Movers & Shakers — Horizon’s New CEO and CFO

Horizon Announces New CEO and CFO 

Wisconsin-based Horizon Group of Companies — made up of Horizon Development Group, Inc., Horizon Construction Group, Inc., and Horizon Management Services, Inc. — has announced the appointment of Dan Fitzgerald as its new CEO.

Fitzgerald has been part of the Horizon team for 16 years, beginning in the development department, before becoming the president of Horizon Construction Group, Inc. and Horizon Development Group, Inc.

During his time as president, Fitzgerald helped develop Horizon’s integrated seven phases of project delivery, which includes development, construction and property management, as it aligns with the company’s mission to surpass expectations of its customers through unparalleled service.

In addition to becoming CEO, Fitzgerald will maintain his role with Horizon Construction Group, Inc. and Horizon Development Group, Inc.

He is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Wisconsin and is a member of the Realtors Associations of South Central Wisconsin, Inc., Downtown Madison, Inc. Economic Development Committee, the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association, the World Waterpark Association and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Fitzgerald is an Aquatics International webinar instructor, a World Waterpark Association presenter and was recognized by In Business Magazine as one of area’s ‘Forty Under Forty’.

Horizon also announced that Curt Peerenboom, former senior manager at SVA Certified Public Accountants, S.C., in Madison, Wis., has joined the company as its new CFO.

Peerenboom has more than 16 years of experience working in the real estate industry with a focus on the Section 42 tax credit, historic tax credit and new markets tax credit programs. He has spent the past several years working on transaction structuring and underwriting various real estate projects.

He is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of CPAs and is a member of the board of directors for The Rodney Scheel House Foundation, Ltd., where he currently holds the position of treasurer.

Fitzgerald and Peerenboom will succeed CEO/CFO John Faust, who is retiring. Both will assume full responsibilities on June 1, 2015.

Lutheran Homes Society Hires Regional Executive Director

Toledo, Ohio-based Lutheran Homes Society (LHS) has hired Jeff Rohdy as regional executive director for long-term care services.

Rohdy will provide operational and strategic leadership to the four LHS care campuses: Lutheran Home at Napoleon, Lutheran Home at Toledo, Lutheran Memorial Home in Sandusky, Ohio, and Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek in Holland, Ohio.

In this position, Rohdy will partner with the campus executive directors and their teams to ensure success in key areas such as standards of care, financial stewardship, employee satisfaction, and resident/patient satisfaction.

He has worked in health care administration for more than 13 years. the last 10 years of which have been with ProMedica, first as the business manager of surgical & cardiovascular services at Toledo Hospital and then as director of ancillary services at Defiance Regional Hospital.

Rohdy is board-certified in health care management and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Friendship Village Tempe Names New CIO

Due to a trend toward growing and expanding technology at continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), Friendship Village Tempe in Arizona has announced the hiring of Travis Saunders as its chief information officer.

Saunders, along with leadership at the community and a local technology firm, Crexendo, will ensure residents at Friendship Village will always be connected. Friendship Village also partnered with Touchtown, a senior living mobile application developer, for its senior living applications and programs.

“Senior living, like any other industry, is constantly changing and demanding new and better technology to help pave the way for that change,” said Cole Marvin, executive director for Friendship Village Tempe. “Our approach to that need is progressive and proactive.”

As baby boomers continue to age, demand for technology at communities like Friendship Village is expected to grow. Marvin says the time when CCRCs didn’t even consider hiring a CIO like Saunders are long gone.

Saunders’ position was created to position Friendship Village, managed by Life Care Services, as a positive example in the field of senior living for years to come.

Texas Community Names New Executive Director

Mustang Creek Estates of Frisco, Texas, has named Felecia Wells as executive director of the recently opened community, according to a report by the Frisco Enterprise.

Wells is responsible for day-to-day operations, hiring staff, compliance with state regulations and making sure that the community is exceeding the residents’ and their families’ needs.

Previously, she worked in hotel management for years before moving to the senior living industry. She became certified as an assisted living manager in 2002 and a state-certified dementia care specialist in 2005, the Frisco Enterprise reports.

Prior to transferring to the new location in Frisco, Wells was the executive director at Mustang Creek Estates’ Keller community.

Written by Emily Study