Indianapolis, Ind. — A two-year-old skilled nursing company has quietly become one of the industry’s fastest-growing operators, and it’s not slowing down.
Journey, an Indiana-based provider, completed a dramatic 15-month run that nearly doubled its footprint — finishing February with 13 new nursing home acquisitions in Georgia and bringing its total to 39 facilities. The company launched with a single building and hit 22 by the end of 2024.
From Zero to Thirty-Nine
The latest Georgia sweep came after Journey had already established a strong beachhead there. Nine existing buildings in the state were running at 95% occupancy and had eliminated agency staffing entirely before the new deals were signed — a track record that gave President and CEO Bernie McGuinness the confidence to push further.
“Our investment and clinical programs have been really well-received in the community,” McGuinness told industry sources. “So we were happy to look at growth here to begin 2026.”
The newly acquired buildings, described as turnaround opportunities, have real room to improve. Eleven of the 17 Georgia facilities added this year came with agency staffing at acquisition. McGuinness says teams have already cut contract staff at two of them, with a 90-day goal to eliminate it everywhere.
A $20 Million Bet on Georgia
Journey isn’t just buying buildings — it’s pouring money into them. The original nine Georgia facilities are getting $5 million in upgrades; total statewide capital investment through 2026 will hit around $20 million. That includes new generators, dining rooms, resident room furniture, and electric beds.
“We’re coming in well-capitalized and able to invest significant millions of dollars of capital improvements,” McGuinness said. “Some pretty simple items that these facilities are in need of.”
The company also opened a new Georgia home office and has added regional leadership, including vice presidents of operations and clinical services, with facilities split across three regions.
The Staffing Play
Industry reports have long flagged agency reliance as a major cost driver — and Journey’s approach is notably hands-on. The company’s employment package, which it calls AdvantEdge, has boosted wages for some entry-level positions by about $2 per hour and added distinctive benefits aimed at making it a competitive local employer.
The results speak for themselves. One facility that had no in-house dayshift nurses received 27 applicants and hired six staff members in its first week under Journey’s management.
“A lot of staffing issues are scheduling issues,” McGuinness pointed out. The company is limiting each building to a single agency while simultaneously running granular reviews of resident acuity and shift assignments — a process designed to expose scheduling inefficiencies and accelerate the move to full in-house staffing.
What’s Next
Don’t expect another wave of deals anytime soon. McGuinness said the company had already looked at or committed to a handful of additional deals, but most of 2026 will be focused on integrating what it now has — much like 2025 was spent consolidating the 2024 growth.
“We see the same issues that others do,” he said. “We just think sometimes we have unique solutions or unique approaches to those problems.”
Georgia’s mix of favorable demographics, a hot hiring market, and an open regulatory dialogue made it an attractive state. Journey now spans the full state, including a presence in the Atlanta metro area, with what McGuinness describes as a supportive relationship with the state’s health department.
