Direct Supply Aptura

Bob Hillis established Direct Supply in 1985, which eventually grew into several divisions, including Direct Supply Aptura (Aptura), a Wisconsin-based national supplier and contractor. In the early days, Aptura specialized in furniture sales for senior housing facilities across the country.

As the years went on, clients started asking for more products and services, seeking more turnkey solutions for interior spaces. With successful long-term relationships with a broad client base, Aptura obliged. In 1997, the company created an interiors division, expanding staff with interior designers and construction professionals to help provide integrated interiors solutions for customers. Today, Aptura also serves as a development partner for many communities, helping owners design and realize unique senior care facilities all over the country.

Joel Treffert, executive vice president of Aptura’s building services, started with the company 13 years ago and has worked specifically with Aptura since 2008. “I love where I work,” he notes. “This is a great company. I joined the company as e-commerce was growing in 2001 and stayed on since. I take a lot of pride in the fact that our team can have a real impact in the industry. Caring for seniors is challenging and we like creating better environments for residents and workers. It’s really motivating.”

Diverse services

Aptura’s team of more than 50 design, construction and sales professionals provide development services to growing communities and their owners. Clients rely on the company’s construction management, site selection and market assessments to plan communities in the right places with facilities and amenities that meet the needs of residents. Once a site is determined, the Aptura team performs strategic planning, design and construction, working alongside clients to achieve goals that vary by project.

Aptura works inside and out, helping clients build well-designed facilities down to the table lamps. On the interior end of project performance, the team offers strategic planning for building layout as well as design assistance in creating the spaces between walls. With a vast catalog of interior products, the team offers furniture, fixtures and equipment services to customers, which can include anything from ceiling fans to area rugs.

The company’s procurement services are unparalleled. Clients can browse the catalog online, selecting pieces, patterns and tones that build a significant design story. Then, working with Aptura’s skilled and experienced interiors department, clients can place orders and count on fast delivery that is coordinated with the construction schedule. Purchases can be tracked via the company’s custom tracking database.

Recent work

With its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., Aptura has worked effectively with customers across the United States. Recent projects include work for Mainstreet Property Group (Mainstreet), a large developer based in Indiana. The developer is known for numerous skilled nursing facilities on a national scale.

Progressive projects make this company’s portfolio stand out and Mainstreet is one of the company’s largest partners in the industry. Aptura works in conjunction with Mainstreet, providing interior design, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) management, as well as site selection services.

BayBridge Seniors Housing is another major partner for the team. The developer is based in Toronto, Ontario, but develops properties throughout North America. Aptura provides BayBridge with interior design and FF&E management services.

In 2013 a Mainstreet project in Westfield, Ind., won the Skilled Nursing Building of the Year award. Aptura offered innovative and unique architectural design and strong integration between interior and exterior services for this outstanding property. “This project was a great representation of our capabilities as a contractor and supplier,” says Treffert.

Still growing

Aptura is currently active on 220 projects across the country and continues to build a backlog. “We foresee growing opportunities in a number of sectors within our market,” Treffert elaborates. “We have a lot of opportunities coming up with skilled nursing, including rehab facilities and transitional care. We are also active in memory care which is another growing sector. Developers are building programs specific to memory disease patients.”

In the coming years, Aptura looks forward to taking on new challenges in the complex senior care industry. Working alongside developers, architects, contractors and senior care specialists, the business maintains a trend of innovative designs that help keep seniors active and healthy in attractive and functional environments. Direct Supply Aptura helps partners integrate design from the outside in to develop outstanding senior care properties.