“The moment I walked into Holiday Forsyth Court, I could feel the difference,” says Amy Willsey-Keefe, Quality Enhancement Director at Atria Senior Living. “A singer was performing for residents, music was playing and people were up dancing. The team looked confident – I could tell they were well-prepared.”
That energy helped drive an outstanding performance in Atria’s rigorous Quality Enhancement audits. At its end, Holiday Forsyth Court had not only earned a coveted Q Award, but also achieved one of the most significant score improvements in recent history.
What is Quality Enhancement?
When Holiday by Atria was created following a merger between Holiday Retirement and Atria Management Company, it adopted Atria’s well-established approach to quality that sets high standards across its communities.
Atria’s Quality Enhancement program is an internal audit system with more than 400 indicators, designed to ensure excellence in all aspects of community life from resident care and dining to cleanliness and safety.
While this process was new to Holiday communities, with time and experience, teams are now seeing its impact. Sean Purser, Chief Quality Officer for Holiday, has watched communities embrace the process and elevate their standards.
“Quality sells,” he says. “People want to live and work in a place that’s detail oriented. The Quality Enhancement program provides the playbook – but you have to execute the playbook. Holiday Forsyth Court is a perfect example of what happens when you put the right people in a position to succeed.”
A model of leadership
At the heart of this success is General Manager Antoinette McDowell, who has been with Holiday Forsyth Court since 2012.
“I just fell in love with the work,” she says. “Or rather, I fell in love with who the work was for.”
Her close relationship with her grandmother and great-grandmother instilled a deep respect for older adults that carried into her career. Antoinette started as part of the waitstaff, later worked in the kitchen as a utility worker and sous chef and then moved into leadership as Hospitality Manager before becoming General Manager.
She credits Atria’s Quality Enhancement program for helping her team refine their approach since the merger. The audit process, once viewed as a test to pass, is now a collaborative effort that drives lasting improvements.
“The biggest difference now is that quality isn’t something we scramble for – it’s just how we operate,” Antoinette explains. “We’ve built habits that ensure we’re always at our best, and that consistency makes all the difference.”
Attitude is everything
A major factor in Holiday Forsyth Court’s success has been staff continuity. With a hospitality manager, executive chef and maintenance director with years of experience to lean on, her team knows the residents, understands expectations and takes ownership of their roles, creating a foundation for sustained excellence.
“The team I have now, especially my department directors, has the experience to see how quality affects the big picture,” Antoinette says. “They respond to feedback and take whatever steps we need to improve.”
Amy agrees that the success of Quality Enhancement hinges on the people bringing it to life.
“Attitude matters,” she says. “When a team genuinely wants to improve and takes pride in their work, it shows in everything. That’s why we prioritize and incentivize longevity through our employee programs. It goes hand in hand with a thriving community.”
A model for the future
Holiday Forsyth Court’s success proves that when quality becomes a daily habit, meaningful progress follows. With strong leadership, an experienced team and a focus on continuous improvement, they have shown that lasting success is built one thoughtful step at a time.
You might also like
Want to learn more about life at Holiday?