A FOCUS ON purpose, excellence, and belonging

One of Cedar Community’s four guiding principles and priorities is TEAM: We nurture a culture of purpose, excellence, and belonging. We do this by respecting, appreciating, and valuing every team member while fostering engagement, wellbeing, and growth.

In 1953, Cedar Community began with one man’s gift of land and one man’s vision to serve others. William Koehl donated his property overlooking Big Cedar Lake to the United Church of Christ to serve the elderly. In 1957, Cedar Community opened its first nursing home on that property. That gift began a legacy. Today, we have grown to be the region’s largest faith-based, not-for-profit senior living community—supporting our friends and neighbors as they enjoy, explore, and embrace their best lives. We will continue to forge forward, providing care for seniors age 55 and better for future generations to come. Our current construction repositioning project offers the opportunity for additional independent living options. With organizational growth comes career opportunities to join an exceptional team.

Cedar Community is the third largest nonprofit employer in Washington County. We are an extended family to more than 900 residents, over 400 team members, and over 300 volunteers.

As is the case in any good human relationship— communication is key. As part of Cedar Community’s focus on nurturing culture, our team is committed to increasing the volume, the scope, and the transparency of communications and feedback opportunities throughout the entire organization. Our human resources team is a case in point.

Earlier this year, our human resources team began using a feedback tool to survey team members and gauge satisfaction. The goal of this ongoing effort is to increase team member retention and evaluate job satisfaction at various milestones during employment and throughout the year. This nonanonymous survey asked team members what’s working, what’s not, and how we can improve. An astonishing 80 percent of team members filled out the survey—truly giving us the gift of feedback! We received many positive comments from team members, including:

“I love working for Cedar and working with the people I work with. All departments have become friendly with one another and work well together.”

“The people asked to train me are kind and patient, and the residents are truly the heart of the organization.”

“It is so easy to work with the new people and work together as a team.”

“Cedar not only provides a safe, caring environment for the elderly, they also provide that for their staff. Cedar is true to its mission, and I am truly blessed to be a part of this family!”

As with any feedback—it wasn’t all positive—but it was all valuable. That’s just as important because this honest communication helps us identify trouble spots and work to improve. Follow-up meetings and calls took place with team members who voiced concerns—giving leadership the opportunity to respect, appreciate, and value team members’ honest feedback.

To learn more about our team of champions, visit our careers page, cedarcommunity.org/careers/.

Our human resources team, led by Vice President of Human Resources Tracy Blaubach, carefully considered the feedback and began implementing select action items almost immediately. Items in progress and the planning phase include the following:

Professional development opportunities: We partnered with Moraine Park Technical College to deliver leadership curricula at Cedar Community for a cohort of 14 team members. We have another 14 team members who began a second class in June.

CNA training: We are again partnering with Moraine Park Technical College and Quality CNA Training to increase opportunities for resident assistants and dining assistants to transition into new roles and to complete training for new hires.

Policy updates: Policy updates impacting attendance, holiday pay, and student flex status have been made.

Referral programs: Creative referral programs have been implemented to increase team member referrals for select dining and nursing positions.

Recruitment efforts: Additional technology tools and a hiring task force have been added for our recruiting team to help them shorten the time from contact to close in the hiring process.

“The workforce crisis in healthcare and long-term care settings is not going away,” stated Vice President of Human Resources Tracy Blaubach. “Our board of directors and executive team have made it a priority to do everything we can to staff at appropriate levels. It is our goal to offer the highest standard of care and to make sure our team members feel supported through strong staffing. My team is working hard and is dedicated to doing everything we can to help make this happen.”

To learn more about the rewarding opportunities available at Cedar Community, visit our careers page at cedarcommunity.org.

Cedar Community Champions

Nursing Champion

Cassie Pietruszynski

CNA

How long have you worked at Cedar Community?

Eight years

What do you enjoy most about working at Cedar Community?

“Being a part of residents’ daily living, hearing their stories, sharing mine, and making each other laugh and smile— becoming like family. I love the strong bonds with residents, their families, and my wonderful coworkers.”

What her colleagues are saying... “Cassie has such a giving heart and it shows in the day-to-day care that she provides—all while having a great sense of humor and the ability to make our residents laugh.”

Dining Champion

Isabel Gross

Dining Assistant

How long have you worked at Cedar Community?

Nine months

What do you enjoy most about working at Cedar Community?

“I enjoy getting to know the residents and listening to their life stories. I hope to bring them a pleasant dining experience.”

What her colleagues are saying... “Isabel goes out of her way to make each and every resident feel special. She has an excellent teamwork attitude— always going above and beyond. She picks up shifts whenever needed.”

Cedar Community Champion

Tammy Veselka

Customer Relations

How long have you worked at Cedar Community?

Six years

What do you enjoy most about working at Cedar Community?

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to create so many wonderful friendships with residents, their families, and guests. I also have some of the best coworkers. I am honored to have a supervisor who has created an environment where I can strive to the best of my abilities.”

What her colleagues are saying...

“Tammy is extremely knowledgeable and is an amazing resource for both residents and staff. She is always kind, courteous, and compassionate with team members and residents— assisting whenever needed. She goes out of her way to always make the residents a top priority!”