Bontrager and Brock lead the care team at The Pines
What started as a shared passion for caregiving has grown into a thriving business partnership for Nikki Brock and Mandy Bontrager, who have spent the past decade providing compassionate senior care through The Pines — all while raising families and investing in the community they call home.
Brock and Bontrager were working together at Home Health and Hospice at Holton Community Hospital when they decided to purchase The Pines from Mandy and John Coleman.
“We heard it was for sale, and we had gone there a lot through Home Health and Hospice,” Mandy said. “We just didn’t want to see it close.”
On Jan. 1, 2016, they officially took over The Pines, located at 725 Iowa Ave. in Holton. A year and a half later, they expanded their business by purchasing Glenn Moore Meadows senior care home, located at 14005 214th Rd. They renamed it The Pines South.
Each facility can house 12 residents and together employ 40 people, Brock said.
The Pines and The Pines South are licensed “homes plus” senior care facilities, offering residents a quiet home-like setting with 24/7 care and support.
Both women are Holton natives and graduates of Holton High School – Bontrager in 2000 and Brock in 2002.
After high school, Bontrager earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Washburn University and is a registered nurse.
Brock has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Friends University.
They say their different strengths make them a strong team.
“I think that our personalities are very different but complement each other as far our business relationship goes,” Brock said. “I think that helps us divide some of the work responsibilities naturally.”
Though owning the business has been rewarding, Bontrager said the COVID-19 pandemic marked the most challenging time in their careers.
“Managing visitors was the worst thing for everyone,” Bontrager said. “We even had to be careful about outsider providers, such as hospice and home health.”
Staffing both facilities during COVID was also a concern during the pandemic. Despite the hardships, their commitment to their residents remained strong.
“Long-term care nursing is different in that you do develop a relationship with your patients because you see and care for them every day,” Brock said.
The women said they’ve had “full circle” moments, where they were able to care for someone who once impacted their lives, such as a teacher, a family friend or a community member.
“Getting the opportunity to take care of them at that very delicate time in their life is very rewarding,” Brock said.
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