Episode 197. Terry Forcht – Founder, Chairman and CEO, Forcht Group of Kentucky
Terry Forcht is a leading Kentucky entrepreneur and investor and the founder of Forcht Group of Kentucky. A lawyer by training, Forcht began a law practice in Corbin, Ky. after serving as the chairman of the commerce department at Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands).
In 1972, he purchased the first building block of his future company – Hillcrest Nursing Home. Today, 1st Corbin Long Term Care owns nine health and rehab centers. In the same year, he was appointed to the board of directors of Corbin Deposit Bank & Trust Company.
Forcht and other investors later founded Tri-County National Bank with $1.5 million in assets. That bank now has 30 locations and manages over $1 billion in assets. Forcht has also invested heavily in media. His holdings include newspapers and broadcasters (TV and radio). Forcht Group also invested in such diverse holdings as a pharmacy and diagnostic lab, retail furniture and gift shop, a construction company, real estate, and other businesses.
Forcht has won a number of awards and served on several boards. He and his wife of over 50 years, Marion, have given several major gifts to the community. These include money to build a wing at the Grace on the Hill Church, establish the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in the School of Business at University of Louisville, and a contribution to complete the murals in Frankfort’s Capitol Rotunda building.
Ian Derrer leads the Kentucky Opera, fueled by a lifelong love of opera.
He became the fifth general director in Kentucky Opera history in 2006 and leads the organization in their mission to entertain and educate a broad and diverse audience by producing opera of the highest quality. Derrer joined the organization after serving in his previous role as artistic administrator and a member of the senior management team of the Dallas Opera.
Bitten by the opera bug as a young child, Derrer has worked with opera companies throughout the U.S. and in Italy. His experience from serving operas in Dallas, New York, Santa Fe and Charlotte has given him an opportunity to learn from leading general directors in the field. Their lessons on fundraising, audience development, branding, and community involvement give him a unique advantage.
Derrer’s prior experience includes working as a scheduling coordinator for the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. He also interned at Columbia Artists Management, Inc. in the office of Ronald A. Wilford.
Derrer received masters’ degrees in opera production, voice, and performing arts management from Northwestern University and Brooklyn College. He also completed a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.