Forrest Lee Preston is an American businessman, the self-made billionaire founder, owner, Chairman, and CEO of Life Care Centers of America, one of the largest privately owned long-term elderly care facility chains in the United States. Born in Massachusetts in 1933, his father was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor.

Preston's original intent was to become a medical doctor. He was educated at Walla Walla College and Oregon State University and became a certified X-Ray technician. The genesis of his company came from his work in hospitals, where he observed the conditions of elderly patients and concluded there was a critical need for better long-term care and public relations in the healthcare system.

Forrest Preston co-founded an initial venture called Hospital Publications (creating patient booklets and PR materials) with his brother. In 1970, he founded Life Care Centers of America in Cleveland, Tennessee. His strategic vision was to build a national chain of high-quality, privately owned long-term care facilities, filling a massive social and healthcare need. The company grew to be the largest privately owned long-term care facility chain and the third largest overall in the United States.

His career, which continues as sole owner and CEO, has been marked by his commitment to his vision and his deep Baptist faith. His final years have been characterized by personal controversy: he married his former caretaker, Kim Phuong Nguyen, in 2018, leading to a public legal complaint from his son in 2024 over his father's finances and their use by his new wife's family. Despite this personal turmoil, his immense wealth is secured by the colossal, long-term returns generated by his essential healthcare services empire.

Forrest Preston's social impact is massive and structural, stemming from Life Care Centers of America's role in providing essential long-term care for thousands of elderly patients across the United States. His company is a major employer in the healthcare sector.

His personal philanthropy supports various Christian and educational causes (attending First Baptist Church). His career provides a narrative of a self-made businessman who used his early medical training to identify and dominate a crucial niche in the American healthcare system.

Forrest Preston maintains the conservative, composed style of a successful Christian businessman. His attire is consistently formal and high-quality, favoring tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects stability and quiet authority, despite the public controversies of his later personal life.

Residing in Cleveland, Tennessee, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is defined by his commitment to his faith, his company's mission of elderly care, and the legal challenges surrounding his personal and financial affairs.