Lindsay Hemmila, left, is the new director of sales and marketing for Brookridge Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care and Jennifer Huetter recently took over as the new executive director for the Marquette assisted living facility. (Photo courtesy of Brookridge Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care)

By CECILIA BROWN

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — At Brookridge Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care in Marquette, new faces have joined familiar ones to serve the facility’s families and residents, as well as the surrounding community.

Jennifer Huetter, who was Brookridge’s sales and marketing director for four years, recently took on the executive director position. Lindsay Hemmila, who had served as the manager of community services for U.P. Home Health and Hospice in Marquette and Ishpeming, was hired as the new sales and marketing director.

“Lindsay brings a wide range of experience along with a great sense of enthusiasm,” Huetter said in a press release. “I’m excited to have her as part of our Brookridge family and I’m anxious to see the new approach she will bring to our sales and marketing efforts.”

At the end of 2018, Huetter was promoted and they started the search for someone to “fill her shoes,” she said.

“Ms. Hemmila stood out, and was someone that we definitely wanted to bring on board and have as a part of the team,” Huetter said.

Both Huetter and Hemmila have a long history of working in the area.

Huetter, a longtime Marquette-area resident, has 20 years of marketing and public relations experience, including acting as the district manager of public affairs for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the assistant director of creative services for WLUC-TV6.

Hemmila has over 15 years of experience in marketing, public relations and community outreach between her position at U.P. Home Health and Hospice and serving as the director of public relations and marketing for the Lake Superior Community Partnership.

“I am so thrilled to join the Brookridge team and have the opportunity to work with Jennifer Huetter,” Hemmila said in a press release. “My entire career has been spent in the marketing, communications and public relations field and I look forward to continuing to foster the professional relationships I have made over the years, while also making new ones. I look forward to serving the Brookridge community with compassion and dignity while providing exceptional care to our residents.”

The pair crossed paths many times prior to working together at Brookridge during their respective careers, as they often worked at agencies with similar goals.

“The home health agencies are wonderful care partners for an assisted living community,” Huetter said. “Our ultimate goal is very similar, it’s to help people in need … so Lindsay and I worked a lot together in that aspect.”

Hemmila, who took on the position in February, is enjoying working with and getting to know residents, families and staff at Brookridge, she said.

“Everybody here has welcomed me with open arms and it’s been so great to see these residents’ faces every day,” she said.

Aside from working with the Brookridge community’s residents and their families, she’s looking forward to serving as a resource for area residents who need a helping hand in deciding what might be right for themselves or a loved one, she said.

“That’s what we are here for, to find the best solutions,” she said.

Huetter found her calling in her position at Brookridge, as she realized she loved working in a field where she could be a community resource.

“I’ve been doing marketing for over 20 years and when I started working at Brookridge, I had this underlying sense that my marketing now finally had purpose,” Huetter said. “It was marketing for a cause. There was a reason, a purpose behind it and at the end of the day, it made me feel really good that I was helping people.”

Huetter feels Hemmila brings the same passion and caring nature to the work, she said.

“She’s the right person to work with the families because when we’re working with them, a lot of times we’re working with them in a state of crisis or a state of emotional distress and it’s really important to be compassionate to their situation, and also try to help find the right solution for them,” Huetter said. “It might not be Brookridge — it may be staying at home with home health services, or whatever that might be — we want to be that resource where they can come, get information and we can help them make informed decisions. That’s always been my goal, it was my goal as I was the sales and marketing director; it’s still my goal now as the executive director and I really believe Lindsay’s going to keep that going and find new ways to work with the families, and really just provide those services and make a difference.”

In addition to the changes with Huetter and Hemmila’s positions, Brookridge has also welcomed new faces to the management team, including: Health & Wellness Director Terry Dahlstrom, Business Manager Kelly St. Onge, Memory Support Director Brian Gaudreau, Lifestyle and Leisure Director Jamie Weeder, Culinary Director Adam Lund and Maintenance Director Randy Hicks.

“My philosophy has always been that really good leaders don’t have all the answers, … they surround themselves with brilliant people around them and I really feel that we’ve done that here at Brookridge,” Huetter said, adding the new staff brings “a great amount of knowledge” and they “all have an opportunity to learn from each other.”

For more information on Brookridge, visit www.brookridge-heights.com or call 906-225-4488.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.