The CLTC power and influence top 25.

They're the bold and the brainy, the well-known and the respected. Here are the executives who drive the long term care industry to its highs and away from the lows.

Every industry has its movers and shakers--people who are household names among the upper crust, the elite among the executives. In preparing CLTC's first-ever compilation of the tong term care industry's most influential and powerful decision makers, we went to the source--you.

After combing through nominations from the industry's top associations and members of the CLTC staff, we used the following criteria to decide who made the cut this time around:

Notoriety. Is this person a household name? Is he or she someone you'd recognize walking down the street or while passing them at a conference? Have they "been around forever"?

Apparent influence. Does this person have the ability--through the contacts they have available during the course of their job--to get the job done?

Demonstrated influence. Does the person have a track record for accomplishing industry-impacting things, such as drafting and implementing new legislation, generating interest in a major issue with a new, critical report, or reviving a troubled company?

Innovative thinking. Did the person do something industry-impacting that he is considered "the father of," such as a new method in long term care?

Degree of responsibility/power, Is this person a prominent, high-ranking official at a company or association with major ties to the industry?

Although there were a lot of possible finalists--and some missed out by "that much"--in the end these were the folks who made the grade this year.

Here they are, in alphabetical order, the 2004 class of CLTC's Power & Influence Top 25.

Evrett W. Benton: President, CEO and Secretary Five Star Quality Care Inc. Newton, Mass.

Under Benton's three-year watch, Five Star wins the "Holy Smokes, We Grew!" award, having seen sales jump 136 percent to $522 million That's not bad for a regional operator of senior living communities, nor for a man who didn't assume command until 2001.

Thilo Best: Chairperson, National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Industries Annapolis, Md.

Best lives up to his name by helping NIC stay at the forefront of senior housing issues while also successfully holding the reins as president and CEO of Horizon Bay Management. His versatility includes property management and marketing, HR, food service, and finance.

Debra A. Cafaro: Chairperson, President and CEO Ventas Inc. Louisville, Ky.

Cafaro assumed the reins as president and CEO at Ventas when the newly spun-off company was in its darkest days. Ventas, with one of the industry's only female CEOs at a publicly traded firm, has rebounded to become the industry's second-largest REIT in 2003.

Sen. Larry Craig: (R-Idaho) Chairperson Senate Special Committee on Aging Washington, D.C.

Sen. Craig's name seems to show up everywhere if you're talking Medicare or senior health issues. As chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, he's the one who will ultimately hear your complaint about poor long term care reimbursements or unfair bed taxes.

James Firman: President and CEO National Council on the Aging Washington, D.C.

Firman may not be quite a household name, but he is at the forefront of NCOA's campaign to preserve funding for the Older Americans Act and other government programs that benefit seniors.

William R. Floyd: President, Chairperson and CEO Beverly Enterprises Inc. Fort Smith, Ark.

Since 2001, William Floyd has been a busy man, holding down the company's top three positions. As Beverly's nursing home domain grows, so does his influence.

Joel F. Gemunder: President, CEO and Director Omnicare Inc. Covington, Ky.

Just call him Mr Acquisitions: Omnicare--the leading provider of pharmaceutical products to the long term care industry--has made three major deals since 2002 and as of press time was working on a fourth.

Thomas H. Grape: Chairperson Assisted Living Federation of America Fairfax, Va.

If you're in the assisted living industry, you know Thomas Grape, The founder, chairperson and CEO of Benchmark Assisted Living in Wellesley Hills, Mass., balances the needs of ALFA's more than 5,000 for-profit and nonprofit providers and a diverse set of related service providers.

Sen. Charles Grassley: (R-Iowa) Chairperson Senate Committee on Finance Washington, D.C.

Sen. Grassley holds considerable influence over the shape and scope of key "quality of life" issues. Grassley controls the legislative gears in the Senate on giant public entitlement programs and other key tax and spending issues related to long term care.

Pep. Nancy Johnson: (R-Conn.) Chairperson House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Washington, D.C.

One of the most active members of the House, Rep. Johnson's name is all over the health care reform bill she helped draft adding prescription drug benefits, preventive care and disease management programs to Medicare. That's on top of her work on reimbursement reform.

Paul Klaassen: Chairperson, President and CEO Ventas Inc. Louisville, Ky.

Klaassen, who founded Sunrise in 1981 and has served as its chairperson and CEO since the beginning, has watched the company evolve into a multi-billion dollar publicly traded firm--the largest U.S.-managed and fourth largest U.S. owned senior living company.

Edward Kuntz: Executive Chairperson Kindred Healthcare Louisville, Ky.

Kuntz became Kindred's executive chairperson in January, capping off a stretch of increasing responsibilities with one of the industry's major nursing home providers. Meanwhile, Kindred remains a major player in the long term care industry, racking up $3.2 billion in sales in 2003.

Robert Kramer: President, National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Industries Annapolis, Md.

As head of the industry's most influential research association, Kramer is as close to a household name as you'll gel. A former county government official and Maryland state legislator, Kramer knows his way through the health care and seniors housing industries.

Raymond Lewis: Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Ventas Healthcare Properties Louisville, Ky

Lewis is like the old E.F. Hutton commercial: when he speaks, people listen to and respect what he says One of the higher-profile individuals from the healthcare industry's No. 2 real estate investment trust [REIT], based on 2003 sales.

William McGinly: President and CEO Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Falls Church, Va.

McGinly has almost single handedly strengthened AHP's advocacy efforts Now he's positioning the organization for growth in the long term care field.

William L. (Larry) Minnix Jr,: President and CEO American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Washington, D.C.

Minnix has been a driving force in long term care for 30 years. Having sewed on numerous boards of national groups and advising several state-level groups, his influence is far-reaching.

Anthony J. Mullen: Research Director NIC Seniors Housing & Care Program Johns Hopkins University Annapolis, Md

You may not recognize Mullen's name when you first hear it, but you certainly know his work His industry reports through NIC, such as the quarterly Key Financial Indicators study, are must reads.

Mark W. Ohlendorf: President and CEO Alterra Healthcare Corp. Milwaukee, Wis.

Although he's only been in the top spots at Alterra for a year, Ohlendorf has been the face of the assisted living provider since 1997 particularly when he led the corn puny through Ch. 11 reorganization in 2003 and to become the second largest AL company.

Paul Ormond: Chairperson, President and CEO Manor Care Inc. Toledo, Ohio

To say Ormond is a busy guy is an understatement. He wears the top three hats at the industry's fourth largest nursing home provider, based on sales, according to Hoover's.com, and he's watched Manor Care evolve into a $3 billion, 61,000 employee firm since 1991.

Larry Polivka Director, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging University of South Florida Tampa, Fla.

Although Polivka's area of research deals with long term care in Florida, other states and the federal government closely study his findings He is a foremost authority in collecting and analyzing information on transportation, health care, income security, housing, social services, nutrition and other elder-impacting areas.

John Pother: Director of Policy and Strategy AARP Washington, D.C.

As policy director for the nation's meat prominent group for persons age 50 or older, Pother jump starts efforts to improve Americans' quality of life by merely focusing attention on issues such as Medicare, cost of long term care, Social Security and the financial challenges facing the Baby Boomer generation.

Tom Scully: Alston & Bird Washington, D.C.

The former director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services--he resigned in December 2003 to join Washington, D.C.-based law firm Alston & Bird Scully remains a highly recognizable name in long term care and among the folks in Washington who handle long term care issues.

James A. Stroud: Chairperson and Secretary Capital Senior Living Corp. Dallas, Texas

Streud, a director and an officer of Capital Senior Living and its predecessors since 1986, is an industry mentor, Anyone needing background on changes in the senior housing and assisted Wing sectors during the past two decades should place Stroud on the short list.

Kathryn Sweeney: Principal AEW Capital Management Boston, Mass.

Sweeney's a major portfolio manager, investing in AL properties in major metropolitan markets in the country for AEW Capital Management. Her work on NIC financial studies, however, has raised her profile and increased her clout.

William H. Thomas; Founder and president The Eden Alternative Sherburne, N.Y.

He's the man everybody talks about when they mention evolution in long term care facility design. Thomas's homelike, nature based Eden Alternative inspires many others who try to change their facility in some fashion.