Jim Janicki serves as VP of Marketing and Communications for Bellevue-based Hillcrest Health Services, which offers more services for aging adults than any other provider in Eastern Nebraska. They serve more than 1000 aging adults every day in independent and assisted living, memory care, in-patient and outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, home health and private duty care, hospice, telehealth, outpatient therapy and wellness. Their mission is to enhance the lives of aging adults.
Tell us a little about your family. – I love my two daughters, Emily (15) and Abigail (11), very much. Raising a teenage daughter as a single dad is probably the most difficult challenge I’ve ever faced! I take it day by day. Fortunately, my girls were very supportive of the move to Nebraska and seem to really enjoy it here.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – Moving here to Omaha from Richmond, Virginia was a huge turning point for me. I have lived on the East Coast my entire life (grew up in Buffalo, NY), so I had to get used to the cultural shift. This has been such a positive move for me, and for my daughters. I feel fortunate to be here.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I play with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) as a medieval re-enactor. I enjoy putting on 30 pounds of armor and getting into sword fights at events all over Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – In the SCA, I’m “His Excellency Baron Augustin le Blinde”. Also, people who have recently met me don’t realize I have been blind in the right eye since birth. I actually wear glasses for protection because I’m clumsy, not because I can’t see!
What are you the most proud of? – I’m proud of how much I have accomplished in my relatively short career, and more importantly, of the wonderful relationships I’ve built with hundreds of people across the country.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received. – My dad always said, “Drive inexpensive cars but own the best home you can afford.”
What is the one goal you would most like to accomplish? – My biggest goal is for my daughters to be happy and well prepared for the life ahead.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? – How about dieting? That seems to be a super power I don’t have! I want to say “flying” but my fear of heights would probably prevent me from doing it. I guess if I could fly low to the ground, it would be pretty awesome.
Which talent would you most like to have? – I would love to play guitar. I’ve talked about lessons for years, so maybe 2013 will be the year I finally start.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – Books? Are those the things with pages that I read about on the internet?
What is your favorite movie? – The Wizard of Oz is my all-time favorite movie. I still can’t believe it didn’t win Best Picture in 1939.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – I answered this question for my application essay to get into college, and I said Walt Disney. That’s still true, but now that I’m older, I would say Warren Buffet for many reasons.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – janicki@gmail.com or 402-682-4206.