Vance Fager - President/CEO/Owner

Vance began his career in the acute hospital management business. He served for almost 20 years with Hospital Corporation of America and Brim and associates. With the Brim companies he functioned as an operational Vice President, where he provided management oversight for 10 Hospitals owned by local communities. He was also on the Board of Brim Senior Living, which owned, developed and operated assisted living properties around the country. 

Vance was part of a small partnership in Boise Idaho which developed Assisted living facilities around the country (Over 100 facilities in 12 states). At the same time he formed a consulting group providing services to the assisted living industry. He currently provides oversight for Americare LLC a Memory care company which operates facilities in the Northwest. And he has started up a Post-acute care company with 3 facilities in Missouri (Sunterra Springs LLC). Two of those facilities are open and operating in Independence and Springfield with a third under construction in O’Fallon (St.Louis area). Vance holds a masters degree in Public/Healthcare Administration from Brigham Young University, and serves on the Marriott School of Management Alumni Board.

Julie Vasquez - Administrator

In December of 1996, Julie Vasquez, a wife and mother of two small children took a part-time night and weekend position at a new assisted living home in Branson West.  Wedgewood Gardens became Julie’s home-away-from home as she worked her way through every position in the building: personal caregiver and certified medication aide, activity director, trainer, bookkeeper, and dietary supervisor. From the beginning, her family has been involved at Wedgewood Gardens as well. Her husband worked as the first maintenance worker and her children helped with odd chores and, when her daughter turned 16, resident care.

Julie’s years of growth and experience at every level put her in the perfect position to apply for, and successfully complete, the State of Missouri’s requirements for an administrator’s license and oversee operations at Wedgewood Gardens.

When asked why she has stayed with Wedgewood for over twenty years, Julie responds “Our residents and our staff are my family. I lost my parents before I started working with Wedgewood. With each person who comes through our doors, I take great pleasure in treating them as I would have had my own mother or father treated. Co-workers have been a blessing through the years and I enjoy working with our current staff who have years of experience with Wedgewood. That longevity of staff ensures great relationships and consistency in care.”

Julie is proud that much of the staff she trained, led or worked with over the years have gone on to obtain their nursing degrees; she boasts proudly of all of them including one who is now a nurse practitioner.

Julie states, “Wedgewood is a small home-like atmosphere and we are able to get to know everyone who lives with us; this makes us special.  We love visitors, our volunteers and we love our community. We invite folks in the area to stop by and say hello.”