Blog Archives - Page 4 of 4

Warfel Construction: Pursuing Sustainability in a Challenging Market

Business Partner Spotlight: Warfel Construction

From their blog: Despite the uniquely challenging nature of the construction industry, the team at Warfel Construction has been energized by the opportunity to collaborate creatively in today’s environment. We have been in regular conversation with clients and industry partners about emerging trends in sustainable investments, business practices, energy procurement, and development opportunities.

Bottom line, markets are waking up to the reality that investment in sustainability pays dividends – literally. A reflective study on 2020 mutual fund and ETFs by Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing showed that mutual funds which focus on environment, social, and governance factors yielded, on average, 4.3% greater returns than more traditional peer funds.

Our clients are seeing these trends and acknowledging that investment in sustainability could have myriad benefits for the development of their organizations. However, the regular refrain to follow is, given the current market, how can we afford this?

Read more from MCSA’s partners at Warfel Construction about their steps to an affordable, sustainable future for the construction industry and their clients, including:

Start at the beginning
Collaboration is key
Think outside the box
Less is more
Forward is forward

Ziegler Investment Banking: Senior Living Finance Activity

Introducing our Business Partner Spotlight: Ziegler Investment Banking

From the newsroom of Ziegler: “We are all mindful that 2022 took an unpleasant turn when gas prices doubled at the pump, household expenses rose dramatically, and the Consumer Price Index increased to levels we have not experienced in years. Additionally, the low interest rate environment that we enjoyed the last several years began to increase mid-year as the Fed raised rates seven times in 2022, reflecting levels we have not seen in more than a decade. All-in-all, a number of planned deals went to market, and priced successfully, but with rates that generally climbed as the year progressed.”

Read more from MCSA’s business partner spotlight this month, Ziegler Investment Banking, as they review the 2022 municipal bond issuance, capital markets, interest rates, and the nearly 60 transactions Ziegler led this past year!

The cost of living for the MCSA villagers. How much to live in a retirement community?

Cost Essentials of Continuing Care Retirement Communities

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) offer multiple levels of active retirement and health care options – retirement living (independent living), personal care, and skilled nursing on the same campus. How the cost of health care is covered depends on the plan offered. Upon moving into a CCRC, residents select one of these plans:

Type A – Lifecare

Under a Lifecare contract, offered at Masonic Village at Sewickley, residents pay an upfront entrance fee and an ongoing monthly fee that bundles most of the cost for day-to-day living. Residents who transfer from retirement living to health care pay essentially the same monthly fee in place at time of transfer. Most communities will adjust the monthly fee for the additional meals provided in personal care and skilled nursing.

Entrance fees are higher because you’re covering a full range of future possible health challenges.
The monthly fee remains virtually the same if your health needs increase.
Most residents qualify for tax advantages.
Preferred by residents looking for cost certainty and financial protection of their savings/assets.

Type C – Fee for Service

Under a fee for service contract, residents pay an upfront entrance fee and an ongoing monthly fee that bundles most of the cost for day-to-day living. Entry fees and monthly fees are lower upon entry into active retirement living, but residents pay the full cost of personal care or skilled nursing for as long as needed at market rates.

The entrance fee allows the community to charge a lower monthly fee than Lifecare communities.
This plan does not provide for tax write-off since heath care services are not pre-funded.
Savings and assets are potentially depleted paying for health care.

Some CCRCs offer a  rental option without an entrance fee requirement. Residents who choose this type of contract pay a higher monthly fee and assume the full risk of the cost and self-coordination of their future care.

Visit our cost page for more information on retirement living fees.

How residents raised 60K in scholarships for their servers at the MCSA restaurants

Residents Raise $60K for Staff Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of Masonic Village residents, 11 dining room servers received $4,000 college scholarships.

Faced with staff shortages affecting the food services industry as a whole, Masonic Village had to pause table service in its restaurant. Residents wanted to help with the situation, and being aware of scholarship programs at local schools, formed a Dining Services Scholarship Committee, which includes four residents and Eric Gross, executive director. Their aim was to help recruit servers, many of whom are high school and college age, by offering them assistance with their future education through scholarships made possible through donations from residents.

“With the scholarship program, we thought it might encourage people to work here and put in more time and be rewarded,” committee co-chair Mike Glenn said. “We were so successful, we were able to increase our initial offer from $1,500-$2,000 scholarships to $4,000 scholarships. These kids are really great people. They’re good students and going into interesting areas of study.”

To qualify, servers must have worked at least 312 hours, submitted a short essay and application and already be attending or accepted to college. In total, more than $63,000 was contributed during what will become an annual campaign. The additional funds collected will be used for next year’s scholarships.

“Masonic Village feels like family,” said scholarship recipient David Binley (shown above right with residents Marlene and Bill Moisey), who has worked as a server since 2019 and is an economics major at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. “I appreciate going to work every day. I enjoy bringing in new people, training them and helping them see it’s a great place to work. I thank everyone who contributed. It was very, very generous.”

Recipients, in addition to David, include: Hunter Brace, studying business at Slippery Rock University; Mia Burens, studying biology/pre-med at University of Pittsburgh; Natalie Grillo, studying accounting at Penn State University; Miranda Johns (shown above left with residents Janet Maier and Randy Glass), studying forensic science/law at Duquesne University; Megan Meng, studying biology/pre-med at Duquesne University; Dylan Palmer, studying exercise science at Chatham University; Mary Pangburn, studying psychology/pre-med at Boston College; Zoe Staley, studying nursing at Beaver County Community College; Samuel Veleke, studying chemistry at University of Central Florida; and Jennifer Weiss, studying nursing at Carlow University.

The program is already having a positive impact on the recruitment of new servers. In the first three months of 2022, Masonic Village hired one server. In the following three months, after publicizing the scholarship program, Masonic Village hired five new servers, increasing the average total number from 24 to 30.

If you know someone interested in job opportunities at Masonic Village at Sewickley, visit our Careers page!

MCSA Hosts COVID Roundtable Discussion via Zoom

Today MCSA was host to a COVID Roundtable discussion via Zoom. Led by Board Members, Gary Charland (Masonic Homes of California) and J Scott Judy (Masonic Homes Kentucky), 35 people joined in from around the world to share experiences within their Masonic communities and collaborate on best practices during these unprecedented times.

Catch the replay HERE

“It really feels good knowing that we have this organization behind us and that we are able to share in the good and the challenging.” – Gary Charland