Morrison Senior Dining
Gene Dolloff, President
 A man
with experience, Gene Dolloff has been involved in the senior-living industry
for 25 years. He brought valuable insight to Morrison Management Specialists
when the company decided to create a dining division called Morrison Senior
Dining. Morrison Management Specialists acquired Dolloff's CCRC-based food
service company in 1998, and reached enough critical mass with its food service
focus to quickly create a separate division. Attribute that to the acumen of
Dolloff and his employees.
Morrison Senior Dining, based in Pennsylvania, serves approximately 100
assisted-living communities and 250 senior communities across the nation.
"I think the specialized intellect we bring to this industry makes us a
success," says Dolloff. "We position ourselves as a local company
operating nationally. We're regionalized but very in tune with what's going on
in each area." Dolloff explains that Morrison Senior Dining attempts to
leverage information about national trends in dining service for the benefit of
local communities. "This way we can provide the latest and greatest in
service."
Dolloff was influenced by a book called Generations, which describes
distinct demographic segments. Members of these segments have different needs
and wants based on key events in their formative years. Dolloff says that two
demographic segments identified in the book, the G.I. Generation and the Silent
Generation, are now living in retirement and assisted-living communities. The
G.I Generation has more traditional food interests--a type of meat-and-potatoes
fare. The Silent Generation demands more. They are largely a more affluent, more
educated group of individuals who desires control. His company is trying to
satisfy both groups. "I like finding ways to meet the needs of new
customers," says Dolloff. "I view the new 'Silent' customers coming in
as a challenge. I can honestly say they want everything. We hope to find a way
to satisfy them and make them happy, at the same time we're satisfying the G.I.
Generation. Simply said, my objective is making residents happy with food."
Morrison Senior Dining is responsible for the entire dining experience in
communities. Dolloff believes the program adds more value than most. "We
have a design department and an outstanding new software product called Resident
Choice. It allows more flexibility and data storage for the communities. We are
the exclusive distributor of the product." Thousands of employees work in
the senior-dining division. "We're in every major market, especially where
there are concentrations of senior-living communities. You can find us in
Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
We're really positioned regionally where the people are moving in," Dolloff
adds.
Compass, a British firm, recently acquired Morrison Management Specialists
and with it Morrison Senior Dining. Compass owns another large food service
company, Bateman, which is integrating into Morrison. Dolloff believes the
acquisition will only increase the success of the senior-dining service business
to which he has devoted himself.
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