NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Essent Healthcare announced today significant additions to its development team: C. Gregory Schonert, Senior Vice President of Development, and Austin Craun, Director of Development.
The pair will play a key role in identifying hospital acquisition opportunities for Essent, a $325 million company founded in 1999 by W. Hudson Connery, Jr. The addition of Schonert and Craun, coupled with Essent's recapitalization by Vestar Partners and Thoma Cressey Partners, will fuel an aggressive acquisition effort.
"Essent is poised for growth," says Connery, President and Chief Executive Officer of Essent Healthcare.
"We have created value for our shareholders and the communities we serve by investing in and growing essential hospitals across the country. We see an increasing number of opportunities to add essential hospitals to Essent, and the addition of Greg and Austin strengthens our efforts to make that happen."
C. Gregory Schonert
A 23-year veteran of the healthcare industry, Schonert served as Chief Investment Officer for American Health Properties Inc. for 12 years, a time in which he helped grow the company's asset base from $270 million to $1 billion prior to its merger with Healthcare Property Investors in 1999. Most recently, Schonert worked with Dallas-based Partners Health Trust Inc., a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Co. As Chief Investment Officer, Schonert was in charge of the investment and development function of a newly created private fund to acquire the full-range of healthcare real estate assets owned primarily by the country's leading not-for-profit health systems.
Schonert earned his Master of Public Affairs from The Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and his undergraduate degree from The University of Arkansas - Little Rock.
"The growth potential at Essent Healthcare is a tremendous opportunity," Schonert said. "It's an exciting time to join this company and play a role in its expansion efforts."
Austin Craun
Craun most recently served as Healthcare Financial Analyst for Ewing Bemiss & Co. in Richmond, Va., an investment bank that provides a broad range of services including sales and divestitures, acquisition advisory, private placements of equity and debt, valuations, and fairness options. His experience includes serving as Senior Commission Specialist for First Union Securities Inc., and as a legal assistant for King and Spalding in Atlanta, Ga.
Craun's educational background includes a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management and an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Virginia.
"I am delighted to be joining Essent Healthcare in its pursuit of hospitals that are essential to the communities they serve," Craun says. "Our recent capital infusion, coupled with the success we have created in existing markets, will bolster our aggressive development strategy over the coming months."
About Essent Healthcare
Essent Healthcare was founded in 1999 with the mission of acquiring community hospitals and providing them with the financial resources and the expertise they need to grow. Essent hospitals include Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Mass., Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Conn., Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Mass., and Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas. More information about Essent Healthcare is available at www.essenthealthcare.com.
Essent HealthcareCONTACT: Molly Cate of Essent Healthcare, +1-615-254-0575
Web site: http://www.essenthealthcare.com//