By Jan Landon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Choosing names for Tallgrass Creek buildings and amenities was not an easy or quick task.

It took a committee of people visiting local malls, bookstores, and other businesses to share ideas and get reactions from seniors. Committee members researched books and the Internet, and did market surveys. They noticed their surroundings as they traveled around the area.

Visits to Kansas
“It all started with our visits to Kansas,” says Mike Serio, vice president of advertising for Erickson Retirement Communities. “We hit the streets and hung out and talked to seniors. We asked them what Overland Park and Kansas stands for. The ideas started to grow.”

Carole Heiss, advertising director at Tallgrass Creek, says they were greeted with kindness and openness when they visited with local residents. She directed the naming process. “We wanted to make sure Kansans felt at home,” Heiss says. There is never a cookiecutter approach at Erickson communities, she says.

Positive feedback
Feedback has been very positive, say both Serio and Heiss. They share some of the reasons behind Tallgrass Creek’s names and their ties to Kansas:

• Tallgrass prairie is a Kansas treasure. Of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered North America, less than 4% remains, most of it in the Kansas Flint Hills. The state is home to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

• The “Creek” part of the community’s name comes from the stream that  meanders through the property.

• A tribute to Kansas birds is made with the name of the Audubon Clubhouse and Bluebird Crossing building.

• Sunflower Bistro, of course, recognizes the state flower of Kansas. Wild native sunflowers, described in one piece of literature as “growing in a thicket so dense a yellow cat could hide in them,” decorate the state.

• And it only takes a glance upward to understand the motivation for Blue Sky Restaurant. A skylight provides a clear view of the world above.