Vision driven by service by stephanie d. overton
MIKE
WILLIAMS ’93
“You can’t be successful without seeing and knowing where you’re going,” said Mike Williams ’93, CEO and co-founder of English Meadows Senior Living. ceo and co-founder
ENGLISH MEADOWS SENIOR LIVING
Williams has had an entrepreneurial spirit from day one of his career and has always been self-employed. He and his wife, Patti, were in the restaurant business and owned and operated a Radford-based restaurant before purchasing the first English Meadows facility in 2008. Today, the company owns and operates 16 senior living communities in Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and South Carolina and will manage an independent living community in Christiansburg, Virginia. “Vision is the most crucial aspect,” Williams shared as he reflected on the growth of his business. “I have been successful because I’ve been able to see what’s going to happen down the road … and being somewhat accurate at it is important. I trust my intuition, but we do the research, and I believe in our vision and can see what things can be.” For Williams and the English Meadows team, service is in every second of the work they do taking care of their residents. “We’re all driven by service. We are blessed that we get to interact with the lives of so many residents who have amazing stories. Serving others is in my nature and what I enjoy. I feel blessed to be a part of their lives,” Williams said.
24 The Magazine of Radford University