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Baptist Home to take on new freshened look as identity changes to Maple View

As of yesterday morning, the Baptist Home of Kenmare officially changed ownership and now sports a new name as Maple View of Kenmare.

2/01/12 (Wed)

By Caroline Downs

As of yesterday morning, the Baptist Home of Kenmare officially changed ownership and now sports a new name as Maple View of Kenmare.

Maple View administrator Karen Schwartz laughed as she talked about answering phone calls after Tuesday. “I think I’ll need to get some kind of sticker or tape a card with the new name to each phone,” she said. “I know it’s going to be challenging!”

Gaylin Schmidt of Minot assumed ownership of the former Baptist Home on January 31st from American Baptist Homes of the Midwest. He is an owner of The View on Elk Drive in Minot, along with memory care facilities in Bismarck and Grand Forks. The sale of the Baptist Home of Kenmare was announced in December, with both Schmidt and Dave Zwickey, CEO of ABHM, meeting with the Home’s residents, staff and Kenmare citizens and business owners to discuss the plans.

Since those public and in-house sessions, Schwartz said the staff and residents have been excited. “It’s all been pretty positive,” she added, “and our residents are wondering about the changes they’ll see here. We’re going to have a party on Wednesday afternoon for the residents, with our new name.”

The level of care and services provided to residents will remain the same, according to Schwartz, and all employees working at the time of the sale announcement were offered positions with Maple View of Kenmare. Schwartz noted she has retained her position and her staff. “And I’m hoping to add additional staff,” she said.

She is preparing for remodeling and updating work to begin at Maple View this month, at the direction of Schmidt. “He has plans to give us a new look and freshen us up,” Schwartz said.

She laughed again as she talked about the facility’s entrance sign, which may not be switched immediately. “Just getting things organized will take a little time,” she said, “but we will be getting a new sign, and getting our new name on our bus. Our logo will be different, too, but most of the changes will take place behind the scenes. Answering the phone correctly may be the biggest thing people notice.”

Schwartz described the sale and transition as bittersweet, after a strong affiliation with ABHM for nearly 51 years. “They’ve been good to Kenmare,” she said. “It’s sad to see the people we’ve been working with and the name we’ve been proud of come to an end.”

Like the Maple View residents, however, Schwartz is looking ahead to the changes and investment in the Kenmare site. An open house is being planned for Maple View of Kenmare and will be scheduled after some of the initial remodeling efforts are completed.

In the meantime, Schwartz said daily life will continue as usual at Maple View. “Our doors are open, so come visit us,” she said. “We’ll still play a huge part in the community, and we hope the community and those who supported us as the Baptist Home will continue to support us as Maple View.”

For more information about Maple View of Kenmare, contact Schwartz at 701-385-4941.