sustainable external customer success without a stable, engaged internal customer base. From there, the company’s operating model takes a deliberately holistic view of the resident experience. Lange notes that as customer expectations shift—particularly with the next wave of seniors—successful senior living communities must deliver more than care services alone. Koru’s emphasis is on lifestyle, culture, wellness, culinary programming, and meaningful connection, paired with the supportive services residents expect as a baseline.That shows up in expanded amenities and community design, including wellness offerings and robust programming that brings outside educators, providers, and community members into Koru communities.The goal is to keep residents engaged, connected, and fulfilled, especially as mobility decreases and external access narrows with age and health changes. A particularly important component of Koru’s model is its micro-market strategy. Lange points to a longobserved dynamic in senior living: the majority of both residents and employees typically come from a small geographic radius, often within three to seven miles of a community. That reality has shaped how Koru designs and programs each property. Rather than applying a cookie-cutter model across locations, Koru aims to tailor each community to local culture, history, and expectations so residents feel connected to where they live, rather than feeling as though they moved into a generic product. In Lange’s view, this localized customization strengthens both resident satisfaction and community trust, and becomes an operational advantage as the company expands. Koru’s approach is also shaped by what Lange describes as a supply-and-demand crisis in senior living. He believes that in many markets there is simply not enough inventory to meet current and future demand, and that this imbalance can create conditions where operators are not consistently pressured to improve. Koru’s strategy has been to treat that environment as an opportunity, building a service and asset model designed to exceed market norms, while also strengthening the workforce layer that, in Lange’s words, is often the weakest link in the chain for many operators. Koru’s internal 48 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 02
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