The Heritage Pointe Communities Team
A team united by the goal of becoming the premier choice for senior living in Indiana by caring for the hearts, minds, and souls of residents, their families, and our fellow staff members.
Learn About Heritage Pointe CommunitiesOur Leadership Team
Every member of the Heritage Pointe team is dedicated to providing exceptional choices and joyful experiences for the seniors we serve.
Our mantra is “Grace, compassion and respect…If we can use those three words well and show dignity in everything we do, then we’ll have succeeded,” said Chod Boxell.
The Chief Operating Officer of United Methodist Memorial Home (UMMH), Boxell, has lined up a corporate leadership team sharing his vision and mission for the non-profit organization’s future.
UMMH, founded in 1908, operates the Indiana-based Heritage Pointe Communities. These senior living communities are Heritage Pointe of Warren, Heritage Pointe of Huntington, and Heritage Pointe of Fort Wayne.
Boxell had served as the Chief Financial Officer for nine years before being asked to move into the CEO role.
Boxell, a lifelong resident of Warren, considers his role to be an honor. He is dedicated to building on the organization’s great foundation, legacy and reputation while leading it into its next chapter.
Boxell’s vision, which his team shares, is to maintain the fine reputation and integrity of the organization known for providing person-centered care. While doing so, he is dedicated to enhancing their lifestyles and wellness offerings. “It’s important that we understand and give choices of how our residents live their lives. We want to always be showing them dignity and giving them choices. We’re compassionate and respect that they can still function and make decisions on their own.”
Describing his leadership style, Boxell said “It isn’t earth shattering or groundbreaking. I just want to treat people how they’d want to be treated and make good decisions. We want to have good people, the right people, in every seat on the bus.”
A proficient networker, Boxell recruited leaders from people he knew and respected. The team is comprised of Tyler Rice, Chief Financial Officer; Tracy Irwin, Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing; and Bobbie Crutchfield, VP of Human Resources.
Rice, a resident of Markle, has worked in senior living for nine years. When Boxwell contacted him about rejoining the organization where he had worked earlier, he recalled, he was excited. “We’re really good at nursing and caring for people. The area knows us for that. We want to be lifestyle communities and focus on wellness and customer service,” he said. “We will take ideas that have worked over more than 100 years and build upon them and bring new ideas to life. We’re now in a position to change and grow. We want to offer and promote an active adult lifestyle.”
Crutchfield has been in senior living for a year and said she enjoys the “purpose-driven” field. She explained, “We’re truly making these the golden years. I like being part of that and helping build great cultures for the employees. That impacts everything.”
Before her appointment, there had been human resources generalists at each community. Corporate HR leadership, she said, “creates standardization across the board with the same processes and same policies. There’s a benefit of tying everything together. You create a collaborative environment, so the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, and there’s clarity in peoples’ roles.”
Irwin has worked in senior living since 1999, when she graduated from college. What she thought would be a temporary stop in her career became her passion. “I realized I had a larger calling and could help families and individuals. These are supposed to be their golden years but can, in reality, be emotional times. I’m not in nursing and not clinical. I truly feel that working in sales and marketing for senior living is my calling to help. It’s the little part that I can do to help families with their loved ones,” she said. “We provide hope for people to live, making sure it’s based on the pillars of grace, compassion, and respect for our residents and staff.”
Irwin added, “I have really fallen in love with the not-for-profit model. We put the residents first. Furthermore, we are faith-based. I wanted to be part of helping this grow.”
Irwin explained, “Our roots are in nursing, and that continues to drive things rather than us being a lifestyle model. But this is our residents’ home, so we want to transition our communities to more of a lifestyle model and truly make these feel like their homes. We’re too [WF1] focused on clinical rather than lifestyle. We want to engage residents to participate in different ways and have increased purpose.”
The Leadership Team
“We understand that we are inheriting a great tradition that has been in business for 116 years. We tell ourselves our job is to ensure we’re in business as Heritage Pointe Communities for another 116 years,” Boxell concluded.
Describing the team, Irwin said, “Each of us has expertise that makes us all stronger. We’re a dynamic team when you put us all together.”
Rice said, “The leadership team brings excitement and a fresh perspective to operations. We’re in the unique position of knowing and respecting the history of the organization, knowing what we’ve done well and recognizing opportunities to improve.”
Crutchfield added, “I love the true collaboration and teamwork.”