HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO (July 22, 2008) - Two Denver-area residents are among those being honored during Erickson Retirement Communities' ninth annual company-wide employee awards program. Of the more than 200 people who work at Wind Crest retirement community in Highlands Ranch (which is developed and managed by Erickson), Carlie Thomas of Highlands Ranch was named Wind Crest's 2007 Manager of the Year, and Cristela Banuelos of Thornton was named Employee of the Year. Thomas and Banuelos were nominated for these honors by their co-workers.

Thomas is the staff development manager at Wind Crest. She started working at the community in March 2007, several months before the first residents moved in. "I am honored to have been chosen for this," Thomas said. "Growing up on a working farm in a family with 10 siblings, we were always taught to work hard every day, work together, and give 110 percent all the time. This work ethic has stayed with me and I am grateful and appreciate this recognition by my peers and managers at Wind Crest."

Banuelos has worked at Wind Crest since 2007 as the housekeeping and special projects supervisor. "I am very grateful and honored to receive this award and it means a lot to me," said Banuelos. "There are many employees here at Wind Crest who deserves this award, and I just want to express my gratitude and thank everyone for choosing me."

Thomas and Banuelos were recognized at a ceremony at Wind Crest, where they each received a plaque and a check for $1,000.

Each year, Erickson honors two stand-out employees from each of its communities and from the corporate office. Erickson currently employs more than 12,000 people in 13 states. The company began giving out these awards in 1999.

About Erickson Retirement Communities:Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities. Headquartered near Baltimore, Md., Erickson has built an innovative network of 23 communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with a host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health. Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 "2008 Best Companies to Work For ®."