About Us > Corporate Profiles

Mr. Hamister believes that the foundation of effective leadership is an absolute commitment to values, a clear vision for all of his co-workers, and a careful strategic plan to guide the direction of the company in a changing world with differing customer expectations.

He founded his first assisted living company, named 8678 Lake Street, Inc., in 1977.  From the very beginning he focused on great service and high rewards for all constituencies.  This company later evolved into National Health Care Affiliates, Inc. (NHCA), which was sold in 1996 returning a significantly above average return for its investors.

Mr. Hamister is also an extremely active member of the community in the Buffalo-Niagara Region,  serving as a member and/or officer of multiple Boards and Civic organizations such as: the Empire State Development Corporation, to which he was appointed Director by Governor Pataki and confirmed by the New York State Senate for a term commencing in 2005 and expiring in 2009; the Buffalo Niagara Partnership; the Buffalo-Niagara region Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Chairman); State University of New York at Buffalo Foundation (Trustee), and many more.

Examples of Mr. Hamister's former board participation include: Independent Health Association, a large regional health insurance company (serves as Chairman of two Board Committees), Erie County Industrial Development Agency, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (former Chairman), Buffalo Seminary, a private all girl high school (former Chairman), Shea's Buffalo Center for the Performing Arts (former Chairman), Committee for Tomorrow, transition team for the then newly elected Joel Giambra as Erie County Executive (Chairman), Buffalo State College Presidents Advisory Council, The Erie County Cultural Resources Advisory Board (Chairman), and The Police Foundation (Chairman).

Mark Hamister's distinctions and awards include: Entrepreneur of the Year for New York State (1992), Buffalo Niagara Partnership Awards including Chairman's Award (2000), the Signature Award (1999), Business Backs the Bills (1999), Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Laureate (1999), Ebony and Ivory Award (1996), Erie County Republican Committee Abraham Lincoln Award (2001), Kenmore West Corridor of Honor (2000), and the Arts Council Special Honoree Award (1997).

Mark Hamister may be contacted at mhamister@hamistergroup.com

Jack Turesky began his career at The Hamister Group in May of 1984 as Regional Vice President overseeing the operations of 13 skilled nursing facilities belonging to National Health Care Affiliates, Inc. (one of the predecessor companies of The Hamister Group).  He was later promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations, increasing his responsibility to the oversight of 23 skilled nursing facilities as well as four assisted living facilities.  In 1996 he became the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Hamister Group and is responsible for the daily operations of the Company and its affiliates.  Mr. Turesky has been a significant contributor to the development of the mission, vision, and values of The Hamister Group.  His business sense, savvy, and strong analytical skills have helped maintain the Company’s high level of performance over the past 20 years.

Previous to his employment at our Company Mr. Turesky worked for Unicare Health Facilities, Inc., starting out in the A.I.T. (Administrator In Training) program and working his way to Assistant Administrator, Administrator, and finally Assistant Vice President of Operations.

He is a Certified Compliance Professional, Licensed Realtor (NY), Certified Food Service Manager, and Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (in New York, Connecticut, and Colorado ). Mr. Turesky also has a BS in Business Management from Bentley College and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

W. Earl McCartney joined The Hamister Group, Inc. on November 1, 2007 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.  Mr. McCartney has a unique combination of accounting knowledge, systems development expertise, and operational experience.  He is highly skilled in the development of bank and Wall Street relationships.  Mr. McCartney also has strategic planning experience and a thorough understanding of business tax issues.

During the 15 years prior to his appointment at The Hamister Group, Mr. McCartney worked for The Snyder Corporation, a hospitality and transportation company.  He served in various positions, including CFO.  From 1986-1994 he worked for Peter J. Schmitt Co. as CFO & Treasurer and Vice President of Corporate Administration.

Mr. McCartney has a BA in English Literature with a minor in Secondary Education from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo.

Daniel Hamister joined The Hamister Group in 2001, just after graduating from Union College. He began his career as a Research & Development Associate for the sports division of the company; in 2002 he was promoted to Vice President.  Although Mr. Hamister left his position in 2003 to pursue his MBA, he continued to serve the company as a consultant acquisition analyst.

From 2006 to 2007 Mr. Hamister worked as a Financial Analyst for Equity Residential, the largest multi-family REIT in the United States.  He was the lead analyst on acquisitions valued over $500M for multi-family properties in Boston, New York, and Washington.

He rejoined The Hamister Group in November, 2007 as Vice President.  He is responsible for locating and purchasing real estate for new development of hotels.  He also provides acquisitions support to the Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions.  Mr. Hamister’s problem-solving skills, financial analysis expertise, and due diligence, valuation, and investment experience will continue to enhance the company’s performance.

Mr. Hamister has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and an MBA from Babson College with an emphasis in finance and management.  During his undergraduate studies he participated in study abroad programs in Queensland, Australia and Rennes, France.

Joan Hudak
IT Administrator

Joan Hudak has complete responsibility for the IT functions of The Hamister Group corporate office, Hamister Hospitality hotels, The Heather Heights Group, and Health Care Services of Northern New York. She has worked in similar positions for many years, including seven years as the IT Manager for the MJ Peterson Company. Mrs. Hudak has a BS in Computer Information Systems from the State University of New York at Buffalo .

Dan Kutis
Corporate Recruiter

Dan Kutis oversees recruiting in the corporate office and all business units. He is involved in all aspects of human resources throughout the company. Mr. Kutis has progressive experience in financial, technical, and executive recruiting, as well as strategic sales, project consulting and management, and internal audit. He is a strong team mentor with a demonstrated ability to recruit on international, national, and multi-location levels. Effective communication, efficient organization, and consistency are among his highest priorities. He maintains the highest professional ethics and personal integrity.

Before joining The Hamister Group, Inc. in 2008, Mr. Kutis had acquired over 15 years of experience in recruiting, sales, and auditing. He most recently served as the Recruiting Manager of Robert Half International, an international professional services firm. He also held various positions at Solution 6 Holdings, Ltd, CS Business Systems, and Keycorp.

He has a BS in Business Administration from the State University College at Fredonia and an MBA from Canisius College .

Dan Kutis can be contacted at dkutis@hamistergroup.com

Fred Hazzan
Controller

Fred Hazzan joined The Hamister Group, Inc. in August 2009 as Controller and oversees the accounting operation at the company’s corporate headquarters, which supports the Group’s 14 businesses located in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky.  In addition to operational accounting support, he also plays a lead role in the budgeting process for the Hamister portfolio businesses.

A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Hazzan has held Controller and CFO positions with Western New York companies including TAM Ceramics, Beauty Pools, Wiper Check and Mainline Companies. He has also supported several ERP/financial systems implementations and upgrades throughout his career.

Mr. Hazzan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University at Buffalo. A resident of Amherst, he and his wife are the parents of two children.

Virginia McAuliffe
Director of Communications

Virginia McAuliffe joined The Hamister Group, Inc. in March 2010 as Director of Communications. Mrs. McAuliffe will oversee all marketing communications efforts for The Hamister Group, Inc.’s 14 properties.

McAuliffe has served on the Board of Directors for the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since 2006 and is the 2005 recipient of the chapter’s Rising Star Award. She has received numerous Communicator, Award for Publication Excellence (APEX) and MarCom Creative awards and in 2008, received a PRSA Gold Excalibur Award for her “Healthy Options on the Lunch Line” article, which appeared in WNY Family magazine.

McAuliffe is a graduate of the State University of New York College at Geneseo, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interpersonal/Organizational Communications with a minor in Public Relations. She is a resident of Lewiston, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Joseph McCabe
Director of Construction

Joseph McCabe is the Director of Construction for The Hamister Group, Inc. He leads the overall design, scheduling and construction of capital improvements projects at the company’s portfolio of assisted living facilities and hotel properties, as well as any new construction projects which The Hamister Group, Inc. undertakes.

Prior to joining our team, Mr. McCabe worked as a Senior Project Associate at KA, Inc. Architecture in Cleveland, Ohio. While there, he managed on-site construction activities and coordinated the design process for a number of large-scale commercial development projects, including The Shops at Fallen Timbers project in Maumee, Ohio, the first two phases of the Pier Park project in Panama City Beach, Florida and expansion projects at the Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Virginia, the Rockaway Townsquare, Rockaway, New Jersey, and the Triangle Town Commons in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He is a graduate of the University at Buffalo, where he earned a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees.