By Steve Moran
I want to start with some questions …
Have you ever stared at your org chart and wondered if the structure that got you here is actually the thing holding you back from where you want to go?
Have you ever been handed an opportunity — a new community, a management contract, a potential partnership — and genuinely not known whether to say yes or run the other way?
Have you ever grown fast, only to look up one day and realize the culture you started with is becoming a casualty of that growth?
These are real-life challenges that senior living leaders are wrestling with. Getting them right means more success and a happy life. Getting them wrong means lost opportunities, sleepless nights, massive headaches, and challenging times ahead.
If you are not struggling with any of this, you can stop reading now … but if your interest is piqued …
The NIC Growth Conference, taking place in Indianapolis May 13 and 14, is the place for you to be.
The Conference is built for operators who are in the middle of something — not just thinking about growing, but actually doing it, with all the complexity and second-guessing that comes with it. The session lineup this year is one of the most honest and practical I’ve seen at any industry conference.
The Agenda
The opening session tackles organizational structure — specifically, how to evolve it as you grow. The panelists are operators who have lived it at Brightwater, Vantage Point, and Health Dimensions Group.
From there, the conversation turns to one of the biggest challenges in senior living: when to pursue an opportunity and when to walk away. Timing is everything, and the people on that panel — from Trustwell Living, Viva Senior Living, and United Church Homes — have all made those calls under pressure.
Then comes the session I think will generate the most conversation: Will Your Identity Shape Your Growth or Become a Casualty of It? The Springs Living, Benchmark, and Trilogy are in that room. These are organizations with real culture. They know what it costs to protect it.
And of course, data is king — but we are still really working to figure out how to unlock its potential. There is a session that tackles this topic head-on. Spoiler: it is increasingly obvious that the operators who figure it out first will have a meaningful edge.
Day two gets into capital and financing — how to access it at different stages of growth, not just the obvious sources. It covers management transitions, which is one of the most underrated challenges in this industry. It addresses strategic partnerships — the kind that actually accelerate growth rather than just complicate your org chart.
Growing Pains — Real Life Lessons
The closing session might be the most valuable: learning from other people’s journeys. Growing Pains: The Mistakes We Made and the Lessons We Learned features Justin Hutchens as moderator, with Sue Farrow, Lynne Katzmann, and Dan Lindh on the panel. These are industry legends. That kind of vulnerability and candor in a public setting is rare — and worth the price of admission alone.
The NIC Growth Conference isn’t for everyone. It’s for operators who are serious about building something and want to learn from people who are doing it right now — and from people who made the mistakes so you don’t have to.
If that sounds like you, Indianapolis is the place to be May 13–14.
