New Operator Cavalier Senior Living Seeks More Growth In Southeast U.s.

Cavalier Senior Living has quickly grown since its launch five years ago, and the operator seeks more growth in the U.S. Southeast.

The Montgomery, Alabama-based operator launched with the purchase of 12 assisted living buildings from a regional hospital system located across rural Alabama. Since then, its leaders have focused on growing occupancy and expanding through a combination of acquisition and branching into third party management contracts, according to Co-Founder and CEO Brad Eisemann.

“We already knew the employees in the business, and so we just dug right in, did a couple of renovations and survived Covid,” Eisemann told Senior Housing News. “As we came out of that, we got management opportunities pretty quickly.”

Since its start, Cavalier has grown from operating communities totaling 196 beds up to over 500. In May, it completed the acquisition of Riverchase Senior Living, a 107-unit community in Hoover, Alabama. Over the past year, it has also grown to manage Silver Comet Village in Powder Springs, Georgia, a move that fits in with the company’s goal to grow and expand its footprint in the Southeast, Eisemann said.

Now, it has 13 locations in its portfolio.

“We’ve got a number of people asking us about management opportunities, and we’re looking at acquisition opportunities as well,” Eisemann said. “We’re a little selective and conservative along those lines, but we are optimistic about growing both our third party management portfolio and potential acquisitions.”

Cavalier’s growth focuses on a specific type of community profile: Buildings that don’t require excessive CapEx with a middle market focus. To keep its offerings more affordable for residents, Cavalier has shifted to all-inclusive rates to lower cost exposure while focusing on stabilizing staffing while offering home cooking options to keep food quality high while controlling expenses.

The operator seeks to operate communities in a footprint ranging from Texas to North Carolina in the coming years. For the time being, it will continue to shore up its operations and grow with communities that fit its values and profile.

Eisemann’s goal as an operator is to maintain communities to the standard where his mother, a former Cavalier resident, would comfortably live.

“I’ve got both the ownership perspective, the family perspective and the son that my mom called all the time to share her concerns or her thoughts on … The things that a 91-year-old person’s going to potentially talk to their family about,” he said. “It’s definitely a learning experience by living that from all angles.”

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