With the population of older people growing rapidly, more and more families are facing the new challenges of helping their elderly loved ones age with dignity and remain independent. One North Alabama family with a long tradition of honoring the elderly has brought its special way of caring back home, and a second generation now carries on that tradition. North Alabama: Home Since 1982

After meeting at a Pennsylvania retirement community in 1980, Wade White and Peg Thompson founded their own company and began advertising to attract clients. “Our first engagement was a retirement community in Huntsville, Alabama,” explains White. After helping local owners make the new idea work, Thompson and White spent the next ten years becoming management experts in the growing senior community field.

The Next Generation

Thompson and White’s son, daughter and son-in-law decided to bring their skills and experience into the family business in the form of Cottage Senior Living.

“Having Dawn and David as part of the company further commits our family to The Cottages and the community,” smiled White. “We look forward to our grandson, Andrew, enjoying the same quality of life and family that we have had.”

Dawn White Pumpelly

Dawn grew up in the family business of serving seniors. At the age of ten, Dawn began working with her parents in retirement communities answering phones, working in the offices and spending time with Residents. As a college student, she served as an intern for the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) and impressed people with her passion for serving the elderly. Prior to rejoining Cottage Senior Living in 2003, Dawn spent several years working outside of the family business honing her marketing skills.

Dawn is now responsible for the management of CSL’s sales and marketing efforts in all of its communities, and is a graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee

David Pumpelly

David came to Cottage Senior Living with a strong background in business management with the international consulting firm, Accenture.

During his career with Accenture, David worked with over twenty Fortune 100 companies to improve business processes, financial performance and customer relationship management.

As the President, Pumpelly is responsible for the operations of the management company. David graduated from Indiana University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Business.

Cliff White

Cliff was raised in the Cottages and worked many weekends and summers with his grandfather performing general maintenance and repairs. He was around for all of the defining moments in Thompson and White’s development of the communities and is passionate about supporting CSL to continue along the “Cottage Way” of protecting Residents’ independence, dignity and choice.

Now the CFO at Cottage Senior Living, Cliff is responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of CSL and the Cottages. He also strives to develop “next generation” ideas for assisted living. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from American University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Philosophy of Service

Cottage Senior Living dedicates all of its energy to achieving the quality of life goals of its Residents and their families. The small sizes of buildings, intense emphasis on individualized care through its unique ~CareSteps~ levels of care, careful selection and continuous training of management as well as Homemaker staff, and its ongoing desire for Resident and family feedback, are all features of their philosophy – do the things that help Residents maintain their independence, dignity and choice!