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Developer Richard E. Dover Welcomes Hundreds to Alexander Inn Estate Sale

July 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Richard-E-Dover-Interviewing-Experts-Alexander-SaleRichard E. Dover is a real estate developer based in Knoxville, Tenn. Richard E. Dover has previously worked as a project manager for General Homes of Houston, Texas, as well as for its parent company CBRE. Richard E. Dover was also an independent real estate developer until becoming general manager of Family Pride Corporation in 1993. Here Richard E. Dover discuses a recent community event held in conjunction with a renovation project in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Interviewing Experts: Welcome, Richard E. Dover! Tell us about what you and Family Pride are doing in Oak Ridge.

Richard E. Dover: We have started renovations on the historic Alexander Inn, an old hotel that housed scientists who were working on the atomic bomb with the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II.

Interviewing Experts: Are you restoring it as a hotel?

Richard E. Dover: No, we are converting it into a high-quality assisted living facility.

Interviewing Experts: But it is a historic renovation, right?

Richard E. Dover: Yes, we are restoring its exterior and much of the interior to its original form.

Interviewing Experts: Was it always called the Alexander Inn?

Richard E. Dover: No, it opened in 1942 as the Guest House and once hosted such dignitaries as physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi, and Secretary of War Henry Stimson.

Interviewing Experts: So tell us more about the recent estate sale.

Richard E. Dover: We had lots of rooms to clear since the Alexander Inn had been vacant for more than 20 years. Some truly historic furnishings were donated to local museums, but we wanted to offer some to the public as well.

Interviewing Experts: Was there a good turnout?

Richard E. Dover: Oh, yes! At about halfway, we estimated 500 people had already been through.

Interviewing Experts: Wow, that’s a great turnout!

Richard E. Dover: Well, it was an unprecedented opportunity to buy items from the 1940s to the 1980s, including bed frames and Bibles, chairs and chandeliers, and dishes and dressers. It also gave the public a rare opportunity to see inside the front part of the hotel before renovations begin.

Interviewing Experts: There must have been quite a crowd.

Richard E. Dover: At one point, the line of people waiting to get in stretched from the hotel, located on East Madison Road in Jackson Square, to Kentucky Avenue.

Interviewing Experts: Were you pleased?

Richard E. Dover: I was very pleased with the community support. Actually, I was stunned, almost speechless!

Interviewing Experts: Did you organize this sale yourselves?

Richard E. Dover: No, the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance (ETPA) organized the sale, in conjunction with Knox Heritage’s Salvage Room.

Interviewing Experts: And how about the redevelopment project itself—do you have partners?

Richard E. Dover: The ETPA helped make the hotel redevelopment project possible and the proceeds from Saturday’s sale benefited the nonprofit organization.

Interviewing Experts: Is this an official historic site?

Richard E. Dover: The Alexander Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and preservationists have worked for a decade or more to save it.

Interviewing Experts: Has there been any federal involvement?

Richard E. Dover: Yes, a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy helped make the project possible.

Interviewing Experts: Tell us more about what the new facility will be like.

Richard E. Dover: The center will cost $6.5 million to complete and will have 60 units, including a wing for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Interviewing Experts: Thanks so much for talking with us.

Richard E. Dover: My pleasure.

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Rick Dover, Knoxville Businessman, Builds Structures to Meet Needs of Today’s Seniors

June 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Rick-Dover-SeniorsRick Dover, Knoxville general manager of Family Pride Corporation, is proud to be recognized as a preservationist in East Tennessee. For nearly two decades, Rick Dover and Knoxville-based Family Pride Corporation have worked to preserve the history of Knoxville and its surrounding areas through repurposing some of the area’s best-known structures.

As Rick Dover of Knoxville tells us, Family Pride Corporation was inspired by his need to find the perfect place to care for his own grandfather, Richard Emerson. During his search, Rick Dover, a Knoxville businessman, realized the heavy demand for a charming, compassionate place in which seniors can live comfortably while having their needs sufficiently met. On this idea, Family Pride Corporation was founded, says Rick Dover. Knoxville has seen the handiwork of Dover and his team, who seek to provide the best possible environment for seniors.

Personalized care is the goal of Rick Dover and Knoxville-based Family Pride Corporation. As Rick Dover, a Knoxville businessman, explains, the goal is to create a positive atmosphere for each member of a Family Pride Corporation community. After learning personally that the family of each senior has unique requests, Rick Dover and Knoxville staff work hard to address those needs individually.

Dignity and compassion are the hallmarks of each community, according to Rick Dover. Knoxville residents know that what sets Family Pride Corporation apart from others in the industry is its attention to giving seniors extra perks that make their stay even better than home. Talented chefs provide meals each day, Rick Dover of Knoxville points out, and Family Pride Corporation staff encourage interaction between community members, finding that this makes a big difference.

Realizing that many families have budget concerns, Family Pride Corporation works hard to keep costs affordable while still providing high-quality care, according to Rick Dover. Knoxville families especially appreciate that Family Pride Corporation requires no buy-in fees or deposits, Rick Dover of Knoxville says.

As Rick Dover, a Knoxville businessman, describes, Family Pride Corporation specializes in finding historic buildings for use in meeting the growing demands for senior care. Studies have shown that seniors desire familiarity and comfort, and Rick Dover and Knoxville team members work hard to ensure each community has a home-like feel. Family Pride Corporation offers a variety of communities to meet the varying needs of seniors, from independent living facilities to memory care communities and more, says Rick Dover. Knoxville communities include revitalizing the Oakwood Elementary School, located on the north side of town. Additionally, Family Pride Corporation has restored several buildings in Oak Ridge and Loudon, according to Rick Dover of Knoxville.

Rick Dover, a Knoxville businessman, has a long history in real estate, having once worked for the company that became CBRE. He logged an impressive history at that firm, winning multiple awards for his excellent salesmanship, according to Rick Dover. Knoxville is now Dover’s home, where he has won multiple awards for his preservationist work. Rick Dover of Knoxville is currently working on communities throughout East Tennessee. In addition to providing affordable care to seniors, Rick Dover, Knoxville, is committed to preserving the planet for future generations to enjoy.

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Rick Dover Addresses the Building Structure Needs of Senior Adults

May 2, 2013 By
Rick Dover

Rick Dover

Rick Dover is the general manager of Family Pride Corporation, a family owned and operated company that designs, builds, renovates and manages assisted living facilities for senior adults at affordable rates.

Interviewing Experts: Thank you, Rick Dover, for taking the time to speak with us today.

Rick Dover: It’s my pleasure. I’m always eager to talk about Family Pride Corporation and the services we provide.

Interviewing Experts: How did you first become interested in providing senior adult housing?

Rick Dover: My grandfather, Richard Emerson, needed more care than we could provide at home. We researched assisted living facilities, but couldn’t find the perfect fit for him.

Interviewing Experts: Why is that?

Rick Dover: Large chains usually don’t focus on residents’ individual preferences, so our loved ones’ desires are often sacrificed to a daily regimen for the sake of expediency. We didn’t want that style of care for my grandfather.

Interviewing Experts: So you decided to build it yourself?

Rick Dover: Yes. He’s my grandfather. We wanted the best for him and that was the only way we could get everything on our wish list.

Interviewing Experts: What spurred you to expand the operation?

Rick Dover: When we saw how happy my grandfather was in his new home, we realized that was what everyone wanted for their loved ones. We decided to offer others that choice.

Interviewing Experts: What exactly do your facilities offer that you can’t find elsewhere?

Rick Dover: Maybe it’s the difference between a house and a home. A house is shelter, a place where people live, but a home is a place they love to be. We like to think of our residents as family and our centers as home.

Interviewing Experts: Can you elaborate on that?

Rick Dover: We create personalized care plans that take into account the different personalities and desires of our residents. We offer comfort and support and leave our residents’ dignity intact.

Interviewing Experts: What are seniors and their families looking for in senior living housing?

Rick Dover: Studies show that seniors want homes that are easy to manage, less expensive to operate, constructed with safety in mind, and affordable. We design our facilities with all of that in mind and then add the little extras that make it special.

Interviewing Experts: What do you do about seniors who need help but don’t want to admit it?

Rick Dover: A family can’t force a loved one to accept help or move into an assisted living facility; however, they can provide them with information and reassurance. We suggest families ask others for help. Often a senior adult will listen to his or her doctor or another impartial party in these situations.

Interviewing Experts: You offer other options for seniors besides assisted living, correct?

Rick Dover: Our centers offer different communities for independent living, assisted living and dementia care.

Interviewing Experts: What is the difference between independent and assisted living?

Rick Dover: Residents can choose the level of care they want. Each program is designed around the individual resident’s wants and needs. As those needs change, the level of care is adjusted accordingly.

Interviewing Experts: It sounds like Family Pride Corporation covers a wide range of options.

Rick Dover: We think those choices are what make us unique. Senior adults have different needs, and we help them and their families with the transition through the various stages of aging.

Interviewing Experts: What do you mean by “various stages” of aging?

Rick Dover: Aging is just another phase of a person’s life. Senior living and assisted living isn’t a bad thing. More often than not it’s an exciting adventure of meeting new friends and building more memories.

Interviewing Experts: It almost sounds like a holiday.

Rick Dover: Some of our residents say they feel like it’s like a vacation when they move into our independent living homes.

Interviewing Experts: Why is that?

Rick Dover: Many are downsizing from large homes that require a lot of work and expense.

Interviewing Experts: So it’s a vacation from worry?

Rick Dover: That and more.

Interviewing Experts: Are there ever regrets?

Rick Dover: This isn’t a rash decision. It is a well thought-out life plan. The only regret I’ve ever heard was that they didn’t reach the decision earlier.

Interviewing Experts: What about cost?

Rick Dover: Our residents pay one monthly payment. There are no hidden costs and no deposits or buy-in fees.

Rick Dover and Family Pride Corporation renovate, design, build, manage and maintain award-winning residential environments. Their senior living centers provide the very best service to residents at affordable rates.

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