Investment consortium Panthera Senior Living has made its first senior housing acquisition with a five-community portfolio in southern Georgia.

Following the acquisition, Panthera Senior Living’s partner American Healthcare Management is managing the portfolio, Panthera Senior Living Founder and CEO Snorre Eliassen told Senior Housing News.

According to a press release, the portfolio consists of Golden South I and II in Sycamore, Bradley Place and Grace Manor in Tifton and Colquitt Gardens in Moultrie. The communities were sold by a local seller.

With this first step completed, the company is looking to continue to grow its portfolio through acquisition moving into 2024.

“We are aggressively looking to grow through new acquisitions into 2024,” Eliassen said. “Simultaneously, we are conservative risk takers and we go through a lot of deals to find the ones we feel confident going after.”

The press release states the Georgia acquisition establishes a foothold for the company in the state and that Panthera is planning to expand in that region.

The company’s main area of focus will be assisted living and “synergy from local market dominance” is part of the firm’s strategy, according to the company’s website. 

Meanwhile, Eliassen is interested in bringing some aspects of Scandinavian culture into senior care in the United States, according to the firm’s site. Eliassen holds a degree from the Arctic University of Norway.

The Panthera team also includes Joe Jasmon, a senior living industry veteran whose previous roles included CEO of Shepherd Senior Living and COO of The LaSalle Group.

Jasmon also is CEO and managing partner of American Healthcare Management Group, which in addition to providing consulting services to senior living organizations, is the group behind Elevate Senior Living. Elevate’s model is centered around small-neighborhood concepts, with a goal of being a more affordable option for consumers.