The Little Black Box
A stash of fresh ideas always comes in handy for a resourceful entrepreneur.
When Dwayne Clark was a corporate executive, he stuffed a
"Black Box" file with ideas that got nixed by higher-ups.
In 1996, Clark took the ideas with him when he co-founded Áegis Living,
a Redmond, Washington, company with over 35 senior residential
communities, $96 million in sales and a reputation for innovation
in a warm, fun atmosphere.
Senior residences built by the 46-year-old CEO and his
co-founder, Bill Gallaher, 54, sport innovations ranging from
lobbies decorated with antique cars and video games for younger
visitors to Áegis Gardens in Fremont, California, a community
with Asian-themed décor, landscaping and cuisine.
Clark is also an insightful manager. Despite paying caregivers
only $10 per hour, turnover is cellar-level thanks to employee
discounts and freebies wrangled from Áegis' suppliers.
Happier caregivers means better care, says Clark, who now devours
business books for ideas to refill the depleted Black Box.
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