Golden Living confirms HQ move to Dallas

Golden Living announced today (Mar. 10) at 2 p.m. three “key initiatives” that include moving the company’s headquarters from Fort Smith to Dallas and the possibility of increasing the number of jobs in Fort Smith.

In the statement, the 5-story, 318,000-square-foot building in Fort Smith that previously served as the corporate headquarters will become an administrative center.

“Only 12-15 people who are currently based in Fort Smith will be moving to Dallas,” noted the statement.

THE TEXAS ANGLE
The Texas version of the press release issued Thursday by Golden Living indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Golden Living execs held a joint press conference to announce that beginning in April the city of Plano would be the company’s new headquarters.

About 100 jobs will be created in Plano through a “combination of relocating senior executives from their current offices in seven states and the District of Columbia along with hiring new staff locally,” noted the Texas statement.

The new 27,000-square-foot building will be located in the Legacy campus in Plano.

"The business environment created by the officials of the State of Texas, the Texas Enterprise Fund, and the City of Plano — along with their investments — were key to our decision to locate our new headquarters in Texas," said Neil Kurtz, M.D., President and CEO of Golden Living. "We look forward to actively participating in the State of Texas and City of Plano business communities. We believe their significant resources and talent will enable us to accelerate the growth and success of our company."

Perry said the Texas Enterprise Fund was used to help lure Golden Living to the Dallas area.

MORE JOBS IN FORT SMITH?
The move is initially expected to leave about 675 workers in Fort Smith, but Thursday’s announcement indicates the Golden Living employee count in Fort Smith may rise. The company said it may “potentially consolidate a number of field-based positions in the Fort Smith Administrative Center,” with consolidation details coming “in the near future.”

“We think that Fort Smith is a great place to be doing business, and we are committed to our operations there,” Dr. Neil Kurtz, president and CEO of Golden Living, said in the statement. “The high-quality work of our Fort Smith employees is one of the key reasons for our company’s success.”

Positioning for growth and “success in the future” were reasons Golden Living cited for the employee shifts.

Sources have told The City Wire that other reasons include a perceived inability to recruit top executive talent and better travel out of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

The City Wire has been assured of an interview with Kurtz later this afternoon. This post will update following the interview.

ARKANSAS PRESS RELEASE
Following is the full Arkansas-version release from Golden Living that was embargoed until 2 p.m.
Golden Living today announced three key initiatives designed to position the healthcare company for growth and success in the future: establishing a new Headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, establishing an Administrative Center in Fort Smith, Ark., and a reorganization of its Golden LivingCenters operations.
 
Starting in April, Golden Living will begin consolidating and centralizing Golden Living senior executives and other management personnel from offices in seven states and the District of Columbia at the new Headquarters and at its Administrative Center.
 
Located in Plano, Tex., the new Headquarters will house the senior executives for Golden Living’s operations and other corporate departments for all of its businesses. Approximately 100 people initially will be relocated from the offices in seven states and the District of Columbia to the new Headquarters. Only 12-15 people who are currently based in Fort Smith will be moving to Dallas.
 
“Bringing our senior executives together in one location will foster more effective communications, build collaboration, and facilitate faster and more effective decision-making,” said Neil Kurtz, M.D., President and CEO of Golden Living. “It will allow us to be a more focused organization, which will enable us to respond in a more timely manner to business opportunities.”
 
The Fort Smith, Ark. office of Golden Living will become the Golden Living Administrative Center, providing administrative services for all Golden Living businesses, and supporting more than 40,000 employees who provide healthcare services to 60,000 patients and residents. Senior executives responsible for these administrative services will be based in the Administrative Center in Fort Smith.
 
As part of this initiative, Golden Living also is looking to potentially consolidate a number of field-based positions in the Fort Smith Administrative Center. The company expects to make additional announcements about the new positions in Fort Smith in the near future.
 
“We think that Fort Smith is a great place to be doing business, and we are committed to our operations there,” said Kurtz. “The high-quality work of our Fort Smith employees is one of the key reasons for our company’s success.”
 
The company also announced a reorganization of the operating structure of its Golden LivingCenters business above the individual facility level. “This reorganization focuses on being even more patient-centric in the operation of our 304 LivingCenters by increasing the resources available to them in addressing the healthcare needs of the patients and residents in the communities they serve,” said Kurtz.