Challenge

Benchmark Assisted Living is the largest assisted living company in New England and one of the top 10 in the nation. Despite tremendous growth, 200 percent in the last three years, and an excellent reputation within the industry, the Wellesley Hills, Mass.-based company was not well known in the New England business community. In order to continue its growth, Benchmark needed to gain additional exposure with business leaders outside of the assisted living industry and maintain its excellent reputation in an industry at times marred by controversy. The challenge of the situation was that assisted living was a business industry that few reporters “cared” about. No reporter followed the industry or was assigned to write about the ups and downs of the industry and/or its players.

Additionally, in the fall of 2004, Benchmark was poised to complete two of the largest deals in the history of the company. Benchmark asked O’Neill and Associates to create a public relations plan that would gain the attention of the Boston business community. The two deals Benchmark would be completing were: a $160 million acquisition of nine Village Retirement communities throughout Southern New England in one of the largest transactions in the assisted living industry in five years and a $148 million recapitalization with the Kuwait Finance House of Benchmark’s longest held portfolio.