Primrose Founder Jim Thares Tells the Primrose Story

Primrose Retirement Communities was founded in 1989 based on the premise that a retirement community must reward its residents with value, comfort, security, and convenience. Through the years, this philosophy has been enthusiastically welcomed in all communities where Primrose has been established. It has been our pleasure to create beautiful apartment homes and townhome villas complemented by outstanding internal common areas such as libraries, movie theaters, fitness centers, ice cream parlors, and pubs. From the beginning, our company office has been in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a community known for its friendly, honest, and hard-working people. Those are the characteristics that guide each Primrose Retirement Community.

Primrose Philosophy

Jim Thares, Primrose founder, emphasizes that the objective of each Primrose community is to provide a comfortable, convenient, secure, and enjoyable environment for seniors. “We are in this business,” he says, “to help seniors enjoy a healthy, happy lifestyle.” Thus, the Primrose theme “This is living” represents the fulfillment of this philosophy.

Primrose is guided by this philosophy in all phases of its work, beginning with the architectural design of its communities, the use of eco-friendly construction materials, the location and staffing of each community, and the ongoing management and caretaking that are part of each Primrose.

Primrose Mission

Through the commitment of our investors and dedicated staff, our daily focus is to develop and maintain happy and healthy living environments and provide a “person-centered” care approach for our growing senior population.

By getting the right people on the team at all levels of the organization and by making work fun, we will create a culture where the best people will want to work, residents will want to live, and the following five core values are embraced.

Primrose Core Values

ACCOUNTABILITY

We are accountable for our own results. Accountability means more than just doing our job. It includes an obligation to make things better, to pursue excellence, and to do things that further the goals of our organization.

RELENTLESS IMPROVEMENT

We are never satisfied with our results because we are always looking ahead for new ways to improve. We focus on positive actions in order to grow. Relentless improvement gives us energy and opportunities to celebrate what we are doing well and envision where we want to go.

PASSION

We show our passion through serving our residents, our fellow employees, and our vendors. We have leaders who make their own interests secondary and therefore serve the greater interest of the organization. A passion to serve is creating a culture that puts our residents and other employees at the heart of our organization.

RESPECT

We respect the dignity of each individual whether it be a resident, employee, or member of the general public. We foster an environment where trust and openness are the norms. We strive to understand others and actively listen to their concerns. We will resolve problems in a way that is respectful towards everyone.

EMBRACE CHANGE

We are not content with the “Status Quo” and understand that success can only be achieved through change. Change fosters innovation and development which are the precursors to greatness. We are flexible and open to new ideas.

Locations

Primrose continues to develop and open retirement communities in locations across the country. We presently have 34 locations across 17 states.