A Message from Our President
Allegro... We chose the name because it suggests values that are important to us. It is, of course, a term from music, the root being a Latin word for lively. And, indeed, this does convey a sense of our hopes for each Allegro community – delightful living where personal dignity is affirmed and personal independence is enhanced. Where fine dining makes gathering with friends an anticipated pleasure. Partly this can be achieved with location selection, with building design, and with an active social program. Even then, of course, there has to be another component—the caring heart attitude that is part of the culture and is embraced by all Allegro team members. These components together create our definition of Inspired Senior Living.
- Douglas S. Schiffer, President & Chief Operating Officer, Allegro Senior Living, LLC
Mr. Schiffer was the Co-Chief Executive Officer and a principal owner of Love Savings Holding Company, and Chairman of Heartland Bank and Love Funding Corporation, prior to Midland States Bancorp’s acquisition of those entities. He is also President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Hallmark Investment Corporation, a multi-purpose investment company, and Chairman and CEO of Allegro Senior Living, a developer, owner and operator of senior housing that was formerly a joint venture partner with Almanac Realty Investors (formerly the Rothschild Group), an international investment firm. Over the past four decades, Mr. Schiffer has directed the development, ownership, acquisition, and management of commercial real estate properties including institutional quality office, hotel, retail, industrial, apartment, and senior housing properties. Mr. Schiffer holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington University.
With more than 35 years of experience in commercial real estate, 22 of which are in senior living, Mr. Schiffer is the past chairman the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) and a member of the Senior Housing Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He is a former member of the National Association of Senior Living Executives and the Crittenden Speakers panel.
Mr. Schiffer was a developer of new senior living properties before transitioning to his present role, where he is responsible for asset management of Allegro Senior Living's company portfolio, the direction of the property management team, and implementing the company's strategic plan.
Mr. Schiffer was previously an executive officer at Love Funding, focused on senior housing finance, where he was frequently featured as a speaker at financing conferences nationally. Mr. Schiffer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University.
Richard Miller has more than thirty years of experience in overseeing the acquisition and development of commercial real estate properties including offices, hotels, retail and seniors housing. As president of Allegro Development Company, Mr. Miller is responsible for overall leadership of land acquisition and purchase, construction operations, and development and implementation of Allegro’s brand standards throughout design and construction. He has directed the development of six senior living communities with 900 units, 16 hotels with 8,245 keys, and six shopping centers totaling 3.1 million square feet. Mr. Miller’s leadership has been instrumental in developing and expanding Allegro’s presence and unrivaled design standards throughout Florida, New Jersey and Missouri. Mr. Miller received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bradley University.
Mr. Karn is a Certified Public Accountant with public accounting experience as an audit manager with Arthur Andersen in their real estate division. He also served clients in the high-tech, financial services, health care and manufacturing industries and has extensive experience with private equity transactions and public securities offerings. He is responsible for the company's finance, accounting, and information technology functions. Mr. Karn obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration from Washington University.
Over the past 35 years, Mr. Ruggeri has actively managed many hospitality operations throughout the United States, ranging from small limited service providers to five-star resorts. He has also been responsible for full renovation projects, capital management generation and implementation, and asset recovery projects. Mr. Ruggeri has held state and local association positions within the hospitality field, including the office of president. Before assuming his role as president of Allegro Management Company, Mr. Ruggeri worked within the Allegro corporate structure and was involved in quality control, service enhancement, and capital project management. Mr. Ruggeri oversees sales and operations performance, including capital improvements, strategic implementation, and performance goal achievement. Mr. Ruggeri holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Louis University.
As Senior Vice President Human Resources, Mrs. Gray is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s human capital strategy. With more than 30 years of experience, Mrs. Gray provides senior-level HR supervision to the organization and leads company-wide HR initiatives in operations, associate relations, payroll and benefits administration, recruitment, training and development. Mrs. Gray joined Allegro after 20 years with Allegro’s parent corporation, The Love Companies. She attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Mr. Miklich is responsible for the management of Allegro's entire land acquisition and development process, from market and site selection evaluation to obtaining governmental approvals, including conducting neighborhood meetings to get local support for the project. During the development process, he coordinates the planning of the community with architects, engineers, attorneys, lenders, and investors, and he works closely with the construction, marketing, and operations teams to ensure a successful project. Mr. Miklich has a bachelor’s degree from Claremont Mckenna College and has developed more than 20 senior housing communities throughout the country. He has a strong background in senior living and demographic, market, and financial analysis. He also has robust communication and collaboration skills and an understanding of operational needs.
Mr. Lemon is responsible for the successful execution and operations of new communities, as well as supporting the operations of existing communities, in Allegro’s portfolio. He joined the team in May 2015 as the Executive Director for Allegro in Jupiter, Florida before accepting his present role as Vice President of New Operations in 2017. Mr. Lemon’s experience in the Senior Living industry began in 1993 in which he has held almost every position at the community level and has 15 years of experience as an Executive Director. He has a proven track record of helping communities excel in areas such as NOI growth, occupancy, sales performance, leadership, operations and training. Mr. Lemon is passionate about providing quality services to Allegro’s residents and families.
With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Mr. Genter brings a vast knowledge of building maintenance and safety to Allegro’s communities and residents. Prior to joining Allegro in 2016, Mr. Genter was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of property maintenance and capital projects including toll roads and airports. In 2004 he was named Engineer of the Year in Florida by the Florida Hotel Motel Association. Following this recognition, Mr. Genter was awarded Employee of the Year by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. In 2005 Mr. Genter received his Certified Engineering Operation Executive (CEOE). He takes great pride in providing residents a high-quality experience of living in a secure, confident manner.
As Vice President of Lifestyle, Mrs. Dosey is responsible for ensuring custom lifestyle programming with a mission to help residents find their purpose and discover life experiences that bring them joy. Mrs. Dosey comes to Allegro with a vast depth of experience in working with seniors. After obtaining her master’s degree in gerontology, she focused solely on the aging process. She worked in several healthcare settings, including in-home health care, adult day services, assisted living, and memory care communities. In prior roles, she focused and played an instrumental part in the start-up and development process of senior communities. She is also a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT).
