Meet Sonja Prince-Ward | Assisted Living Owner and Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonja Prince-Ward and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonja, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind the success of Prince of Peace Assisted Living, is in the name itself. Our faith in God, the Prince of Peace, has contributed to our success in immeasurable ways. Prince of Peace is a company that truly puts God first. From the very beginning we included God in every aspect of the business. We prayed and asked God for guidance before we purchased the first home and we continue to seek Him first before every business related decision. We open all of our staff meetings with prayer and we make sure our employees understand that we expect them to subscribe to those same values when they are caring for our residents. My mother and I pray about every decision concerning the business. In order to be successful and remain successful you have to continuously put in the work. Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead so we know that our faith coupled with our strong commitment to Christ is the foundation to our success. We add hard work, dedication, and a heart for God’s people to the equation every single day. I can train and teach my staff how to be efficient caregivers, but they have to have a passion for this type of work and a heart for the elderly. Our genuine love for the residents of Prince of Peace sets our company apart from the rest. We treat our staff with respect and dignity and require nothing less from them when it comes to the care they provide to our residents. When families entrust their loved ones with us, it is important to me that they have peace and know that their family is now my family and will receive the best possible care.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I will never forget the day my mother came to me and suggested we open a group home. Someone she knew was in the business and moving out of state and wanted to sell their existing facility. One of my Aunts had a similar business in South Carolina and suggested my mother and her other siblings think about going into the assisted living business. My mother wanted me to be included because I had recently graduated from Morgan State with a degree in Business Management and I think she believed that I knew everything there was to know about business. She could not have been more wrong. At any rate, I decided to humor her and that day, in September of 2000, I went with my mother and my aunts and uncle to see the property. I can’t explain it, but I knew the moment I stepped inside, that this would be ours. The owner sold us the house and then tacked on another 50,000 to sell us the business. After much success, six years later we opened another facility in Tantallon, an upscale neighborhood in Fort Washington, MD. My mother had the brilliant idea to name it Prince of Peace Assisted Living. It was perfect. My last name was Prince, Prince of Peace is in the bible, and even the abbreviation made sense, POP Assisted Living! Two years after that we opened our third location and in 2015 we opened our 4th home in Cheltenham Maryland. The most important factor behind the success of Prince of Peace Assisted Living, is in the name itself. Our faith in God, the Prince of Peace, has contributed to our success in immeasurable ways. Prince of Peace is a company that truly puts God first. From the very beginning we included God in every aspect of the business. We prayed and asked God for guidance before we purchased the first home and we continue to seek Him first before every business related decision. We open all of our staff meetings with prayer and we make sure our employees understand that we expect them to subscribe to those same values when they are caring for our residents. My mother and I pray about every decision concerning the business. In order to be successful and remain successful you have to continuously put in the work. Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead so we know that our faith coupled with our strong commitment to Christ is the foundation to our success. We add hard work, dedication, and a heart for God’s people to the equation every single day. I can train and teach my staff how to be efficient caregivers, but they have to have a passion for this type of work and a heart for the elderly. Our genuine love for the residents of Prince of Peace sets our company apart from the rest. We treat our staff with respect and dignity and require nothing less from them when it comes to the care they provide to our residents. When families entrust their loved ones with us it is important that they have peace and know their family is now my family and receiving the best care possible.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would tackle all of the tourist attractions Atlanta has to offer. I would also see if we could get tickets to see the taping of the Family Feud. Having been on that show, I truly would enjoy showing my friend how entertaining Steve Harvey can be. I would also take them to Old Lady Gang restaurant and Slutty Vegan.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am so thankful for my mother. She had the vision for Prince of Peace Assisted Living and proceeded to make it happen. We remain equal partners in this business and continue to work together to establish and expand our brand.

Website: www.princeofpeaceal.com

Instagram: blessed_princess003

Linkedin: Sonja Prince-Ward

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonja.prince

Youtube: princ0032