Pictured left to right: Kelli and Cory Back
Doing the right thing and putting people first — those are the guiding principles of The Village at Skyline Pines. And that’s the only way that husband and wife team Cory and Kelli Back know how to lead. Cory, the General Manager at The Village, explained, “We’ve always believed that if you lead with care, if you just do the right thing, the money part will work out.”
Kelli, The Village’s Administrator, agreed. “I’ve always asked myself: how can I help? How can I better serve those families?” Kelli and Cory believe deeply that the most important thing in healthcare is the people.
The Village at Skyline Pines is unlike any senior living community in the region. The pristine facility fosters both a sense of community and privacy. Families are able to comfortably visit their loved ones, and the chef-prepared meals are something the residents and visitors are sure to look forward to. This outstanding assisted living and memory care facility has been met with rave reviews and is experiencing something rare in the world of senior living: full staffing. All of these achievements have led to a wait list of clients, but Kelli and Cory view this list as bittersweet. “We’re at capacity, and we have people on waiting lists,” Cory said. “But we don’t necessarily see that as a win because there are people who need services that we can’t provide for them right now.”
The residents of The Village are a priority, and Kelli and Cory are grateful to two groups of people who maintain that priority: their staff and their board. Both groups contribute to the people-first culture at The Village. “We’ve told our board of directors that the future of The Village isn’t policies and procedures. The future is finding people who are critical thinkers. We need people who write policies, not people who just know how to follow them,” Kelli said. And the board agrees.
Cory and Kelli meet the challenges and triumphs of leading The Village in a similar way as many great leaders — with dedication and passion. But this couple brings something unique to the table: being an effective husband and wife team. There are obviously challenges, but Kelli and Cory love that they get to share the wins of the day. “We come up with the best outcomes because we’re two minds working together that have the same passion,” Kelli said.
Cory went on, “You have wins every single day at your job and you get to go home and you tell your spouse about it, but they don’t get to share it. They don’t get to feel that same emotion, they don’t get to see that. There’s tears, sometimes there’s sweat, sometimes, there’s blood. There’s all of those things and we get to share it together. Does that work for some people? Maybe not, but it sure works for us.”
The Village at Skyline Pines is a study in many things — the power of a unified vision, a glimpse at how a married couple can lead together in an amazing way — but most of all, it’s a picture of what happens when you put people and their needs first.
1050 Fairmont Boulevard
Rapid City, SD 57701