KEEPING THE FIRE ALIVE

Steve Infanti

Kenneth J. Newell learned a great deal as an undergraduate in the health planing and administration program at Penn State. By the time he graduated in 1976, he had gained the academic skills vital for success in the health care industry, as well as a number of valuable benefits not found in textbooks.

"My Penn State experience taught me the values of approaching life and business with passion, dedication and a commitment to quality. These values have fueled a 'fire' which has guided me throughout my career," says Newell. A quick glance at his accomplishments shows how brightly this fire still burns within him.

Newell's management, development and marketing experience includes nearly 25 years in the health care and senior living industries. In 1994, he expressed his entrepreneurial spirit when he founded Manorhouse Retirement Centers, Inc., a Richmond, Virginia-based developer, owner and operator of assisted living retirement communities. He now serves as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Manorhouse currently owns and operates 17 assisted living communities located in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. With 14 additional projects under construction or development from Pennsylvania to northern Florida, the Manorhouse portfolio is expected to quickly grow to nearly 3,000 beds.

With a passion for providing quality care and service, Newell has built a company with a solid foundation based on maintaining a commitment to continuous quality improvement, staff training and development, and a strong financial platform.

"I owe a lot to Penn State. My experiences at the University, coupled with my master's degree, have provided me with the academic and social skills needed to succeed in today's business environment," says Newell. Residing in Richmond, Virginia, Newell is married with two children. A native of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, he credits the professors at Penn State for many of his achievements. "The undergraduate curriculum at Penn State prepared me for a career in health care and the faculty helped spark my interest in the industry. In addition to learning the fundamentals of health care administration, the faculty helped develop my abilities to think, reason and interact with other people," recalls Newell.

"I fell in love with Penn State when I visited the campus as a high school student. Those feelings have only grown stronger over the years. Now, when I have an opportunity to give back to the University and its students, I believe it's important to do so."

Currently, he serves on the Alumni Board for the college. This allows him to stay connected to the University and help bond relationships between the alumni, students and faculty. Newell often returns to meet with students to share his experiences and ideas on career development.

Newell's career has enjoyed well-rounded growth. He experienced the health care industry through government, not-for-profit and proprietary experiences. From 1987 to 1994, Newell served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Manorhouse Management & Development, Inc., which provided management, development and health care consulting services. His earlier assisted living development efforts include a 108-bed facility in Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as a 190-bed facility in Richmond, Virginia.

For four years, he served as the assistant administrator of a United States Air Force hospital. Thereafter, he spent two years as the assistant administrator of a community owned hospital where he also oversaw the operation of a 125-bed nursing home. Furthermore, Hospital Corporation of America employed Newell for six years, including a position as the administrator/ CEO of a 180-bed acute care hospital.

"A variety of demographic and societal forces are currently reshaping how and where people live in their older years," says Newell. "The traditional family, with three generations living in the same home or near one another, is becoming less prevalent with the increased mobility of today's society. Longer life spans and a higher quality of life, brought about by medical advances, have created the need for a greater number and variety of residential alternatives for older Americans."

These trends have fueled the development of an entire industry directed at enabling older people to maintain their dignity and independence and continue active lifestyles, says Newell. Under his leadership, Manorhouse develops and operates flexible, purpose-built models designed specifically to accommodate the increasing frailty and anticipated health care demands of the nation's aging population.

"Without the education I received at Penn State, it would have been very difficult to lead our employees and our company to its current success."