Seniors Housing Business is the magazine that helps you navigate the evolution of the seniors housing industry.
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60 www.seniorshousingbusiness.com Seniors Housing Business n February/March 2017 By Jeff Shaw It makes a lot of sense that J. Mark Vander- beck would end up as CEO of Acts Retirement- Life Communities, the largest nonprofit seniors housing owner-operator in the United States by units, according to the American Seniors Hous- ing Association's 2016 numbers. As the son, grandson and great-grandson of preachers, perhaps it's divine providence that Vanderbeck would be drawn to a company also founded by a preacher. When Vanderbeck told his father that he didn't feel a calling to become a pastor, the response was simple: "There are all kinds of congregations." Vanderbeck ended up find- ing his calling elsewhere after working for a nonprofit seniors housing community in Cali- fornia, a path that would eventually lead him in 1998 to Acts, a nonprofit operator largely focused on continuing care retirement commu- nities (CCRCs). His only career positions have been at nonprofit, faith-based seniors housing companies. Vanderbeck climbed the ladder at Acts, even- tually being named CEO in 2014. He now over- sees the company's portfolio of 21 communi- ties and nearly 8,000 units. The properties are heavily concentrated in Pennsylvania (where the company was founded) and Florida, with additional communities in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. Vanderbeck also serves as an ambassador for the nonprofit seniors housing industry. He's a regular speaker at industry events and has served extensively on the boards of the national and state associations of LeadingAge, the main industry association for nonprofit operators. Seniors Housing Business sat down with Vanderbeck to find out how he found his call- ing, and what the future holds for the indus- try's largest nonprofit. Seniors Housing Business: Walk me through Acts' history. J. Mark Vanderbeck: Our original incorpora- tion was in 1971 and we opened our first com- munity in 1972. The community was originally called Open Door Estates, but is now called Fort Washington Estates. That first commu- nity was adjacent to the Church of the Open Door in Fort Washington, Pa. The pastor of that church back then decided he would go see all the members of his congregation in their homes. In some cases that meant vis- iting a convalescent home, nursing home or non-residential facility. If you can think back about nursing homes in the 1970s, some of those locations weren't the best environments. I can say this as a preacher's kid: he did what preachers do. He came back Sunday and preached a sermon about how people should be able to enjoy their senior years in a better environment. There should be a better way. The people in the church got excited. Some even took out second mortgages to build the first section of Open Door Estates, offering the initial funds for 30 independent living units. Lo and behold, they filled up quickly and the second phase was completed, including some assisted living and 90 independent living units. A waiting list was established. A new prop- erty was purchased for a second commu- nity, then another for a third community. At that point, the church had a discussion with the pastor. It was getting too big for what the church could do, so the preacher established Acts and became the president. That was in the mid-1970s. Then, all of a sudden, a group from Florida contacted Acts with some properties for Acts to purchase in the Boca Raton area. Acts started to grow just by word of mouth. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Acts built its first 15 commu- nities as traditional, ground-up development. Then, in the 1990s, we began to grow through affiliation and acquisition. SHB: When did you get involved? Vanderbeck: I came in 1998 as vice presi- dent of operations for the company's eight communities in Pennsylvania. Over the next 10 years or so, I became senior vice president, overseeing some of the corporate functions. Then I became executive vice president where I oversaw all the communities' operations, both north and south, up and down the East Coast. Then in 2014, we went through a succes- sion planning search process and I was lucky enough to be named CEO of Acts. That's pretty much the history of the com- pany. It started with a vision of a single pas- tor. Obviously it's grown to what you now see, 21 communities in eight states serving nearly 9,000 residents. SHB: Tell me some more about your father. Vanderbeck: At the time that Acts was devel- oping, my father was also president of a faith- based organization building retirement hous- ing. So, growing up in that kind of world, my father had dual experience as a pastor of local churches and also as president of a faith-based organization. My father was a third-generation preacher. His father and grandfather had been preach- ers. One of the things you understand as a local pastor is that you need to have a calling to do that type of work. As I was leaving graduate school, dad picked J. Mark Vanderbeck CEO, Acts Retirement-Life Communities n The SHB Interview Preacher's son finds his own calling in nonprofit seniors housing. Fast facts Company Name: Acts Retirement-Life Communities Founded: 1971 Headquarters: West Point, Pa. Portfolio: 21 communities, 7,902 units Locations: Pennsylvania, Florida, Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina