Edgehill Sweeps Benchmark’s Annual Gala Awards

Benchmark (www.benchmarkseniorliving.com), a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced that its Edgehill continuing care retirement community in Stamford, Conn., has received two prestigious awards as part of Benchmark’s annual recognition program. On March 28, 2019, at the company’s 17th Annual Awards Gala, the community and its campus executive director, Christopher Barstein, received the Benchmark President’s Award for 2018 and the Benchmark One Company Fund Award for 2018, having been selected out of all of the company’s 58 senior living communities and over 6,400 associates.

Barstein was honored for leadership excellence at the senior management level, including outstanding leadership performance, consistently going above and beyond the call of duty, ownership of professional and career development and living true to Benchmark’s mission of elevating human connection. He was hailed for his ability to connect with people and a commitment and passion for delivering excellent customer service.

The community was also recognized for its support of Benchmark’s One Company Fund, a 501c3 organization that grants funds to Benchmark associates in times of need when they can’t purchase the necessities of life or meet the contingencies created by an emergency. Since its inception, $1.9 million in grants has been distributed. In 2018 alone, the Fund provided 130 grants, distributing $240,000 to associates in need.

Edgehill was hailed for best exemplifying the Fund’s vision of having associates who are truly engaged in supporting and utilizing it. The community raised funds through chili cook-offs, chowder fests, bake and tag sales and has 82% of its associates actively supporting it. In 2018, they far surpassed their goal, achieving 963% of what they set out to do and are on track to surpass that this year.

Barstein transitioned from the hospitality industry to senior care five years ago when he became tired of a career that lacked purpose and true fulfillment. On his first day at Edgehill, he says that he connected with a resident on a level that he could never have aspired to in his previous 38 years of work managing some of Connecticut’s finest hotels and restaurants, and he hasn’t looked back since.

In his spare time, Barstein serves as an adjunct professor of hospitality at Gateway Community College and previously taught baking at Johnson & Wales University. He grew up in West Haven, Conn., and now lives in East Haven, Conn. He is married to his wife of 34 years and has two children.

“I am so grateful for the work that Chris and all of our associates do every single day to elevate human connection,” says Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. “Our annual awards gala is the highlight of my year because it’s an opportunity for all of us to come together to celebrate our communities and associates who sincerely live our company mission, vision and values. This year’s award winners are truly exemplary, and I could not be prouder of all we have accomplished together.”

About Benchmark
Based in Waltham, Mass., Benchmark is a leading provider of senior housing in the Northeast with 6,400 associates and 58 communities. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape, Benchmark offers independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The organization was selected by FORTUNE magazine for its inaugural 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, taking the number 16 spot on the list of top 40 aging services companies and ranking number three among companies with more than 40 communities. Benchmark is one of only six companies named to The Boston Globe Top Places to Work list every year of the 11 years it has been published. And it has been consistently recognized by Boston Business Journal, Hartford Courant and Hartford Business Journal as a top workplace, and by the Boston Business Journal, Providence Business News and Hartford Business Journal as one of the healthiest employers. Click here for more information.

Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, carol@arnoldcomm.com, (603) 502-0469.

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