St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s postdoctoral fellowship consistently provides an unmatched experience for participants, but housing for their 6-to-12 month stay did not match the program’s reputation for excellence. St. Jude needed an asset management partner to ensure a pleasant stay for these researchers.
St. Jude’s postdoctoral program is globally recognized for the experience it provides postdoctoral researchers and the cutting-edge research it produces. The housing St. Jude provides program participants did not reflect this reputation though. Over 10 years of buying and replacing furniture on an ad-hoc basis translated to an inconsistent look and quality discrepancy in each apartment. And the problem went beyond aesthetics. When a piece of furniture was broken or worn out, a St. Jude employee would have to take time out of their busy schedule to fix or replace the asset. With no ongoing budget for furnishings and repairs, every furniture issue also presented the challenge of where the repair costs should be allocated in the budget. The housing experience and look of the apartments was clearly not reflective of the strength of the fellowship or the reputation of St. Jude.
How We Helped
CORT’s goal was to empower St. Jude to focus on its core priorities while CORT managed the furnishings and housewares. Working with St. Jude and two apartment communities in downtown Memphis, CORT developed a furniture management program that provides researchers with a top-notch, consistent experience. CORT now furnishes over 30 apartments ranging from 1-4 bedrooms for postdoctoral researchers and visiting staff. Program participants rotate in and out, between six months to a year, and CORT takes responsibility for the maintenance of the furniture and housewares.
“Maintaining the image and providing our postdoctoral fellows with a consistent housing experience is a huge priority for St. Jude. Our program with CORT provides this, without distracting our staff from cutting-edge research. Best of all, we get compliments on the furnishings every week.” – Tim Simcoe, Director of Facilities, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The Result
St. Jude offers its researchers an unbeatable housing experience that matches the caliber of the fellowship. There is a consistency to each apartment, and the budgeting process has been greatly simplified for the facilities staff at St. Jude.
St. Jude is no longer in the business of managing, repairing or replacing furniture. CORT walks through each apartment when an individual moves out and repairs or replaces furniture as necessary. And when researcher numbers fluctuate, CORT can easily remove furniture or bring in more furniture to fit additional people in each apartment.
And every day, St. Jude staff can rest assured that there is a consistent annual cost for housing and furnishing.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
