Peder Johnsen, Chief Executive Officer
Peder Johnsen is the Chief Executive Officer of Concordis Senior Living, LLC. Peder has worked in the senior living industry for 25 years and is responsible for regulatory compliance and the day to day operations of the Concordis communities.Peder’s family has been involved in the senior living industry for three generations, making them one of the early senior living developers/operators in the state of Florida. The Johnsen family developed their first family owned and operated assisted living community in 1980 in central Florida. The Johnsen’s executed a successful strategy of developing, stabilizing and selling assisted living facilities.
In 1995, Peder assumed leadership of his family’s assisted living communities consisting, at that time, of two communities in Marion County, Florida. As administrator of these facilities, Peder was responsible for all aspects of the business, including day to day operations.
Beginning in 2000, Peder renovated and expanded the two existing communities. He later purchased three additional underperforming facilities and made them profitable by way of repositioning and/or renovations. During this time he also developed a community from the ground up.
In 2008, Peder teamed with Trent Watkins to establish what is now Concordis Senior Living, LLC.
Trent Watkins, President
Trent Watkins is the President of Concordis Senior Living, LLC. Trent’s extensive legal and business experience make him well suited to oversee Concordis’ financial and legal affairs, as well as development and acquisitions. Trent is also responsible for human resource policies and initiatives.Trent has arranged financing of senior living projects through conventional loans, HUD/FHA insured loan programs, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and private sector bonds. In addition to his experience in the senior housing industry, Trent has managed and developed real estate projects in other industries for more than a decade.
Prior to joining Concordis, Trent practiced law in Dallas, Texas. His practice focused on complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy. In 2005, Trent purchased a portfolio of underperforming Sonic Drive-In restaurants in central Florida. During the next few years, Trent orchestrated the turnaround of operations, the renovation of several of the locations, as well as the development of an additional location. From 2005 through 2007, Trent was responsible for every aspect of the business, from back office administration to day-to-day operation of the restaurants. Trent obtained extensive operational, labor management, inventory control, marketing and human resources experience that he has been able to translate into the operation of senior living communities.
Trent earned a degree in economics from The University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. His graduate education also includes the study of tax and international law at University College in Oxford, England.
Jennifer Leeder, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Jennifer Leeder is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Concordis Senior Living, LLC. She is responsible for overseeing all sales and marketing strategies. This includes leadership in the areas of strategic direction and new initiatives, corporate and community branding, increasing revenue and occupancy while instilling the Concordis Senior Living way.A top sales leader in the senior living industry since 2014, Jennifer has a diverse background in sales and marketing ranging from running her father’s family business for 20 years, to founding a charitable nonprofit and building a school in Samfya Africa.
She has extensive experience ranging from independent living, assisted living, and memory care, to large luxury CCRC’s. She is adept at counseling and leading her teams to be resourceful in helping families make decisions as they explore next step in their lives.
A native of Chicago, Jennifer graduated with honors from the University of the Rockies in Colorado Springs with her Doctorate Degree in Health and Wellness Psychology (PsyD). She also earned her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Adler School of Psychology and Bachelor’s in Art Therapy. She is a member of the American Academy of Lifestyle Medicine while also earning her certification in Health Coaching (HHC) from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Travis Watkins, Chief Financial Officer
Travis Watkins is the Chief Financial Officer for Concordis Senior Living, LLC. He oversees accounting, financial reporting, strategic planning, operating budgets, financial analysis, evaluating new management and development opportunities, and banking relationships.Travis has implemented an efficient accounting system that has accelerated the month end closing process. This enables management to process and act quickly on financial data. It also allows the company to promptly provide financial data to investment partners and/or to meet HUD, bond or REIT reporting requirements.
Travis has applied his extensive real estate leasing and sales experience to transition the company’s sales approach away from the senior housing industry norm. This incentive-based approach better motivates the salesperson and aligns their interest with that of the company. Additionally, Travis’ real estate background has proven invaluable for market evaluation, site evaluation and negotiations.
Before joining Concordis in 2010, Travis gained extensive experience that has translated smoothly into the senior living industry. Travis worked for two prominent commercial brokerage firms: Grubb & Ellis Company and The Weitzman Group. He handled general brokerage, specializing in retail project representation, retail tenant representation, retail investment sales and land sales. In 2009, the Austin Business Journal recognized Travis as a “Heavy Hitter,” in the retail broker rankings for Austin, Texas. He earned the CoStar Power Broker Award as a Top 10 Retail Leasing Broker in 2009. Prior to his commercial real estate career, he worked as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their assurance services group serving both public and private companies.
Travis Watkins earned both a Masters in Professional Accounting and a Bachelors of Business Administration while completing the Professional Program of Accounting curriculum from The University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
