and Emerson Lakes in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, in late 2026.

Despite current economic headwinds, Erickson Senior Living has not slowed its pipeline. Instead, we continue to seek opportunities in new markets. Our industry-leading occupancy rate and robust waiting list give us confidence that we are well-positioned to meet the underserved need for quality senior living in the future. In fact, we anticipate adding more than 5,000 residences to our inventory over the next five years.

Additionally, our commitment to continuously reinvesting in existing communities is a major factor in strong resident and employee satisfaction results.

This disciplined approach not only helps meet the demand for our products and services for seniors but also provides career paths for a new generation of team members.

As we head into 2025, it’s clear that this industry faces tremendous opportunity. To make the most of it, we must be proactive about helping people understand the value of senior living—for residents, employees, families, and beyond.

How many times have we heard a resident reflect that they “wish they had moved sooner” because they are thriving in their new lifestyle? We see the positive results of being part of a community each and every day. Far too many seniors continue to stay isolated in their homes. Simply put, people are better off when they move to a quality senior living community.

As an industry leader, we feel an acute responsibility to help people understand these life-changing benefits and bring clarity to outdated misconceptions.

We know that the products and services we offer to seniors provide a pathway to living their best life. What we do matters. Let’s turn the daily good news that we witness into part of the American dialogue in 2025. By taking the initiative, we can bring this incredible lifestyle to more seniors."

To read the full 2025 Executive Forecast, click here.