A Note from the VP, Jim Greatorex: September 2024

Published in Home Modifications on September 11, 2024

By Jim Greatorex, VP, VGM Live at Home

Exciting Updates in This Month’s Newsletter!

We have a lot to talk about in this newsletter! We’re thrilled to introduce our new vendor partner, SolutionBased, Inc., highlight the 2024 VGM Live at Home Building Opportunities Summit, and share our most unique member spotlight story yet. Plus, meet our new member service colleague, Drew Aalderks, and learn about our upcoming webinar on financing for people over age 62. So, let’s jump right in!

Member Spotlight

This month, Premier Medical Equipment was asked to help provide access to a famous spiritual leader in a challenging setting. Don’t miss this inspiring story!

Welcome SolutionBased, Inc.

We are excited to welcome SolutionBased, Inc., manufacturers of the ShowerGlyde and ShowerBuddy bathing systems, as a new Live at Home partner. No matter what challenge your client has in bathing accessibility, this extensive line is likely to have a solution for safe and supported bathing in most home environments. Israel Gamburd, CEO, has had an amazing career as the owner of a successful home access company in the Bay Area of California. As an architect and designer of this high-quality line of bathing solutions, he understands your business needs. As a former home access company owner, he provided unique solutions in many scenarios where funding for a complete bathroom remodel was not available. Learn more about SolutionBased and see them at this year’s Building Opportunities Summit.

Upcoming Webinar: The Power of Home

Join us on September 12 at 12:30 p.m. CT for an excellent 30-minute webinar from Longbridge Financial, “The Power of Home: A Funding Option for Aging in Place Modifications.” Longbridge is the #1 reverse mortgage company in the U.S., and after you hear them, you’ll understand why. Learn how you can connect your clients to what experts say will be a highly-utilized funding vehicle for people over age 62. If you miss the live session, don’t worry! We will record it and make it available in our members-only portal.

Meet Drew Aalderks

Drew We are happy to welcome Drew Aalderks to the Live at Home team as a member service representative. Drew has worked at VGM for five years and brings a great work ethic. Come meet him at this year’s summit!

2024 Building Opportunities Summit

In less than two months, we will be in Kansas City for the 2024 Building Opportunities Summit. It will be another can’t-miss event! Your registration includes the Thursday night reception, breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday, and a fantastic banquet dinner on Friday night. Here are some highlights:

Thursday, November 7: Welcome reception from 5 – 7 p.m. in the exhibit hall. A great time to greet old friends and make new ones.
Friday, November 8: (Rest up, this day is jam-packed!)
- Learn how Patrick Fingles, CEO of Leap, our exclusive contractor project management software vendor, took his remodeling company to new heights by building his company brand.
- Discover a new disruptive home assessment tool with tremendous potential to elevate the home access industry.
- Hear from Tara Ballman, Executive Director of the NAIPC and your key contact for Longbridge Financial, about a new study from Georgia State on how to message seniors through gerontographics.
- I will also share our vision for how home access will become an accepted part of the home care service spectrum in the next two-to-five years and how we can be the solution the medical community partners with.
- Besides five other great sessions, we will have 22 or more exhibitors, a great banquet dinner with awards, and raffle prizes.
- Don’t go anywhere after dinner! To top off the day, get ready to be entertained by award-winning comedian Michael Joiner, a Kansas City native. Known for his sarcastic humor, quick-witted audience interaction, and improv, Michael has generated hundreds of five-star reviews. He has recorded a best-selling comedy album on the “GetRDone” record label from Larry the Cable Guy and has appeared in over a dozen movies, including Sony Pictures’ “The Grace Card.”
Saturday, November 9: (You can rest on the plane ride home!)
- Panel Discussion: "Leveraging Your Home Access Showroom," moderated by Frank Wasilewski from Access Elevator.
- Sessions: Topics include handrails, the apprenticeship program, and "Virtual Home Assessments" by Cindi Petito.

Based on feedback from last year, we’ve added more networking opportunities and interactive sessions. This year, you can choose from 20 breakout sessions, with seven available to attend. These sessions will run concurrently, four at a time, covering a wide range of relevant home access issues. Each 30-minute session will be led by a subject matter expert who will present the topic for five-to-eight minutes, followed by an interactive discussion. With 20-35 attendees per session and horseshoe seating, you’ll have a great opportunity to engage with everyone in the room. Check out all the breakout session topics, event agenda, and registration here.

Testimonial from a Past Event

“We often feel like the forgotten child in the industry, a last thought. Clinical professionals have their place, seating and mobility have theirs, [but] what about the guys focused on ‘building’ the dream to stay in your home? Thank you, VGM leadership, for recognizing the need to bring together the home access industry. This has been the most successful venue that I have ever attended. Incredibly professional, well-organized, and best of all engaging at every level!! We’ll see you next year with more of our staff.” – Darren Corcoran, Cor Freedom and Vets Access, 2022 VGM Member of the Year

Looking Ahead

At the summit and in our next newsletter in November, we will introduce another new service and a new employee that we think you will really like. It’s an exciting time in the industry, though we know it’s also been a challenging labor market. It may be tough to get away for a couple of days, but as a former business owner for over 27 years, I know it’s essential for business leaders to take time to work on the business, not just in it.

The best part of the summit is meeting you all in person and seeing the engagement and passion you bring to serve your clients and staff well. The whole VGM experience is about “Being Part of Something Bigger.” At the summit, you are surrounded by peers who share many of the same challenges and have experienced wins that they are eager to share. Together, we can help lift each other and build a sustainable industry that serves people well, provides good jobs, and supports profitable businesses.

Let’s not forget that the service you provide is unique and often life-changing. You and your company make a positive difference in your communities, making your local world a better place. This type of service brings meaningful conversations at the dining room table, sets a great example for your kids, and offers professional and spiritual fulfillment to all involved.

That’s why it is such a privilege for Live at Home to bring you your own conference where we work together to build an industry you will be proud of. We appreciate your membership, support for us and our vendor partners, and your friendship.

Hope to see you in November!

Jim Greatorex
Vice President
VGM Live at Home

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