Ziegler Celebrates 20th Annual Ziegler Senior Living Finance + Strategy Conference in Colorado Springs, CO

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 06, 2017

Ziegler, a specialty investment bank ranked number one in the nation in senior living financing since 1990¹ (Thomson Reuters), recently hosted the 20th annual Ziegler Senior Living Finance + Strategy Conference, the industry's leading, invitation-only conference, focusing on cutting-edge finance and strategic positioning trends affecting today's senior living providers.

More than 675 CEOs, CFOs, board members, institutional investors, credit enhancers, rating agency representatives and industry professionals gathered to hear from nearly 60 industry leaders on topics ranging from architectural trends and the growth of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) to engaged living innovations to the future of senior living. Ziegler celebrated the twentieth year of the conference with a record-breaking attendance total with a noticeable increase in senior living industry board members who are continuing to increase their involvement in strategic company decisions.

Overall, attendees were optimistic about growth in the senior living industry and expect this trend to continue. Several key trends emerged from the conference, including:

• Many providers spoke of growth strategies within their organizations, including expansions to existing to communities, affiliations with others, building-out home and community-based platforms and the development of satellite campuses. Many providers report high occupancy and solid financials which is enabling them to advance growth initiatives.
• One area that will have an impact on growth is staffing challenges. How severe the staffing challenges are varied market-to-market, but it is clear that senior living providers are needing to respond. During the conference, providers spoke of enhancing staff engagement initiatives, boosting compensation packages and partnering with colleges, training institutes and even high schools to draw young professionals into the field.
• A recent Ziegler CFO Hotline Poll revealed that not-for-profit senior living providers are working hard to respond to challenges in the post-acute space. Skilled nursing is one of the areas that is challenging providers the most as occupancies dip, as lengths of stay decrease and as patient acuity increases. This is all in the midst of payment reform. The survey revealed that while most not-for-profit providers are looking to keep their number of skilled nursing beds relatively the same over the next two years, roughly 27% are contemplating a reduction in the number of beds.
• Technology-enabled solutions for seniors and senior living operators continue to be on the rise. Attendees at the conference heard from others about the role of technology in growth and campus development as well as in patient care and care coordination, among others. Implementing telehealth options for resident care will likely become an even more viable option as it also helps mitigate some of the labor challenges being faced across many of the direct care staff positions.

The 2018 conference will be held in September at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

About Ziegler:

Ziegler is a privately held investment bank, capital markets, wealth management and proprietary investments firm, celebrating its 115th anniversary this year. Ziegler is ranked No. 1 in the country in healthcare/senior living underwriters by issuance and No. 4 by par amount (Thomson Reuters, 2016), and is ranked in the top 20 municipal underwriters in the country by volume (Bloomberg, 2016). Specializing in the healthcare, senior living, education and religion sectors, as well as general municipal and structured finance enables Ziegler to generate a positive impact on the communities it serves. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and branch offices throughout the United States, Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, equity and fixed income sales & trading, wealth management and research. To learn more, visit http://www.ziegler.com.

Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This client's experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees.

1. Based on full credit given to senior manager of lead-managed underwriting principal volume for senior living transactions completed nationally. Rankings and amounts through Thomson Financial Securities Data as of 12/31/16.

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