<Begin Segment 15>

BF: Well, and it's... Nikkei Concerns has broadened, too. There's -- so it seems as though, even though there's going to be this period of time where maybe nursing care, straight nursing care, there's not as much of a demand. It seems like you guys have really branched out, whether it's child care or assisted living, those types of units. It, it really seems as though that organization in particular thinks ahead.

TM: Yeah. And I was thinking of, my input was market-driven. The out -- outcome and services it provides is much broader. But when we were at the old Mount Baker site next to the Presbyterian Church, they started the Kokorokai, and that has been very successful. And then the assisted living because if you're serving the greater community, you have different levels. But if you look at it strictly from the market, that's a feeder system into the nursing home. And the third thing is that one of the -- we did, we do questionnaires and focus group from time to time. And Ann was very good at this. But I remember we says, "Let's go find out what the third generation is thinking because they're the one that will influence where the Niseis go." The Nisei -- the person that goes to the nursing home invariably wouldn't go there if they had a choice and don't make those choices. So we said, "What does the Sanseis thinking?" And I remember one questionnaire we looked at, and one -- I assume it was a young lady said, "Do something for my kids and I'll be there." So we started to think about day care and intergeneration. It started to make sense because if you look at it from a pure sense, you say, well, intergenerational. It's warm and fuzzy and makes you feel good. But I'm looking at it for market because if you make the Sansei women, most likely she's going to make the decision of where her father and mother's gonna go. And if they feel comfortable at Keirobecause Keiro is not the only options anymore. They could be anywhere. So you got to make them feel comfortable. And if they're comfortable, they'll just invariably bring their parents. And that's what it takes. If you're not filled all the time, well, you could put a tremendous burden on the community.

BF: You know it's -- I wonder if that is one of the reasons, really important reasons, why this community and your leadership has made an -- has, has been successful, as opposed to other ethnic communities because of that business sense. Not, I mean 'cause a lot of non-profit social organizations, they're warm and fuzzy, but warm and fuzzy doesn't always get you anywhere.

TM: Well, it doesn't sustain you.

BF: Yes. I mean, do you ever -- I mean, you're a humble man, but that must, you must think that that's important. That you know that's important.

TM: Well, that's what I was telling you, most non-profit organization I've been involved with have some way sustained itself throughout the years. And I think that's an important attribute or whatever I bring to the table, I guess.

BF: Yeah because a lot of people don't appreciate, they, they think it should all just be politics or heart or that sort of thing. But you've got to pay the bills.

TM: Well, you know, the two, two examples of people that have organizations that have not followed that have, I view them as paying a dear price, and one is that Kimochi in San Francisco. They built that, I don't even know if it's assisted living, but it's a senior housing for twenty people in the heart of San Francisco, on the most expensive property. And I guess each bed costs them maybe $200,000. I says, "Wow, they'll never be able to pay for it. Twenty people." And it just doesn't make sense. So I says, "Wow." So they're out there always raising money. The other one is Kin On. When they -- other thing is, we went to them as, we knew we were building this new one. And these, the other thing is we went to the Filipino community, but they just said they couldn't take this on. So we went to Kin On.

BF: Chinese Americans.

TM: Yeah. And then -- so if that's a difficult community to work with, but we leased it to them, and got them going, I think, and they're thankful that they had this opportunity to run a 63-bed. And they were full and they had a waiting list, and they still insisted on going for a hundred-bed nursing home. And maybe it was political, and maybe that was all they were given, but I kept telling them that -- and Ed Wong is a accountant. And I says, "God, everything we studied and everything we hear is that it takes 120 to make or break even. Why are you doing this?" Says, "Oh, some of our board members are so conservative, and they don't want to take the risk." And I says, "God, you're taking a bigger risk if you don't make it larger." But anyway, I don't, I don't know the inside story. But they chose to go with a hundred-bed, and they spent $10 million, let's say around. And I'm guessing they, for another half a million, half a million more, they could have built twenty more beds. But that's, but when I see that, I said, "Wow, I don't be involved with an organization that knowingly goes in not being able to break even or make money." That's just sad because that just puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the funding source in the community.

BF: Right.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.