Richard Breon, president and CEO of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health, announced Tuesday he will retire in 2019 after 17 years at the helm of the system.
A replacement has not yet been selected.
Breon has led Spectrum since 2000, three years after the system was formed through a merger of two local community hospitals. Under his leadership, the not-for-profit system has grown from two hospitals to 12 and revenue has ballooned from $710 million in 1997 to roughly $6 billion. Spectrum also operates 180 ambulatory sites and Priority Health, a health plan.
Additionally, it's the region's largest employer with roughly 25,000 employees including a medical staff of 3,400. More than 1,400 physicians are part of Spectrum Health Medical Group.
"Our growth has been framed by our mission of improving health in the communities we serve. That has been our compass for making strategic decisions about where to invest in programs and services," Breon said.
Prior to joining Spectrum, Breon was president and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center in Evansville, Indiana, and CEO of Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Spectrum's 1997 revenue. This error has been corrected.
