Sponsor Spotlight: June 2008

Mark Kraner, Director of Marketing and Hospitality for Meadowood

How long have you been in business in Bloomington?
Meadowood was founded by President Herman B Wells in 1981. It was originally the retirement community designed for faculty, staff, and alumni of Indiana University. This not-for-profit business was named Indiana University Retirement Community Inc., known as Meadowood. Since then, it has changed ownership and is now a for-profit company called OFC.

Meadowood has continued to nurture an ongoing, close relationship with Indiana University, and to serve the families of IU faculty, staff, alumni, and others who recognize the uniqueness of Bloomington.

Describe your business and the services or products you offer.
Meadowood is a CCRC retirement community, which offers independent living options (garden homes and apartments), and a licensed 66-bed health care facility. Plans are underway to complete our full range of service options with a new assisted-living center to be built in the near future.

What do you like most about living and having a business in Bloomington/Monroe County?
Bloomington is a vibrant and exciting place to live. It’s a place where old friends and colleagues want to come to visit. The town is unique in character and widely diverse. Indiana University is a huge draw because of all it has to offer, which helps make this a perfect place to retire. Thus our business as a retirement destination makes it a win-win for us and our future residents. Retirees want to be stimulated, and our association with IU allows us to partner on various opportunities such as continuing-education classes, music recitals, guest lectures, and symposiums, which take place on the Meadowood campus.

Are you an IU grad? If so, when did you graduate? Degree?
Being of the first SPEA class in 1976, my major is urban studies.

Fondest IU memory?
I loved my college experience in every way. My fraternity (Phi Kappa Psi) taught me life-long experiences and gave me the foundation to grow at IU. But my fondest IU memories had to
have been with the IUSF Steering Committee my senior year. The friend s I made there continue to be some of my best friends, not to mention all the associations that came along with that, both student and alumni. This led to my working for the IU Foundation, raising money for the Student Foundation program, and special projects for the President's Office as my first after-college job.

I continued to stay and live in Bloomington because of Indiana University. As an IUF employee, I worked with the IU annuitants from Meadowood and knew many of its founders, never thinking I would ever be responsible for the marketing and hospitality of its future.

Why did you choose to be a corporate sponsor of the Monroe County Chapter of the IUAA?
Working with IU, its friends, and alumni, is a great honor. We as a company appreciate all it has given to us as individuals and, corporately, want to give something back. In this small way we can be in touch, have fun, and continue to support the university. Indiana University provides many events and activities that contribute to the active lifestyle of our residents, which in turn makes Meadowood so appealing.

Meadowood residents are major IU financial supporters and many have endowed scholarships. We offer opportunities to student interns and classroom space to IU Bloomington Continuing Studies. Meadowood sponsors faculty and student research projects and supports and hosts events with the IU Alumni Association, IU Foundation, and others. We cherish our ongoing relationships with IU and will always want to be as supportive as possible.


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