The Woods at Cedar Run resident Barton Breighner, 88, is a best-selling author and entrepreneur who shares his knowledge and storytelling abilities with fellow residents who attend his presentations at the senior living community.
At 88, Barton Breighner Weaves Art, History, and Motivation into The Woods’ Community Fabric.
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Barton Breighner settles in, working the crowd and smiling as he provides historical background about a piece of artwork or offers motivational tips to small gatherings of his fellow residents at The Woods at Cedar Run senior living community.
Breighner, 88, is comfortable in front of people whether he’s talking about the best-selling book he authored nearly 30 years ago or encouraging his friends to pursue their personal goals. That’s not surprising.
Bart’s 1995 book “Face to Face Selling” sold more than 60,000 copies. A self-made entrepreneur, Breighner built up his company, Artistic Impressions, for nearly two decades before retiring in the early 2000s. Then he took over his family’s farm in Adams County until his move to The Woods’ LifeStories Memory Care in 2022.
“He has a very active mind,” said Karen Breighner, Bart’s wife of 43 years. “The Woods has provided excellent care, and they’re always looking to help people fulfill some of their desires of self-actualization. Bart makes presentations to the people in memory care about what he did in life. He would talk about his book. He would talk about art.
“He still wants to be stimulated intellectually,” Karen said. “Bart is really happy when he does the presentations and I’m told that the residents like the presentations.”
LifeStories Director Tasha Smith said the team and residents at The Woods at Cedar Run appreciate Bart’s enthusiasm and dedication to the presentations. He’s signed copies of his book. He’s provided expert insight into various works of art.
“Bart’s background is so interesting on multiple fronts,” Smith said. “He can talk about so many different topics based on his roles as an author, as someone who has expertise in the art world, as a farmer, as an entrepreneur, or even as a door-to-door salesman of World Book Encyclopedias in his younger days. He is such an interesting speaker.”
IntegraCare’s LifeStories Memory Care is individualized and focuses on each resident’s personal history to help stir memories and build connections.
Bart Breighner’s story covers a lot of ground.
“Bart grew up on a farm in Adams County. He had six other siblings,” his wife Karen said. “He worked very hard, and after he graduated from school, he went into the service as an Air Force man and was sent to England to work with the men and women that handled the missile silos in case of an attack.”
Bart Breighner spent four years in England as a chaplain’s assistant in the Air Force.
“He gained a lot of experience in writing from some highly educated people,” Karen Breighner said. “I think that was a turning point in his life. When he came back, he taught school. To supplement his income, he sold World Book Encyclopedia books. He was the classic door-to-door salesman. He ended up running the company. He had about 60,000 reps under him. He was really good at what he did.”
Bart Breighner won multiple awards as Director of United States and Canadian Sales with World Book Encyclopedia, including the prestigious Vision of Tomorrow Award. Bart also served as Chairman of the Board of the National Foundation for Teaching for Entrepreneurship (NFTE) for two years.
In 1985, he started his Artistic Impressions company, which INC. Magazine twice ranked among its 500 fastest-growing companies. Artistic Impressions sold home enhancements, mostly artwork and frames. Bart was CEO for about 20 years until retiring. Along the way, he was nominated as an Emerging Entrepreneur by Success Magazine.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘You need to write a book,’” Karen Breighner recalled of the advice offered to her husband. “He was with World Book Encyclopedia until 1980. The company sent him to Harvard Business School for a program. When he came back, he decided to go on his own and write a book, ‘Face to Face Selling.’
“The American Management Association bought the rights to his book and it became a best seller within their curriculum,” Karen Breighner said.
Bart and Karen have four grown children and 10 grandchildren.
“Bart’s family was elated to learn that Bart has been using his talent and background in art to conduct his art shows in our LifeStories neighborhood,” The Woods’ Smith said. “The residents, their family members and our team members always enjoy Bart’s shows. He talks about the artist, how much a painting is worth and the type of style the artist used to create the artwork. Bart also holds motivational talks with the residents and often uses his own book to make his points.”
“Bart has told our team that it makes him feel good to have purpose again and help his fellow residents,” Smith said. “He also has been working on his latest manuscript for another book.”
For more information, contact Tasha Smith, LifeStories Director, The Woods at Cedar Run, at tsmith@integracare.com or 717.737.3373.