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Celebrating 20 Years of HRA

Widely respected for its role in reshaping the senior housing industry, Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) was founded with a vision of developing and managing communities built on Christian values and deep industry experience. HRA’s founders and executives share decades of experience in senior housing management and development.

As a hospitality management company serving seniors, the past 20 years have brought growth and success, as well as challenges. HRA continues its mission of disrupting the senior living industry to positively impact the lives of seniors and their families.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

20 Years of Growth & Service

HRA Founder

HARBOR RETIREMENT ASSOCIATES (HRA) WAS FOUNDED

2002

Headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) was founded by Tim Smick and Dan Simmons. With a mission to develop and manage senior living communities with true servant leadership as its foundation, HRA was incorporated and positioned to disrupt the senior housing industry.

As the Chairman and Managing Partner of HRA, Tim remains true to his belief that we are called to apply our God-given talents and experience to the creation and refinement of successful senior living communities in which we, ourselves, envision living.

HRA Five Core Values

HRA CREATES AND ADOPTS ITS FIVE TENETS

2003

These tenets represent the core values for all HRA associates and remain at the forefront of our care and senior living communities:

RESPECT. Our respect for one another motivates us to fully value and foster the dignity and individuality of each resident, family member, and staff caregiver.

ATTENTIVENESS. We focus our energy and efforts on our residents and their families. Their needs and expectations determine the services we provide. Their social, emotional, and physical well-being inspire all we do.

INTEGRITY. We commit to doing the right things for the right reasons, whether anyone will know.

STEWARDSHIP. We work to be good stewards of our own and our residents' resources by exercising a thoughtful and responsible use of the time, skills, materials, and finances with which we have been entrusted.

EXCELLENCE. We strive to continually exceed our customers' expectations with exceptional service.

Regency Park

REGENCY PARK OPENS ITS DOORS

2005

An Independent Senior Living Community in the beautiful coastal town of Vero Beach, Florida, Regency Park was the first HRA development. It remains a luxury community with exceptional hospitality and life enrichment opportunities.

Charlie Jennings | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

CHARLIE JENNINGS JOINS HRA AS CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

2006

Transforming living environments for seniors proved to be the most fulfilling use of Charlie’s talent. He not only leads the development of new luxury communities for HRA, but he also manages renovations and refurbishment of our classic communities. Charlie is dedicated to understanding the unique cognitive and physical challenges facing seniors and how improvements in architecture and interior design dramatically enhance the lives of our residents.

HarborChase of Vero Beach

HARBORCHASE OF VERO BEACH OPENS

2007

HarborChase of Vero Beach marked the first Assisted Living and Memory Care community for HRA’s portfolio, providing a vibrant Assisted Living and Memory Care setting beside Regency Park in Vero Beach, Florida.

Sarabeth Hanson as President & Chief Executive Officer

A PIVOTAL YEAR FOR HRA

2012

Tim purchased his partner’s interest and secured majority ownership of Harbor Retirement Associates, setting the stage to focus his goals on a true hospitality management company, thoughtfully serving seniors and their families.

Sarabeth Hanson joined the team as President & Chief Executive Officer, bringing more than 20 years of senior living experience with her. Sarabeth’s passion to make a difference and celebrate seniors was the driving force in her decision to forge a career in senior living. She has a keen ability to facilitate seamless acquisitions and start-up communities while fostering a culture of servant leadership. Sarabeth is a licensed Assisted Living Administrator, Certified Dementia Trainer, and an active member of Argentum and the Florida Chapter of ALFA.

2014 timeline image

HRA UNVEILS ITS NEW ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE COMMUNITY PROTOTYPE

2014

HRA’s new Assisted Living and Memory Care community prototype was unveiled with the grand opening of HarborChase of Villages Crossing in Lady Lake, Florida. Many of HRA’s developments are now rooted in this design that accentuates choice, wellness, extraordinary dining experiences, larger apartments, incorporation of natural light, and the latest technological advances in senior care.

HarborChase of Sarasoto

HRA EXPANDS TO SARASOTA (FLORIDA) AND WISCONSIN

2015

HarborChase of Sarasota, Florida, opened in November, followed by HarborChase of Shorewood, Wisconsin, in December. From South Florida to the Midwest, HRA is on a course to grow its portfolio by leaps and bounds.

HarborChase of Naperville

HRA’S REACH SPREADS TO ILLINOIS AND TEXAS

2016

Continuing to grow its reach, HRA opened HarborChase of Naperville, Illinois in October, simultaneously with HarborChase of Plano, Texas.

HRA ADDS LOCATIONS IN FLORIDA AND TEXAS

2017

In June, McKinney gave a big Texas welcome to our HarborChase of McKinney community, while HarborChase of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, graciously opened its doors in August.

Harbor Retirement Associates continued its Annual Leadership Conferences with team leadership training, fun camaraderie, and an awards ceremony for more than 100 associates.

HarborChase Communities

A BUSY YEAR OF GROWTH & OPPORTUNITIES

2018

HRA opened seven new communities while raising the hospitality bar, including HarborChase of Mandarin (Jacksonville, Florida), HarborChase of Long Grove (Illinois), HarborChase of Wildwood (Florida), HarborChase of Prince William Commons (Woodbridge, Virginia), HarborChase of Wellington Crossing (Wellington, Florida), HarborChase of Wilmington (Delaware), and HarborChase of Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Florida).

Chris Thompson joined HRA as Vice President of Hospitality. With deep roots in restaurant and private club management, Chris served in many roles, including Executive Chef, Chef Instructor, Culinary Dean, Associate Director of Education, and Director of Business Operations and Finance. He is a Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation and holds other certifications through the National Restaurant Association.

HRA CONTINUES TO GROW ITS PORTFOLIO

2019

HarborChase of Beavercreek, Ohio, opened its doors while HRA Sales and Marketing was positioned to take the company to new levels.

A YEAR OF UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES

2020

While unprecedented, 2020 was a year that successfully put HRA’s core values and servant leadership mission to the test. Despite the pandemic, our communities found thoughtful and engaging ways to keep families and residents connected, helped families safely move their loved ones into luxurious, welcoming communities, and exceeded our culture of hospitality and service to others.

2020 also brought growth with HRA opening four new HarborChase communities across four states! HarborChase of Riverwalk in Rock Hill, South Carolina, rang in the new year, followed by HarborChase of South Oklahoma City in March. HarborChase of Germantown, Tennessee, opened in July, and HarborChase of Stuart, Florida, was welcomed in November.

HRA managed commmunities

PRIORITIZING THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS & ASSOCIATES

2021

While safely operating and managing 37 senior living communities and more than 2,600 associates amidst a second year of the pandemic, all HRA associates across 13 states were vaccinated against COVID-19, making HarborChase communities one of the earliest senior living companies to be 100% vaccinated.

HRA opened HarborChase of Cordova in Tennessee, and three other HarborChase communities across the northeast, including a gorgeous community in South Portland, Maine, HarborChase of Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, Connecticut, and HarborChase of Princeton in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.

HRA Celebrates 20th Anniversary

PROUDLY CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF HRA

2022

Celebrating 20 years of managing and developing senior living communities, HRA now manages 37 communities in 13 states, with two additional communities under construction in Boynton Beach, Florida, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. HRA celebrates its 20th Anniversary at the Regency Park independent living community in Vero Beach on April 7th – the community where it all began!

In addition to new community development, six (6) classic HarborChase communities finished interior renovations, including the addition of five new restaurants. Vero Beach (Florida), Jacksonville (Florida), Tallahassee (Florida), Rock Hill (South Carolina), Huntsville (Alabama), and Gainesville (Florida) welcomed hundreds of guests, residents, and families to their Grand Re-Openings and a Taste of HarborChase, celebrating exceptional senior living with endless opportunities.

Join the celebration!

We can’t wait to see where the next 20 years will take our family of HarborChase communities.