The history of Heritage Operations Group, formally known as Heritage Enterprises, begins in 1960 when several businessmen – Craig Hart, Bill Froelich, Tom Jefferson, and Dr. Herman Wellmerling – took advantage of the Federal Housing Administration’s new program promoting the construction of active adult communities for seniors. Their vision and foresight of the future need for homes supporting the senior lifestyle resulted in the establishment of Heritage Operations Group. Heritage serves to provide highly-trained care for seniors in need of assisted, independent, and supportive living.
The first FHA-insured senior citizen center opened in Bloomington, Illinois in 1963 with a second Heritage home in 1965 and a third in 1967. With direction from the founding partners along with guidance and leadership from three CEOs through the years – Charles Adams, Joe Warner, and Steve Wannemacher – Heritage expanded its communities, establishing a solid foundation for providing health care and therapy services.
In 2014, Benjamin Hart became President and CEO of Heritage Operations Group and has continued to support the core values set in place by the founders, including his father, Craig Hart. These values have earned Heritage Operations Group a respectable reputation and recognition as a leader in providing compassionate senior health care.
Today, over 50 years later, Heritage Operations Group has maintained its dedication to family ownership with founding partners on the Board of Directors and second-generation family members positioned in key leadership roles. The commitment to provide professional and dedicated care to its seniors has never wavered. This continues to be the focus at each residential care center, assisted living community, and nursing home. Today, there are 20 senior care communities managed by the the Heritage tradition.
Schedule a tour to see for yourself how the history of Heritage Operations Group and Evergreen Senior Living has unfolded into warm, compassionate senior living communities that offer unmatched senior services.