PARC President & CEO Tony Baena’s Interview on Pulse FM

You can catch the full interview here:

 

White Rock radio station 107.7 Pulse FM, in partnership with the South Surrey Chamber of Commerce, hosted PARC President and CEO Tony Baena on its community feature program Let’s Get Local, a showcase of local businesses.

The conversation spanned everything from how PARC’s seniors make the transition to independent living to highlighting some of PARC’s community initiatives in White Rock. Here’s a sampling of what was discussed.

PARC Isn’t Your Average Senior’s Residence

As a family-owned and operated business, PARC offers independent living for seniors at our five properties, Tony explained. “These are seniors who are looking to make a change in their lifestyle, usually for social reasons – to build friendships and a network so they’re not living alone and isolated.”

Tony highlighted PARC’s safe and secure community, which offers 24/7 oversight, giving our residents the comfort of knowing there’s always someone there if they need help or support.

A Positive Transition to Independent Living

Tony noted that the transition to PARC living is a positive one for residents, though the biggest hurdle is often in moving from a bigger space into a smaller one. “They need to start thinking beyond the four walls of their new apartment and look at PARC’s amenity spaces as an extension of their living space.”

At Oceana PARC, these amenity spaces include a 2,000-square-foot gym, a bistro, a games room with billiards and cards tables, and more.

Tony noted that for many residents, the dining experience can be very pampering after years of cooking at home. “A lot of our residents try different things they didn’t cook for themselves.”

With our five-star chefs offering nutritious dishes and custom menus, dining at PARC is definitely a highlight of living here.

Giving Back to the Community

Tony highlighted PARC’s strong belief in giving back to its communities. In White Rock, for example, PARC’s $1.2 million donation to the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation allowed for the redevelopment of five surgical suites.

Tony noted that he was also one of the organizers of the Chefs for the Pier event in 2019, which raised $80,000 toward the restoration of White Rock’s iconic pier.

Working at PARC

The interview concluded with a segment on what it’s like to work at PARC. Tony highlighted that most of PARC’s staff work in hospitality roles – as housekeepers, dining room and kitchen staff. However, unlike most hospitality employers, PARC offers a living wage which starts at $20/hour.

“We offer good work/life balance, too, with most evening shifts ending at 8 pm so staff can get home at a reasonable hour.”