From dishwasher to director, co-worker graduates to a career in senior living

Garrett Kistler loves seniors—a job skill critical to success for a career in the senior living industry.

During his nearly 10-year career at Country Meadows, Kistler has forged relationships with residents at campuses in York and Lancaster.

He considers residents as members of his family and has sought their advice on personal issues, guided them through difficult times and even inspired one resident to jump out of an airplane with him. (See photo caption for details.)

Now a director of marketing at the Lancaster campus, Kistler started his senior care career a decade ago at the young age of 16. He applied for a job at Country Meadows of Leader Heights in York, where his mother worked. He was hired as a dishwasher and quickly was promoted to dining room associate where he discovered that he loved building relationships with the residents.

“Whenever I had time, I would just sit down and talk with them. During downtime, I’d go visit with them and talk about their lives and get to know them more,” explains Kistler. “Over the years I developed a unique relationship with every person in that dining room.”

With a career in senior living in mind, Kistler majored in marketing at York College, keeping his job working at Country Meadows. During his junior year, he completed a marketing internship at the campus which helped confirm his career choice and the hope of working full-time at Country Meadows.

“The Leader family recognizes that their most valuable asset is their co-workers. Supporting the growth and development of co-workers helps with retention and encourages them to do their best,” says Brandi Levenduski, executive director of employee relations-Country Meadows Retirement Communities, who also was promoted from within the company. “If you have the desire and the passion to work in senior living and show that you are dedicated to the field and want to be here, Country Meadows can provide training opportunities and classes to help you grow and develop your skills.”

After he graduated from college, Kistler was promoted to director of independent living at Country Meadows of York near Shiloh with something few recent college graduates have—longevity at his company. His hard work and good attitude earned him respect among his co-workers and the residents, and ultimately led to this new full-time position.

“I had it in mind to work at Country Meadows. It was always my number one choice, I just didn’t know if it would work out,” says Kistler explaining why he likes the company. “It’s a family company and they’ve always been good to me. They go above and beyond for the residents. I’ve seen that if there’s a problem, the company takes care of it. It’s a great company to work for, and they really give you the tools necessary to carry out your job.”

Kistler’s dedication and hard work recently earned him yet another promotion; this time to director of marketing.

At Country Meadows, co-workers have the first opportunity to apply for open positions which are listed internally for a minimum of five days. Promoting from within has many practical advantages—co-workers already understand Country Meadows’ culture, procedures and policies, so they don’t need to be retrained. Residents benefit from continuing relationships and the familiarity of longtime co-workers.

Kistler is very grateful to stay with the company and people he loves.

“It means the world to me. It’s just incredible. I didn’t think things would line up like they did and work out like they did,” he says. “I’m ecstatic. I really can’t believe it. I love my job!”