UND Alumnus Werner Nistler is strong in heart and mind The day Golva and Beach, N.D. native Werner G. Nistler, Jr. was dropped off at the University of North Dakota by his parents and nine siblings, his family had to sleep in the car. It was the fall of 1964, and money was tight, so they weren’t able to afford a motel room. It was just one of those sacrifices in getting an education. While attending UND, Nistler worked full time at the Smith cafeteria, played on the baseball team, was active in ROTC, and initiated into Beta Alpha Psi. His involvement with Beta Alpha Psi provided him with leadership skills and professional etiquette. “Beta Alpha Psi helped me become a more knowledgeable accountant and better person and taught me social etiquette, for which I am grateful,” said Nistler. Outstanding faculty such as R.D. Koppenhaver, Ludwik Kulas, Rodney Medalen, and Dick Korsmo played a significant role in Nistler’s experiences. “They were so instrumental in helping me learn accounting and providing me with excellent guidance and advice both inside and outside the classroom,” said Nistler. One night while Nistler was driving around campus, he hit a tree outside of Harrington Hall. He didn’t know what to do, so instead of calling his mom or dad, he went to Kulas’ office, and the professor helped him figure out what he should do next. Ten years later, when Nistler returned to campus for homecoming and stopped by Kulas’ office, Kulas quickly reached into a drawer and pulled out an accounting book that Nistler had left in his class 10 years earlier. “He was really a sharp guy; I wondered how this guy could be so brilliant,” said Nistler. After his time at UND, Nistler interned at Touche Ross accounting firm in Minneapolis prior to attending Arizona State University (ASU) where he would earn a Master of Science in Accounting. Prior to entering the business world, Nistler spent two years in the military where he operated officer clubs and golf clubs in Manhattan, Kan. and Korea. In Korea, they had slot machines, which allowed Nistler to put his accounting background to use.
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He had to be sensitive to the amount of coins going in and out, as there had been extensive theft. Yearning to get out in the business field, Nistler earned his CPA and worked for Arthur Andersen in Portland, Ore. for three years. One day when reading the paper, he noticed an ad looking for a treasurer for a small retirement community company. He was hired for this position, which led to the formation of Computran, a medical charting software company serving over 750 nursing centers. Little did he know it would be at these early companies where he would learn the ropes prior to founding Touchmark retirement communities in 1980. As he traveled the country visiting nursing centers, he saw couples having to spend their later years living apart as one partner required more care due to illness, leaving the other at home alone. This experience prompted Nistler to envision a company that would provide a continuum of care for people during their retirement years. He believed then—and still does—that people’s later years can be their happiest and most fulfilling. For the past 35 years, Nistler has served as the Chairman and CEO for Touchmark, one of Oregon and southwest Washington’s top 30 privately held companies according to the Portland Business Journal. Based in its Central Office in Beaverton, Ore., Touchmark develops and operates full-service retirement communities in eight states and Canada. Currently Touchmark has 11 communities, including one each in Bismarck, N.D. and Fargo, N.D. Two more are under construction and set to open in 2017. Touchmark communities provide residents with a range of lifestyle options including condo-style and cottage homes, health and fitness clubs, independent and assisted living, memory care, home health, home care, and skilled nursing. Touchmark’s values of hospitality, compassion, excellence, teamwork, and integrity are identified as the company’s building blocks to enrich people’s lives. “Through Touchmark, we want to improve people’s quality of life, offer an active living environment, and provide life enrichment opportunities that enable this period to be their happiest,” said Nistler. UND is also where he met two key Touchmark team players, Tom Moe and Tom Biel (from Crosby, N.D.), who along with his brother, Steve, are part of his executive team. Another brother, Charley (now deceased) and his wife Colleen also were very instrumental in Touchmark’s development.