In 1999, when Sun City opened as the first four-season Sun City active-adult community in the nation, the message to America was “Retire from work, not life. Free your spirit…to relax, play, and make friends.”
Today, it’s Live Your Dream. On a high Fountain View atrium wall, this new slogan will be displayed in large letters soon.
Despite 16 years of development and the change of leadership from developers to Sun City’s residents, the message is still the same—Sun City is a “large, lushly landscaped, resort-style, luxurious” place where active seniors 55 and over can enjoy myriad social, athletic, and recreational activities and live in a wide range of small-to-large single-family homes and townhomes, pursuing an enjoyable lifestyle.
Sixteen years ago, Del Webb and later Pulte Homes were running the show. Today, Sun City’s residents are in charge, and the show is being carried out by a new marketing committee working with a resident-elected board of directors.
The new slogan and a marketing brochure were approved by the board of directors on Mar. 18. The marketing committee, chaired by Joanne Haerle, has embarked on a regional and national campaign to keep the Sun City message and mantra in front of America’s 55-and-over population.
Members of the committee, in addition to Haerle, are Bob Marcom, Sarah Elam, Patricia Oakley, Katherine Wienberg, Helene Weston, and Bill Clanton. Staff liaison is Rene Swanson, marketing and special events manager.
“We are currently updating another, bigger, brochure describing Sun City in detail, and we are planning to work with Realtors, marketing organizations, chambers of commerce, and municipal officials, in the regional area and nationally.
“We are starting to do surveys of our new residents, asking where they came from and what brought them here,” Swanson said. “We have already done that with the latest group of new residents who came to our orientation session on Mar. 19.”
She also said the former CAM (Community Association Management) desk in the Fountain View atrium has been reopened as a welcome desk and staffed with a newly organized group of resident staffers, who are appropriately called welcome desk associates. “They are there to greet visitors and potential home buyers, answer questions, and steer people in the right direction for information,” Swanson said. “There also is a touch screen computer at the desk that allows residents and visitors to access our website and get information on our activities and events.
“We also plan to hold another Realtor forum on June 22,” Swanson added. “At that time, we hope to attract a large audience of area Realtors, update them on our activities, and ask them what we can do to help them when they talk to potential home buyers. Relating to Realtors, especially local ones, is a key to this new program.
“We want people to know that we’re still telling our lifestyle story even though we’ve been built out for several years now.”
