Benchmark Senior Living’s Post

Join us in celebrating Tracy Dodd, our director, marking four years of dedicated commitment to Benchmark! Your unwavering passion and hard work are truly appreciated. Here's to many more years of success together! 🎉👏 #BenchmarkAnniversary 🎉👏 #benchmarksearch #benchmarksearchculture

We recently welcomed two new team members to the firm, Mark Bushnell, CPA, Manager, and Kristy Ferraro, CPA, MT, Senior Manager. Read more about their background and roles here: https://hubs.ly/Q02ht2JD0, and help us congratulate them on their new roles in the comments below!

Today we welcome Dr. Dinesh Palipana OAM as the Arriba Group’s Ambassador! Dinesh is a passionate advocate dedicated to levelling the playing field and ensuring everyone can access to meaningful work opportunities. Taking on the role of Ambassador, Dr. Palipana shared his vision with us for creating a future where everyone can thrive in their careers: "I eagerly anticipate working with Arriba Group to create workplaces that not only embrace diversity but genuinely appreciate it. Our goal is to break down employment barriers, cultivate dynamic work environments, and empower individuals with disabilities to thrive across many fields. Together, we aim to enrich the Australian workforce and foster a society where inclusion and innovation intersect, creating positive impacts on individuals, businesses, and the broader community," says Dr. Palipana. We are ecstatic to have Dinesh join the Arriba Group and look forward to collaborating with him at AimBig as we work towards a future characterised by equity and inclusion. Read more here: https://ow.ly/E6VK50QBwPE

Opportunities

As Walmart goes, so goes the nation? The big-box retailer beat estimates last quarter, it reported Thursday, with revenue up nearly 5% and e-commerce sales surging 22% in the U.S, even as net income dropped. As the largest retailer in the country, Walmart is considered something of a bellwether for Americans' spending habits; CFO John David Rainey said the latest results suggest customers "remain choiceful, discerning, value-seeking... but importantly, we don’t see any additional fraying of consumer health." The chain also raised its sales outlook for the year. One especially hopeful indicator: Walmart's non-grocery sales were positive for the first time in 11 quarters. The results come as annual inflation hits a three-year low, though prices remain much higher than they were pre-pandemic.

Today marks my one year anniversary at Placer.ai. 365 days in the blink of an eye! Reflecting on the past year fills me with gratitude not only for what we've accomplished but for the incredible milestones ahead. I "found" this industry over ten years ago with a little bit of luck and almost by mistake. At the time, I was buying media for a brand and was perplexed by a problem: our mobile advertising didn't convert. But why? I set out on a path to find a company that could help solve that problem, and it unlocked a series of events that has turned location analytics into my career path. Since then, I've had the honor of working with some of the world's largest brands and organizations to uncover use cases far beyond media. It has been 10 years full of learning, asking questions, and creatively solving for big, real world problems in retail, commercial real estate, marketing, strategy, tourism, financial services, and more. A decade in, I find myself more excited than ever. I am proud to work for the market leader in location analytics and look forward to many years of growth and success to come. I have to give a big thanks to the people at Placer who've made this company an empowering place to work and who have believed in me along the way. I come to work each day inspired, surrounded by a team that is relentless in its pursuit of greatness. And we have a lot of fun! #locationanalytics #placerai #mobiledata #partnerships

Heard this in my first meeting of the day! “Wise man learns from his mistakes, Wiser man learns from the mistakes of others, The one who has all of the answers and who knows everything, is the fool in the room. “ One of the many reasons I love mentoring the next generation of investors and entrepreneurs because if they take the opportunity to learn from the silly things I’ve done they will be better for it. One of my peers in my role before joining Allied Federal Solutions LLC always used a term from the Bible of “Seek Wise Counsel” which I’m getting better at but always have room to grow. In this new role I’m getting to learn from some brilliant corporate officers on how to build culture, build the right team, and how to serve your team. Onward and upward.

Balancing the investment of time and resources into both #recruiting and #retention can feel overwhelming. It's often helpful to hear what's worked for others. Check out how Pioneer Service Inc. is working to tackle the workforce challenge. #workforcesolutions

Promoting from within is more than just filling a role—it's about showing your team that growth and opportunity are genuinely on the table. When you elevate your existing talent, you’re not just finding someone who can do the job; you’re investing in someone who already understands the ins and outs of your company. They know the culture, the quirks, and the goals, which means they can hit the ground running with less of a learning curve. Plus, there’s something incredibly motivating about seeing a colleague rise through the ranks. In the long run, promoting from within builds a stronger, more cohesive team. It shows that you value your people and their potential, and it creates a culture where continuous learning and development are not just encouraged but expected. It’s a win for everyone involved—employees feel valued, and the company benefits from their deeper commitment and expertise. Congratulations Kate Foley Stitt!