Marc Halpert is always smiling — to the point that his infectious grin has become synonymous with his company’s branding.
Monarch Healthcare’s motto is, “We want to be the reason you smile,” and Halpert does his part to contribute to the mission through staff videos and other messaging.
“It’s important that our staff is having fun and leaves every day with a smile on their face,” he explains.
Halpert grew up in Marlboro, NJ, the only child of a clothing designer and a father who worked in the kosher food and wine industry. From a young age, he’s been enthusiastic about seemingly everything he does — especially caring for others.
“During college, I had an opportunity to work in a special needs camp in Upstate New York, and I fell in love with working with people who needed help — from children all the way up to adults,” Halpert says.
Since graduating from Yeshiva University in 2005, he has been channeling this love of caring.
That same year, he moved to Chicago and began working with Extended Care LLC. In 2008, Halpert became an administrator in Illinois. In 2015, he received a phone call with an offer to take over a home in Minnesota.
“I said, ‘Thank you so much, but it’s cold enough in Chicago,’ and I ended up passing,” he recalls. However, when asked again, he decided to give it a chance. It was a pivotal moment.
“When I landed, I just fell in love,” he says. “Everyone was smiling and all the people were so nice.”
Along with Monarch President Josh Legum, Halpert began purchasing facilities and nursing homes in Minnesota to form Monarch Healthcare Management. The company continues to expand and now owns 37 facilities across Minnesota.
Halpert says making sure his employees and colleagues feel valued is vital to his management philosophy.
On the last eight Thanksgiving days, he has called each member of his leadership team and support staff to thank them for their hard work. The first year there were 23 people to call. Last year, there were 123.
“My wife called me at one in the afternoon saying, ‘The Lions game is almost over, what are you doing?’”
But such efforts lead to loyalty among valued staff. Of the 104 team members called a couple of years ago, 102 were still on board a year later.
Outside of work, Halpert enjoys spending time with his wife and four sons — all being raised as Buffalo Bills supporters. Halpert is a “diehard” fan. He also “loves a good moshpit”and the bands Green Day and Metallica, both of which he’s seen more than 10 times in concert.
“It’s never a dull moment with Marc,” says Monarch CFO William Stern. “He has this kind of personality as a funny guy and a goofball.”
That is manifested in the number of fathead posters of Halpert’s smiling face found at Monarch facilities. But behind the omnipresent smile is a deeper layer, Stern notes.
“When it comes down to it, he is very serious and a very hard worker who is up early in the morning and late at night responding to emails and more.”
Resume
- 2005 Earns bachelor’s degree in marketing and marketing management from Yeshiva University
- 2008-2010 Serves as administrator at Tri-State Nursing
- 2010-2012 Becomes administrator at South Suburban Rehabilitation Center
- 2012-2015 Serves as vice president of business development at Extended Care Consulting
- 2015 Becomes chief operating officer of Monarch Healthcare Management
- 2017 Appointed board member, Arie Crown Hebrew Day School
- 2018 Becomes board member, Camp Nageela Midwest
- 2020 Named board chair, Midwest NCSY
- 2022 Named CEO of Monarch Healthcare Management
From the September 2022 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
