McKnight’s Senior Living won two awards for editorial excellence Thursday evening as part of the 2023 American Society of Business Publication Editors’ Azbee Awards.

The honors, for work published in 2022, came in the Azbee Awards’ Upper Midwest Region competition, which includes business-to-business media outlets in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The McKnight’s brands are based in suburban Chicago.

McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers earned a Gold Award — the highest-level award — in the Best Staff-Written Column category, recognizing columns published on a regular basis. The brand also won a Bronze Award in the Best Print News Section category.

For the Best Staff-Written Column category, the judges reviewed two of Bowers’ Editor’s Columns, which are published every Monday on the brand’s website, with select columns appearing in the brand’s print magazine.

For “The courage of her convictions” (July 8, 2022), Juniper Communities’ founder and CEO Lynne Katzmann spoke with Bowers about the company’s decision to ensure that users of its health plan could “access all of their health benefits, including reproductive health services, should they wish to do so” following the Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade. As of the writing of the column, reaction to the decision had been positive, according to Juniper. “That’s a benefit of having a strong corporate culture and a strong corporate brand,” Bowers wrote. “When the time comes to make a difficult decision, the framework already is there. You know who you are, and staying true to what has been built perhaps makes the decision and its implementation just a little bit easier than it would have been otherwise. You can have the courage of your convictions. You can be bold.”

For “Giving gray hair the green light” (Sept. 6, 2022), Christian Living Communities President and CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem and outgoing Sonida Senior Living President and CEO Kimberly Lody discussed their decisions to grow out their gray hair. People such as these two women, Bowers wrote, “will help gradually chip away at stereotypes, preconceptions and misconceptions related to aging so that one day, society and all types of organizations can realize the benefits of welcoming a diverse group of people — including, among other qualities, people of all ages, levels of experience and genders — and hair colors. In an industry such as senior living, where a majority of workers, residents and family member decision-makers are women, it’s also good business sense.”

For the Best Print News Section category, the judges reviewed the brand’s October and December 2022 issues.

Recognized on the Best Print News Section award were Bowers, Editorial Director John O’Connor, Content Editor Kimberly Bonvissuto, former Art Director Mark Speakman, Senior Art Director Monica Pizzi, Graphic Designer Aminah Beg, and writers Kathleen Steele Gaivin and Amy Novotney.

McKnight’s Senior Living has earned 41 regional Azbee Awards since 2016, the first year the brand started regularly entering the competition after the former McKnight’s Assisted Living changed its name and expanded on its print publication by hiring Bowers in 2015 and adding a website, daily e-newsletter, social media and other offerings.

National Azbee Award winners will be announced May 11 at the organization’s national conference. McKnight’s Senior Living is a national finalist in the Best Print News Section category. To date, the brand has won 12 national ASBPE awards since 2016.

ASBPE is a national organization with the goal of serving and advancing the profession of journalism in business media brands and to encourage the highest ethical standards at those brands. The Azbee Awards of Excellence program is one of the most competitive programs for business-to-business, trade, association and professional publications. The awards recognize outstanding work by magazines, websites, e-newsletters, digital magazines, social media and blogs.

The three McKnight’s brands won a total of 11 regional awards Thursday. Read about the regional awards won by sister media brands McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care on their websites.