Senior living lifestyle leader celebrates milestone with Intimate interview with founder, Marlin H. Thomas and former CEO, John G. Swanson

Hundreds fill Cultural Center Theater; Campus Wide Watch Parties

Lancaster, PA – Willow Valley Communities, one of the nation’s premier 55+ communities, marked its 40th anniversary with campus-wide celebrations culminating with a 90-minute live in-depth interview with founder, Marlin H. Thomas, and former CEO and current Willow Valley Development CEO, John G. Swanson, discussing Willow Valley’s beginnings, its present, and its future.

Nearly 500 residents filled the community’s Cultural Center theater and hundreds more met in spaces across the campus to watch the interview. The program was also live-streamed to residences. After the interview, residents across the community enthusiastically continued to celebrate the milestone event with cake and other refreshments while mingling and exchanging stories and memories.

The interview was facilitated by Willow Valley’s longest-tenured team member, Scott Summy, Chief Human Resource Officer, who started working for Thomas 47 years ago as a teenager.

Marlin Thomas’ entrepreneurial spirit began as a youngster working in the 1940s in his family’s poultry business at Southern Market and Central Markets in Lancaster. He branched out to start a “little inn” in southern Lancaster County that became the Willow Valley Inn, a 30-unit motor inn and 100-seat family restaurant by the mid-1960s. The idea for Willow Valley Communities came to Thomas and his late father, John Thomas, as guests of the inn would tell them they enjoyed visiting Lancaster so much that they wanted to retire to the area.

Thomas’ unique vision for Willow Valley Communities was that the community would be based on a hospitality model, not a medical model like other communities. Thomas explained an example of this during the interview. When he learned other retirement communities required residents to select their meals for one or two weeks at a time, Thomas said, “I don’t even know what I want for dinner tomorrow,” and that was when Willow Valley Communities adopted a menu dining model where residents order their meals just as they would in a restaurant. This started the shift in Willow Valley Communities’ philosophy of what senior living experiences could be. It proved to be the first of many innovations that helped propel Willow Valley to what it is today: one of the nation’s leading destination communities, home to more than 2,600 Residents originating from over 40 states across the country, served by 1,600 dedicated Team Members. Willow Valley Communities opened in 1984.

Thomas discussed another Willow Valley Communities innovation, the unique, financially wise Lifecare Type A contract, which says if a resident ever needs an enhanced level of care, their monthly service fee will not increase because of that need. Willow Valley Communities was and still is the only exclusively Lifecare Type A community in Lancaster County.

Willow Valley Communities’ Present and Future:
John G. Swanson

Swanson joined Willow Valley Communities as CFO in 1991. During his career from CFO to CEO, Swanson is significantly credited with the organization’s expansion to multiple campuses – now encompassing 230 acres, with 2,000+ active-adult and independent living residences, 500+ service-enriched residences, and much more to come. John’s innovative developments include the concept of multi-story senior living residences, gourmet kitchens in senior living residences, and award-winning amenities such as an 80,000 sq. ft. Cultural Center, a 30,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse, and the multi-culinary Plaza at Manor venue. Swanson was also an innovator with the idea of intergenerational spaces in senior living communities. Under John’s leadership, Willow Valley Communities achieved and maintained industry-leader positioning and a Fitch “A” rating. Swanson is also a 2024 recipient of the “Setting the Standard” Award from McKnight’s Senior Living.

Today, as CEO of Willow Valley Development Corporation, Swanson continues to oversee development. “Our legacy is innovation,” he said. “It’s an opportunity we don’t want to miss to benefit current residents, as well as future generations of residents. This is also necessary for continued growth.”

Swanson described two innovations on the horizon for Willow Valley Communities: The Marlin and Doris Thomas Memory Center and Mosaic, Willow Valley Communities’ 20-story urban campus coming to Lancaster City.

About the Marlin and Doris Thomas Memory Center Swanson said, “This is something we can do to give back, not just to our current residents but to future generations of residents. The state-of-the-art knowledge and research is the best thing we can do.” The first phase of the 140-resident memory center will accommodate 80 residents, whom Willow Valley Communities hopes to welcome as soon as late 2025 or early 2026.

Swanson said about Mosaic, Willow Valley Communities’ next generation of residences in Lancaster City, “Active adult communities in an urban environment is the fastest-growing segment in our industry and Mosaic gives us the opportunity to continue to be a leader in the industry.” He added, “Lancaster has everything people want: a vibrant walkable downtown with culture, entertainment, and dining. Suburban living is not for everyone,” he said.

One of the most poignant moments of the interview was when Marlin told the story of his father returning from the bank and realizing the teller had accidentally given him an extra $100. John Thomas immediately returned to the bank, only to find the distraught teller behind her window trying to rectify her mistake. Much to her relief, he returned the money.

The next day the grateful bank president arrived at Marlin’s family house to personally thank his father for his honesty. Marlin became emotional as he ended his story with a twist: “It was that same banker who approved the loan for us to start Willow Valley. My father used to say that it was that $100 that made the difference between having Willow Valley or not.”

Thomas then told the story of an email he received earlier. It was from a relative of a resident thanking him sincerely for the loving, compassionate care his family member had received while at Willow Valley Communities.

“That,” Marlin simply said after reading the email, “is the bottom line.”

Thomas credits his parents, John and Florence Thomas whom he described as “servant leaders with a strong work ethic who gave back to the community,” who instilled in him the life core values of honesty, integrity, and trust. “I’ve been very blessed,” he said.