TOLEDO, Ohio, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with great sadness that Welltower (NYSE: WELL) acknowledges the passing of its former chief executive officer and chairman, George L. Chapman. Mr. Chapman was a trailblazer in the seniors housing industry, joining the first health care real estate investment trust originally called Health Care Fund, started by Bruce Thompson and Frederic D. Wolfe in 1970, in 1992 as executive vice president and general counsel, assuming the roles of chairman and chief executive officer in 1996 and being awarded the additional title of president in 2009. He retired from the Company, then called Health Care REIT, in 2014. Mr. Chapman was an insightful leader and bold innovator in the health care real estate investment trust industry and oversaw a period of significant growth for the Company, renamed Welltower in 2015.
"George's impact on our industry and the people he led was immeasurable," said Shankh Mitra, Welltower's chief executive officer. "He saw the promise and the role that health care real estate could play in impacting the health and well-being of people as they age. George understood that companies are living organisms, and through bold leadership, passed on a company that was vastly evolved from that which he inherited in 1996 as its CEO. We are all very grateful to George for his many contributions in building the foundations of making Welltower the great company it is today. On behalf of the entire Company, I extend my deepest sympathies to George's family and friends."
Mr. Chapman, born and raised in Maumee, Ohio, received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and earned a JD from The University of Chicago. Prior to joining Welltower, he was a principal at Dorsey & Whitney LLP and joined Welltower from Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, where he served as a senior partner. Mr. Chapman will be remembered for his generous support and leadership of all of the major charitable institutions in the Toledo area, national seniors housing industry associations, private healthcare and real estate companies, Maumee High School and Cornell University.
About Welltower
Welltower® Inc. (NYSE: WELL), an S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. The Company invests with leading seniors housing operators, post-acute providers and health systems to fund the real estate infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience. Welltower, a real estate investment trust ("REIT"), owns interests in properties concentrated in major, high-growth markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, consisting of seniors housing, post-acute communities and outpatient medical properties. More information is available at www.welltower.com.
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SOURCE Welltower