Our history

Emeritus was founded by Daniel Baty, Ray Brandstrom and Frank Ruffo in 1993. With more than 75 years of combined experience in the nursing home industry, these three visionaries saw a need for a less costly, more appealing senior living alternative for individuals who did not require the full-time care of nursing homes. They decided to start an assisted living company focused on providing high quality senior care at an affordable price for people needing extra help with the activities of daily living.

A company is born

Emeritus, which was initially called “Assisted Living of America,” was formed, and in September of 1993 acquired its first assisted living community – Renton Villa – in Renton, WA.

A name change

In the fall of 1995, company officials decided to change the name of the company to better reflect the ideals on which it was founded. An employee suggested the name “Emeritus,” which means “retired with honor.”

Emeritus goes public

In November 1995, Emeritus went public on the American Stock Exchange. At the time, the company owned and operated 26 assisted living and retirement communities in 15 states throughout the U.S.

Emeritus today

Today, Emeritus owns and operates over 199 communities in 35 states across the U.S. and continues to expand. While we offer one of largest networks of assisted living and retirement communities in North America, we stay true to the core ideals on which we were founded: high quality, affordable senior care with an emphasis on helping residents maintain their health, independence and dignity.