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Dial History

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Our History

At Dial Senior Living, we treat our residents and our employees like family. Whether we’ve known you for a day, or you’ve been in our lives for years, we care about creating an environment that’s stress-free, family-oriented, and committed to giving you all we’ve got. It’s about the people, and it’s been that way since the beginning.

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It all
started in 1959…

…when Joel Katleman had the idea to start a real estate company. Not sure what to call it, he did what any young man should do – he asked his mom. She suggested “Dial Realty,” because there are 10 digits on a rotary phone and 10 letters in the name. Genius, thanks mom! The idea inspired our first logos – a rotary phone with the company name placed within each digit. Along with Don Day, Jack Karns, and Bob Burnika, Joel Katleman went to work creating the first of the Dial Companies, Dial Realty. Originally, we were in the business of home building and land development, then came apartment buildings and shopping centers. Dial’s success grew and the company diversified.

Dial Reality Original Signage

Don Day and Chris Held, who joined the company in the early 80s, eventually got involved in senior living and dove in headfirst with a significant, initial project consisting of 292 units. Because their history was steeped in apartments, the duo already knew how to build great buildings. What they cared most about was building and maintaining great management once the community was operating. In 1999, they created their own management company, Dial Senior Living, focused on establishing a family-first, positive environment for residents and team members.

Dial’s portfolio has since expanded to more than 20 communities. Each community is unique in its offerings and esthetics, but they all share one thing in common: they are committed to first-class service, amenities and an active lifestyle. The company believes in its people, mission, vision and values. Their goal is to ensure that residents love the way they live today, and every day.

When Dial’s founders decided to start a real estate company in 1959, they did not know what the future held. While a lot has changed, the company’s values have always focused on family, from the founder’s mother naming the company to his parents living in one of our senior living communities. When you join one of Dial’s communities as a resident or team member, you become part of the Dial family.

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