BLOOMINGTON — October’s Women’s Small Business Month is an opportunity to recognize the women entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders who are building businesses while making a difference in the communities they serve.
In Bloomington, that work can be seen through the leadership behind Commons at Jackson Creek and OPS Living, where a team of women brings years of experience, expertise and a passion for serving seniors.
At the heart of the organization is owner Sherri Berghoff, who has more than 17 years of experience in senior living and has built her career around making a difference for seniors across the country.
“OPS Living is a company that I started with my business partner, Angela Otis. We started five years ago with the goal of trying to create a different kind of assisted living,” said Berghoff. “We both had worked in the industry for a while and had an idea of going out on our own and starting our own company. So that’s what we did.”
Berghoff’s career has included virtually every level of senior living operations. She began as a marketing director before advancing to vice president of operations and later vice president of sales and marketing.
As vice president of operations, Berghoff was responsible for opening nine new senior living communities. Her responsibilities included overseeing design, licensing, staffing and the lease-up process for each new building.
Her experience in sales and marketing also brought significant results. During her time as vice president of sales and marketing, Berghoff and her team were responsible for generating $42 million in annual revenue.
Today, Berghoff is continuing to build on that experience through entrepreneurship. Over the past year alone, she has started two new companies, grown a third company and formed a nonprofit agency dedicated to serving seniors.
Her work reflects a commitment that goes beyond simply operating a business. Berghoff has built her career around creating opportunities to improve the lives of seniors while developing teams and communities capable of providing quality care and support.
She is joined by a team of women whose expertise helps support the organization’s work.
Angela Otis, owner and chief operating officer, brings experience as a licensed administrator and specializes in leadership training, survey readiness and Medicaid Waiver and Indiana Medicaid programs.
Alli Morua, vice president of business development, focuses on sales training and customer service while also bringing expertise in Medicaid Waiver and Indiana Medicaid programs.
Raven Johnson, vice president of marketing service, contributes expertise in branding, project management and digital marketing.
Together, the women bring different areas of expertise to the organization, creating a leadership team focused on both the business and the people it serves.
For Commons at Jackson Creek, that people-first approach is particularly important. Senior living is an industry built around relationships with residents, families, employees and the larger community.
“We’ve had so much positive feedback from our residents, our families, and our employees as well. I think the one thing I’m most proud of is how we have developed relationships with our employees so that when Angela or I go to any one of our communities, the team knows us, which is very unusual in our industry,” said Berghoff. “To be able to walk into a community and have them approach us with their arms extended and want to give us a welcoming hug is something that I’m very proud of.”
The leadership team’s combined experience allows the organization to address the many different aspects of senior living, from operations and regulatory requirements to customer service, marketing and business development.
Berghoff’s work also demonstrates the many different ways women entrepreneurs can contribute to their communities. Her decision to create a nonprofit agency serving seniors alongside her other business ventures reflects a continued commitment to the population she has spent nearly two decades serving.
“I’ve always been very proud to be involved in the community to help make the community better, and I’d say that’s probably the one thing that Angela and I are committed to, and that is giving back to the communities in which we operate,” said Berghoff.
Women’s Small Business Month recognizes more than the businesses women build. It also highlights the leadership, experience, employment opportunities and community connections those businesses create.
For Berghoff and the women working alongside her, that mission is closely connected to their work in senior living.
Their leadership at Commons at Jackson Creek and within OPS Living demonstrates how women with different professional backgrounds can come together to build an organization centered on serving others while continuing to grow businesses and create opportunities along the way.
