Presbyterian Senior Living weighs merger

A faith-based senior care group in York County is exploring a merger with an organization of similar size in Florida.

Presbyterian Senior Living in Carroll Township is in talks with Westminster Communities of Florida in Orlando. The CEOs of both nonprofits are retiring this year and they hope to unite under one leader.

The two senior care groups, both with a Presbyterian background, approved a memorandum of understanding last week to iron out a preliminary plan to merge.

Presbyterian and Westminster first began talking about a partnership in October, when leaders from both nonprofits met during a convention.

“Over the last three and a half months the discussion has become more serious, the opportunities have become clearer and that led to the memorandum of understanding being approved by the boards late last week,” said Scott Townsley, managing principal with Florida-based Trilogy Consulting LLC, a consulting firm working with the two organizations on the partnership.

Presbyterian Senior Living has 32 communities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Delaware with over 6,000 seniors. Westminster houses more than 7,000 residents in 22 communities across Florida.

Presbyterian’s CEO, Steven Proctor, will be leaving the company after 48 years in June, but is expected to help support the company’s discussions about the merger.

The proposed merger is still in its early stages but if plans go through, the organizations hope to begin looking for a new CEO this summer through a national search. The CEO would prepare the two groups for the merger and lead the new, single company after the merger wraps up, which is expected in January 2020.

The organizations have yet to decide on a structure for the new nonprofit, but they plan to continue to work out of their current headquarters without a change in employees.

The new structure would allow for increased investments in technology and staff and for other faith-based organizations to join the fold via merger, according to Townsley.

Whatever else changes, the focus for the two nonprofits will continue to be their faith background. Townsley said the groups share similar values and goals based around promoting a holistic view of health – incorporating body, mind and spirit –  as well as similar commitments to working with seniors with low to moderate incomes.

“The design of the new structure would not just be created to accommodate these two organizations but rather be one that is inviting to others,” Townsley said.