Client stories

With the first community having opened in 1999, Brightview Senior Living has been expanding its footprint across the East Coast. The company now owns and operates more than 50 senior living communities in eight states, from Massachusetts to Virginia. They offer apartment homes for independent seniors as well as assisted living and memory care—all enhanced by an award-winning culture. Great Place To Work and Fortune have honored Brightview as a best workplace for aging services for seven years in a row. And in 2025, 94% of Brightview communities earned a Best Senior Living rating from U.S. News & World Report. Over a 15-year relationship, Brightview has partnered with Truist to finance 15 development projects—but the company’s needs go beyond capital. Read how this partnership based on trust and aligned values is helping Brightview fulfill its people-first mission.

With the first baby boomers having turned 80 in 2025, the National Investment Center (NIC) expects unprecedented growth of the 80-plus population over the next 25 years—creating increased demand for senior housing. But inventory isn’t keeping up. NIC’s research shows new senior housing construction starts are nearing lows not seen since 2008.^{Disclosure 1}

Brightview Senior Living’s long-range expansion strategy is aimed at helping close that gap by developing two to four new communities per year in carefully chosen markets. But that growth requires funding, and building best-in-class communities like Brightview’s is capital-intensive.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to elevate service and hospitality to our residents through innovation, new programs, and new technologies,” says Doug Dollenberg Jr., president and CEO of Brightview Senior Living. “Our communities have a development cost of over $100 million, so we need to raise debt capital in addition to using our own private equity funds to finance each project.”

With inflation and fluctuating tariff policies pushing construction costs higher, Brightview needs a financing partner who knows the industry and can lend with confidence.

“Truist has a dedicated senior care team that has deep knowledge and expertise in the space,” says Doug. “In addition to providing construction loans for 15 communities, the Truist team has proven to be a good sounding board. We meet with them several times a year to discuss the industry and how the debt markets are performing.”

Truist relationship manager Michael Waldron is part of that senior care team. His understanding of Brightview’s business helps him advise the company throughout the development of each new community.

“This is a company that’s built a reputation for being best in class in both operations and development,” says Michael. “They go into markets where they can build a group of communities and have strong brand recognition in those individual markets.”