{"id":31996,"date":"2022-05-10T05:12:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T12:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=31996"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:34:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:34:53","slug":"changemaker-tom-grape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemaker-tom-grape\/","title":{"rendered":"Changemakers Series"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Remember Changemakers \u2014 the annual series recognizing pioneers in senior living? It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the innovation, drive and commitment circling the industry, and honor the leaders behind it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re pleased to announce the 2022 series has officially begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Proudly sponsored by Yardi for the fourth year in a row, the Senior Housing News (SHN) Changemakers series<\/a> will showcase some of the most dynamic leadership senior living has to offer. Released in batches over the next several months, this year\u2019s interviews will feature never-before-seen insights from visionaries across the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that spirit, meet our first Changemaker: Tom Grape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Tom Grape<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark Senior Living, a dedicated Yardi client<\/a>, Grape is well versed in spearheading change. Having founded the company in 1997, he embodies what it means to shape senior living as we know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his interview with SHN<\/a>, Grape details how he\u2019s led Benchmark through change to attract a more complex consumer, his mission to increase diversity at the leadership level and more. Here\u2019s a snapshot:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHN:<\/em> What changes have you driven at Benchmark or in the industry that you\u2019re especially proud of?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grape:<\/em> I\u2019ve been in the industry for a long time, and I\u2019m proud of having been, at least in the assisted living side, there from the ground up. I was one of the founding members of, then ALFA, now Argentum, and was a chair many years ago. I founded the Massachusetts chapter, helping write legislation in Massachusetts and as a founder of the Connecticut chapter, I take pride in being one of the early folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benchmark was an early champion of promoting positive culture, and we are still defined by that characteristic today. The Boston Globe has named us in their \u201cTop Places to Work\u201d list each of the 14 years they\u2019ve had it. We\u2019re the only company to accomplish that in their large company category, and I\u2019m so proud of that. We\u2019re continuing to be a strong proponent of culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care, in general, is something on which we\u2019ve worked hard to differentiate ourselves from others. And we\u2019ve become a pioneer in capital over time. We were the first one to bring opportunity fund capital and international capital to the sector, and we were one of the first RIDEA deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHN:<\/em> How do you think about timing so that a company like Benchmark can innovate without getting so far ahead that a new idea is just too new?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grape:<\/em> The best way to drive change is to do it in increments. We\u2019ll start with a pilot, depending on what kind of change it is, to test it, tinker with it and work out some of the kinks. If it\u2019s not being well-received but you think the execution is OK, then maybe you\u2019re doing it too soon. I would try to avoid too many broad-scale changes at once without having done some form of test or early introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHN:<\/em> If you could change one thing about the senior living industry, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grape:<\/em> I\u2019d love the senior living industry to find a way to have our product\/service received in a more universally positive fashion. Our product is a real gift to the people we serve and yet, it is not always received as such. It\u2019s not always delivered as such. If we can have it delivered, received and portrayed more consistently it would be a great advance for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Tom Grape\u2019s entire interview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To read the rest of Tom Grape\u2019s conversation with SHN, check out the full interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn how Yardi solutions help providers like Benchmark drive positive change, explore our Senior Living Suite infographic<\/a> or product page<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember Changemakers \u2014 the annual series recognizing pioneers in senior living? It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the innovation, drive and commitment circling the industry, and honor the leaders behind it all. We\u2019re pleased to announce the 2022 series has officially begun. Proudly sponsored by Yardi for the fourth year in a row, the Senior […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":782,"featured_media":31997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2952,3354],"tags":[2695,842,2438],"class_list":["post-31996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-senior-living","category-team-yardi","tag-changemakers","tag-senior-living","tag-yardi-senior-living-suite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Changemaker Tom Grape shares how he drives change in senior living in this interview with SHN. and Yardi Read more about Changemakers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemaker-tom-grape\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Changemakers Series\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Changemaker Tom Grape shares how he drives change in senior living in this interview with SHN. and Yardi Read more about Changemakers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemaker-tom-grape\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-10T12:12:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-22T23:34:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2022\/05\/2022-Changemakers_TomGrape.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Natalie Mahn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Natalie Mahn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemaker-tom-grape\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemaker-tom-grape\/\",\"name\":\"Changemaker Tom Grape - 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