David Smeltzer to Lead The Heritage Group

David Smeltzer, Executive Director of The Heritage Group, stands beside a photo of Bishop Walter A. Sellew, who founded this Free Methodist ministry in 1886.

David C. Smeltzer has been named executive director of The Heritage Group (THG), longtime member of the Association of Human Service Ministries (AHSM) of the Free Methodist Church of North America. He succeeds Donald E. Cutler, who retired at the end of 2004 as CEO and president after 22 years of service. Smeltzer served under Cutler for eight years, most recently as senior vice president, rendering the leadership transition seamless.

"The Heritage Group has certainly enjoyed a rich history of caring," said Karl Sisson, director of development. "The organization and its employees look forward to adding to this legacy of service under Smeltzer. His expertise in finance and customer satisfaction will allow The Heritage Group to continue to provide high-quality services to the local community."

"It is a privilege to serve God through the ministry of The Heritage Group," says Smeltzer. "It is also a privilege to serve our clients and their families, our staff and the community. We look forward to continuing to discover new ways to impact our community with innovative programs for both the young and the not-so-young. Most of all, our goal is to bring honor and glory to God in all we do."

Born in New Brighton, PA, Smeltzer attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, earning a degree in accounting and business administration with a minor in information systems. Following graduation, he worked in health-care finance for four years, then was hired by Ivex Packaging Corporation in Grove City, PA, where he served for seven years in various roles, including cost accountant, scheduling/purchasing manager and logistics manager. Prior to joining THG in 1997, he worked for two years as a business and implementation consultant with Decision Resources, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA. At THG Smeltzer served as administrator of Heritage Village Retirement Campus until his promotion to vice president in 1999 and to senior vice president in 2002.

According to THG's board of directors, Smeltzer was selected as executive director because of his leadership in the areas of financial responsibility and employee and resident satisfaction. "His desire to keep the organization at the cutting edge in customer service and fiscal management makes him the proper choice to lead The Heritage Group," they said.

Smeltzer lives in Jamestown with his wife, Adrianne, and four children: Jonathan (14), Cathryn (11), Benjamin (5) and Mark (2).

Donald & Linda (Schwab) Cutler display Our Goodly Heritage, a book describing the twenty-two years of ministry for The Heritage Group under Don's leadership, and plaque presented by residents of Heritage Village Retirement Campus.

A Rich History
In 1982, when Cutler became THG president, The Gerry Homes (THG's incorporated name) included Heritage Village Retirement Campus and Heritage Village Health Care Center, both in Gerry, NY. Together, these two locations served 220 residents and employed 150 persons. Today, The Heritage Group includes two additional skilled nursing facilities — Heritage Park (Jamestown, NY) and Heritage Green (Greenhurst, NJ) health-care centers — and a state-of-the-art child-care center, Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center (Jamestown, NY). Altogether, The Heritage Group now serves more than 700 residents and children each day and employs nearly 800 people.

The Gerry Homes (d/b/a The Heritage Group) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Jamestown, NY. The Orphanage & Home of the Free Methodist Church, established in 1886 in Gerry by Bishop Walter A. Sellew, focused on disadvantaged children. In the 1960s, when foster homes became the preferred method of caring for orphaned children, THG changed its focus and began to concentrate its efforts on serving senior citizens. This shift resulted in the creation of Heritage Village Retirement Campus in 1967 and Heritage Village Health Care Center in 1971. The establishment of these two entities allowed seniors to transition easily into higher levels of care depending on their changing health needs.

Heritage Village Retirement Campus — Gerry, NY

Heritage Green Health Care Center — Greenhurst, NY

Heritage Park Health Care Center — Jamestown, NY

Heritage Village operated as a single community in Gerry until the purchase of two additional skilled nursing facilities in early 1995. Since the acquisition of Heritage Park and Heritage Green health-care centers, both locations have undergone renovation and reconstruction projects designed to enhance the quality of care provided to residents. Heritage Green added 35,000 square feet, including several private and semi-private resident rooms, a dining room and new physical and occupational therapy suites. Heritage Park also recently completed a major renovation project at its Prather Street location. All three- and four-bed rooms were eliminated, and a new great room, updated patio and physical and occupational therapy suites were added.

Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center — Jamestown, NY

The organization's most recent expansion occurred in 2002 with the opening of Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center, in response to a Chautauqua County human service needs assessment study that indicated that the greatest need in the local area was affordable child care during nontraditional hours of operation.