Nilesh Dasondi, appointed as Special Assistant to Edison Mayor Tom Lankey, has a very clear vision – One Edison Community
Our Bureau
Edison, NJ
Nilesh Dasondi, a well-known businessman and community leader, was recently appointed to the prestigious position of Special Assistant to Mayor by Tom Lankey in the historic town of Edison in New Jersey which is home to thousands of South Asians. The town, known as home of Thomas Alva Edison, has huge Indian population and has become the focus of most small businesses in last three decades. With famous Oaktree Road, which has hundreds of small businesses owned by South Asians, schools that produce young students that are excelling at all levels, residential properties which have hugely appreciated with quality of life transcending to new levels, Edison has been the nerve- center of community from the sub-continent.
Originally from Mumbai, Nilesh Dasondi received his education at some of the best institutions in the city. Born to parents who had migrated from Gujarat, India, Nilesh trained as a software engineer. He is SAP-certified computer consultant and worked with many Fortune 500 companies in early years of his professional career. Later, Nilesh started his own consulting company and soon turned it into a successful business. Then, Nilesh diversified into booming healthcare industry in past 12 years. He has started four adult medical day care centers, two children medical day care centers and one DDD center.
Recently, Nilesh Dasondi made a mark and acquired one of the biggest nursing homes in Edison from Hackensack Meridian Health system with 280 beds. He plans to turn it into a state-of-the-art facility to serve the local community.
He is known to be an accomplished and decisive leader as well as a management professional who oversees operations in providing quality healthcare services to senior population. He brings more than 12 years of experience with overall operational responsibility of efficiently handling multiple locations serving over 700 seniors. He also developed a strategic plan for expanding services to additional 2-3 facilities.
Nilesh Dasondi develops growth strategies including expansion of facility size and license capacity. He secures and executes contracts with Medicaid Managed HMOs for State of New Jersey Develops and implements all operational procedures and financial systems. He oversees and manages administration and departmental directors. Nilesh spearheaded Department of Health licensing inspection for facility opening. Effectively and proactively managing budget and analyzes financial variances.
Nilesh operates as Management Consultant of site ensuring proper delivery of services to 700 elderly members. He is responsible for generating and executing new strategies and systems. He assists in creating and enforcing policies & procedures according to regulatory requirements, and is responsible for hiring, appraisal and development of all facility staff. He performs all business office functions, including AP, AR, and payroll among others. He ensures financial projections are met and facility operates within budget guidelines. He oversees contract agreements with medical service provider.
In an interview with The Indian EYE Newsweekly, Nilesh Dasondi spoke about his life, vision, business and future plans. Excerpts:
What was your ambition while growing as a child?
As a child, my only ambition was to make my father as proud as he had high goals for me always motivated me to accomplish them. I wanted to take the life my father blessed me with and run with it, which is exactly what I did and continue to do so every day.
What made you come to the US? Could you please share some details about your initial years?
I wanted to come to the USA for the same reasons as many others in my position have, for better opportunities and to provide with best for my family. In my initial years, I had to struggle, but my hunger to succeed for my family always kept me going. But I had my goals and vision. I worked very hard in companies I got early opportunities and was successful. That motivated me to build my own business which also became very successful.
What made you so successful in such a short time?
In one word “Think Big” – In all honesty, success never occurs in a short amount of time. You need to have a vision, and never lose sight of it, which is something I’ve always maintained in my life. I stuck by my initial vision of serving my community, and built my foundation step by step to achieve my personal and professional goals.
What are your driving principles in life?
Loyalty, Honesty and Integrity!
What is your vision for this huge responsibility given by Mayor Tom Lankey in the town of Edison?
A proud Indian-American serves as a role model for the community. Vision is very clear – One Edison Community!! I am going to do volunteer work for the Mayor’s office to see One Edison Community.
What are your top goals to achieve for community?
I see my top goals as under:
- Effectively liaison between the general public, community and different organizations and the Mayor
- Preparation and review of briefing packages, meeting minutes, strategic plans, communications and related documents
- Responding to the wide range of inquiries and requests, and ensuring appropriate response from the township staff in a timely manner
- Managing positive relationships with tax payers, community organizations, Council, township employees, and other stakeholders
What are main characteristics of Mayor that have endeared him to the Community?
Mr. Lankey is a man of the people, and always has been since he took over the office. He is a friend to the community before anything else, and has prioritized the people of Edison at every point in his career. He is very interactive and intuitive, and makes decisions with the best intentions.
What should community expect from you in this position?
The community can most definitely expect me to provide for them with my best foot forward. I will be extremely attentive to the concerns of the community, and will aim to provide best in put to the Mayor on his future decisions by acting as a voice of the people.
What do you expect from community to make Edison a bigger success?
I expect the Edison community to provide a united front and continue to maintain the diverse, progressive, and continuously thriving atmosphere that we have grown so popular for! With the right intentions, we can work well together and make Edison a grand success as residential, academic as well as business place.
How will you help new generation especially when Edison schools are amongst best?
The new generation is already so intellectual and intelligent, if anything, I have so much to learn from them about how to better progress within this position. The new generation is so passionate about the world, I intend to advocate for a more worldly curriculum to better suit the political interests of millennials and Generation Z, respectively to stay ahead. Be the leaders if tomorrow in every front.
