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Whether it's the engine of his '57 Thunderbird, the art-deco theatre he built with his own hands in his private home, or the senior-housing and healthcare industry, Jim Moore has always been interested in "what makes things work." With a bachelor's degree in industrial technology from Northeastern University in Boston, Moore began his career as an electronics engineer, working for two New England-based companies in the military electronics field. After traveling to Texas on business, he realized he preferred the warmer weather over New England's harsh winters and established a private consulting business there. In 1971, Moore graduated with an MBA in marketing and finance from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, and began Moore Diversified Services Inc. The company offers market-feasibility studies, detailed financial pro forma analysis, marketing consulting and investment advisory services.
Moore's shift from engineering to marketing was precipitated by a desire to work more with people in an arena that was constantly changing. He said this aspect is both the joy and the challenge of the senior-housing and healthcare industry. "After 30 years in the business, you'd think I would know everything there is to know," Moore explains. "The sobering fact is that there will always be something new."
According to Moore, it is important for people in the industry to spend time listening to the seniors they serve. "This is a demanding, complex business ... where owners and managers of assisted-living centers are operating a hotel, a restaurant and a healthcare facility for reluctant consumers who have just moved out of their homes with thirty years of memories," Moore says. "We tend to underestimate how critical the human element is."
To remind himself of this emotional element, Moore has lived in more than 40 assisted-living communities during various consulting projects. "You really learn a lot just by dining with people," he says. "One woman told me, 'You know, I was somebody once.' As you get older, you become more vulnerable, and not just because of your health. People begin to see and treat you differently."
To help his clients get in touch with the needs of their consumers, Moore gives them a test. He invites them to imagine how their own mother or grandmother would feel about moving into this assisted-living community. "Chances are, that's your market," he says.
Clients are primarily looking for experience and tenure, which Moore offers. He has personally conducted more than 1,800 major senior-housing and healthcare consulting engagements in 47 states and six foreign countries. The challenge of having this many clients is aided by his company's 12 employees, including Moore's daughter, Lynne Moore, who has been working there for the last 22 years.
Moore also has found a way to increase exposure of his ideas. In addition to authoring business columns for magazines and newspapers, Moore has already written three of five books planned for his 21st Century Senior Life Series. The latest edition is entitled Assisted Living Strategies for Changing Markets. He is now working on his fourth book called Independent Living Congregate Care and CCRCs. Moore also anticipates a book devoted to the issues and concerns of the nonprofit senior-housing market. Eventually, he plans to write what he calls a "crossover book" for the broader consumer market, offering a bridge between what the industry knows and what the consumer wants.
Because his work cannot be done at arm's length, Moore has logged more than 5 million air miles over the last 30 years. "I like what I do," Moore says of the rigorous lifestyle. "I could be retired right now, but I choose not to. If I get tired, I've learned how to recharge the batteries." Recharging often means taking his fire-engine red '57 Thunderbird "up the boulevard" on a sunny afternoon, or letting the velvet curtains roll back and watching a classic movie with his wife in his private movie theatre.
Consistent with his engineering vantage point, Moore revels in knowing the inner workings of everyday items. At the age of 67, approximately 15 years ahead of the baby-boomer generation, Moore continues to anticipate what's behind the needs and expectations of the changing market.
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