Dwayne Clark: Creativity Meets Enterprise

Aegis Gardens, developed by Aegis Living, is a retirement community catering to Chinese and Chinese Americans in the Pacific Northwest. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

When Dwayne Clark first looked at the piece of wooded lakeside property just east of Seattle, Washington, he saw something most people didn't: an opportunity to realize an idea and create Aegis Gardens, the Pacific Northwest's first senior living community for Chinese Americans.

Clark envisioned it as nothing short of the future epicenter of Chinese culture in the Western United States.

Clark, CEO and founder of Aegis Living, is an entrepreneur focused on creating the 110-home community, featuring a civic center that will play host to civic activities, cultural exhibitions and more.

The center will also provide daycare services to promote multigenerational use for a growing number of Chinese-Americans.

According to Nielsen, 92,000 Chinese-Americans live within a 25-mile radius of the Newcastle location.

"Our vision extends well beyond building a premier retirement community," said Clark. "We believe Aegis Gardens will serve as a Northwest hub for honoring, preserving and celebrating Chinese culture."

In a neighborhood of global entrepreneurs such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Microsoft's Bill Gates and Starbuck's Howard Schultz who are figuring out innovate ways to serve their customers, Clark focuses his creative DNA on caring for the most-forgotten among us, the growing number of seniors and particularly those living with dementias like Alzheimer's.

Dwayne J. Clark, founder and chief executive officer of Aegis Living, has been involved in the development, construction and/or management of over 200 senior housing projects. Linda Deng / China Daily

According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the US. Clark has been inspired by his experience with his own mother's battle with Alzheimer's, documented in the book, My Mother, My Son, soon to be a major motion picture.

Dwayne Clark was also inspired by his wife, Terese, who was raised by a grandfather from Taiwan. Clark and his senior staff have taken several trips to China to seek out the finest details in art, culinary programs and design to pair with a Northwest resort-style community.

The development will feature an outdoor amphitheater, offering residents the opportunity to pursue a variety of leisure activities, fitness, meditation, Tai-Chi classes and a world of cultural activities, including exploration of Chinese history, literature, cooking and music. Practicing ancient arts such as Tai-Chi has been shown to dramatically reduce the number of falls among seniors.

Clark founded the first Chinese senior living community, Aegis Gardens in Fremont, California, almost 15 years ago with many of the same features. The success of that community encouraged him to open this new one in the Pacific Northwest.

Twenty-four-hour care will be provided by a staff fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Additionally, Aegis Living's memory care staff is professionally trained to handle the challenges of those living with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.

The Newcastle site, now under construction, also carries a deep cultural relevance — in the late 1800s, immigrants from China mined coal there, contributing to Seattle's rise to prominence.

Aegis Gardens (Newcastle) is slated to open in the summer of 2017.