Treemont maintenance director Don Ibanez excels for 34+ years

Treemont maintenance director Don Ibanez has been a consistent, reassuring presence on the Treemont Campus for over 30 years. Walking around campus, everyone knows his name and talks about him and his oversight of the maintenance department with awe and amazement.

Key reasons seniors move to a retirement community are the following: No more upkeep of a large home. No more chores or housekeeping. No more maintenance. Ibanez makes a point to make this a reality. He is typically one of the first department heads new residents meet when they move into their new apartment. He stops by to make sure all is working well in the apartment, to introduce himself and advise on how to place a work order.

Ibanez is responsible for all aspects of Treemont Retirement Community maintenance. Overseeing a team of six that includes facility maintenance, internal community upgrades, turning over apartments for new residents and daily maintenance tasks, Ibanez is revered for his immediate attention to any issue, large or small.

Ibanez takes initiative on special projects, which include setting up the life-size, interactive, Halloween haunted house in the Treemont Lobby, as well as decorating the outside and the lobby for Christmas.

Ibanez said, “I love my residents. They remind me of my grandma. There’s lots of love here. I love the environment of Treemont. Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Ibanez also was on one of the cadre of Treemont staffers who stayed overnight for five-plus days during Hurricane Harvey, tending to the property and its residents. Most recently Ibanez and his team delighted residents during the recent snow storm by building a snowman.

A native Houstonian, he is married to Frances, with two children: Ashley, age 20 and David, 18. Ibanez met her in the Treemont kitchen 21 years ago. At that time, he took a personal interest in all maintenance requests from the dining room. The rest is history. Ibanez has been here all his adult life. He saw an ad in the classifieds that Treemont was hiring, filled out application and got the job. He has been at the maintenance helm for 25-plus years.

His spontaneous initiatives endear him to staff, residents and families.

To learn more about Treemont and senior living, call 713-783-6820 or check out www.Treemont.com.