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Group Dentistry Now is committed to the success of DSOs, dental groups, and the people who work for them. As the evolution of group dentistry continues to reshape the dental landscape, we consider the people who work in the DSO industry to be its most invaluable resource. DSO People shares updates on new hires, promotions and awards. Here’s September’s list:
North American Dental Group (NADG) Names New Chief Financial Officer and IT Security Team
NADG has promoted Stephen Castles as its next CFO. Castles replaces Jonathan Walker, who earlier this month was promoted to CEO. Castles will be responsible for managing the day-to-day financial operations of the company and the 250 dental practices across 15 states that NADG supports. Castles joined NADG in January as VP of Finance and Corporate Development where he oversaw many aspects of NADG’s corporate finance functions and supported the company’s affiliation efforts.
Dan Romary
Jim Nelms
The company also announced that it is bolstering its information technology security functions by promoting Dan Romary to Chief Information Officer (CIO) and hiring Jim Nelms for the newly created role of Chief Information Security officer (CISO). Romary, who joined NADG in July 2020, had been Vice President of Data Analytics and Enterprise Applications. Nelms most recently worked as CISO for LabCorp, the world’s leading healthcare diagnostics company. Romary will lead the company’s efforts in building best-in-class technology and data-driven solutions at all NADG supported practices. He will also continue to lead the company’s business intelligence team. Nelms will head up cyber security across the company’s enterprise and supported practices and will lead the IT infrastructure team.
MB2 Builds Their Business Development Team
Joseph “Joe” Fox‘s background is a combination of corporate finance, capital markets, and business ownership. He began his finance career as an investment banking analyst at the Lehman Brothers headquarters in New York in 2000. After three years in investment banking, he took a buy-side role at a start-up merger arbitrage & event-driven hedge fund. He spent time at two other start-up hedge funds before landing at KMS Ventures, the family office for the Austin-based Kozmetsky Family. Joe then chased his dream of starting SWEAT Yoga Studio, a state-of-the-art yoga & wellness studio generating annual sales in excess of $500,000. Since selling that wellness business for a 100% return on investment, he founded three more small companies.
Michael Gans is a seasoned executive with strong business acumen in life sciences and a proven track record in biotechnology and deal execution. Michael has over 15 years of experience in the leadership of innovation. In his most recent role at Plant Response, Michael identified and executed new technology origination and strategic growth opportunities within the agricultural sector. Prior to Plant Response, Michael was co-founder and CEO of Pathway Biologic, a leading privately held biotechnology company based in Tampa, Florida. During his tenure at Pathway, Michael played a pivotal role in negotiating, structuring, and implementing a variety of strategic partnerships, technology development, and licensing agreements, which led to the company’s eventual acquisition by Koch Industries. He recognizes the importance and responsibility company owners have in the long-term security of their employees and is proud to have mentored and guided many to progress in their careers to senior leadership roles.
Aaron Ellis’s 15 year dental career began in Business Development and recruiting with Dallas-based Dental One Partners, helping them grow into new territories through DeNovo and acquisitions. In his 5 years with Affordable Care, the nations leader in tooth replacement, he was elevated to Director of Operations, supporting over 60 practices in a 5-state territory, helping them achieve same store year over year growth every year. His most recent venture was a small DSO startup that helped transition private practices to young dentists, ensuring a smooth path for the future generation of quality providers. He has experience in marketing, doctor recruiting, operations and business development.
Lightwave Promotes David Wurtzbacher to President After Company Experiences Significant Growth
After joining Lightwave in early 2017 as CFO, Wurtzbacher instantly began working side-by-side with CEO, Justin Jory, to grow the business. He was integral in building the company’s internal finance and accounting team while simultaneously growing the business development team and creating an industry-leading partnership process for dental offices. His work toward the company’s rapid growth makes him a natural fit for the role of President, as it will allow him to contribute at a more strategic level for the company as it continues to grow at an accelerated rate. Lightwave has grown beyond 60 dental offices within the Virginia and North Carolina markets. Lightwave’s partnership with CarolinasDentist, a network of practices in North Carolina, alone has grown from six to twelve locations in just two years. Lightwave now has more than 50 shareholder doctors and support team members respectively.
42 North Dental Adds Three Healthcare Executives to its Team and Appoints Founding Dentist as Director of Clinical Affairs:
42 North Dental welcomes Sharon Korzan to its executive leadership team as Chief Development Officer. Sharon is the former Senior Director of Business Development at National Veterinary Associates (NVA) (nva.com) and joins 42 North Dental to spearhead practice affiliation growth. Sharon brings with her a deep passion for helping business owners chart their futures for ongoing personal and professional success. While at NVA, Sharon was instrumental in growing their annual acquired EBITDA from $8MM annually to $120MM annually within 10 years, and growing NVA to a global organization. Sharon will work with Rondi Michaux, Director of Corporate Development and the business development, implementation, and finance teams to create new and deeper partnerships with dentists across the country.
Diane Vaccaro joins the DSO as Chief Marketing Officer. Diane brings over 20 years of multi-site marketing experience to 42 North Dental with a strong focus on consumer behavior, scalability, and a customized branding approach. Previously Vacarro held the CMO & CBO position at MyEyeDr., where she led marketing efforts to grow to 600+ locations, and was CMO of Kmart Apparel, a division of Sears Holding. She joins 42 North Dental at a pivotal time as the organization heads toward 100 supported practices and beyond.
Thomas ‘TJ’ Brouillard joins the executive team as Chief Financial Officer. TJ has held various senior level financial positions at KPMG and Fresenius, including CFO of Fresenius North America and CFO of Global Transformation and Shared Services. TJ has a deep understanding of the life sciences and healthcare industries and values collaboration resulting in actionable analysis and enhanced decision-making. In addition to leading financial activities, TJ will play a key role in 42 North Dental’s affiliation strategy and technology stack development.
Dr. David Lustbader will take on the role of Director of Clinical Affairs at 42 North Dental working with Dr. Michael Scialabba, Chief Clinical Officer of 42 North Dental and Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry. With an illustrious career, Dr. David Lustbader is the past president of the Massachusetts Dental Society, a current Clinical Instructor and Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board at Boston University School of Dental Medicine, Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital- Milton and a clinical instructor at Boston Medical Center.
Lorri Detrick Becomes Chief Operations Officer at Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry
Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry (RAFD) has hired Lorri Detrick to fill its COO role. Prior to joining RAFD, Lorri most recently spent several years in professional consulting, engaging with clients around operations, technology, and M&A buy- and sell-side projects. Before consulting, she served as COO for six years at a mid-size DSO serving California and Utah. Her 20+ years of experience in healthcare operations spans acute care, long term care, outpatient, and retail healthcare. Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry, based out of the Research Triangle region, was founded in 2000 by Dr. Michael Riccobene. The DSO began more than 20 years ago in Selma, NC and employs over 75 dentists. With 30+ practices, Riccobene Associates’ strategy is to continue its rapid growth in North Carolina and into adjacent states through de novo openings and add-on affiliations.
Guardian Dentistry Partners Adds Two Directors to Leadership Team
Founded in 2018, Guardian has expanded rapidly and now supports dental entrepreneurs in Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Donnie McMaster has been named Director of Operations for GDP’s North Carolina region. For McMaster, who brings more than a dozen years’ experience in dental operations and leadership to GDP, the new role at Guardian is the perfect next step in a career that has always focused on building strong, accountable and well-trained teams. Over the past seven years in Charlotte, McMaster was the Chief Operating Officer for the Ballantyne Center for Dentistry and Dental Implants. During his tenure there, Ballantyne was named as a “Great Places to Work In Healthcare” from 2017 to 2021 by Fortune Magazine. In his new role, McMaster is overseeing field operations and acquisition partnerships within the North Carolina region.
Evon Meyers is Guardian’s new Director of Partnerships & Integration. Evon joins Guardian from Coastal, South Carolina, where she served as Regional Operations Director with more than 50 practices throughout the Southeast. In just her first four months on the job, Meyers achieved double-digit growth for the company and returned the DSO’s revenue to where it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted dental practices across the country throughout 2020. In her new role, Meyers is leading integration for all new dental practice acquisitions and de novos by serving as the ambassador to GDP’s new doctor partners and team members.
Matt Chaney is Promoted to Director, Operations Finance & Strategy at Aspen Dental
Matt began his career with Aspen Dental as a regional manager in 2014. With over 10 years of management experience with specialty in multi-unit operations, he was division director of practice support before he became director of operations finance & strategy. Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) is one of the largest retail healthcare business support organizations in the U.S., supporting 15,000 healthcare professionals and team members at more than 1,000 health and wellness offices across 46 states in three distinct categories: Dental care, urgent care, and medical aesthetics. What started in 1998 as a business with a small footprint in the northeast, has grown into the largest branded network of dental offices in the world – collectively serving more than 30,000 patients every day.
Pamela Meredith Promoted to Director of Market Operations at Marquee Dental Partners
Pamela joined the DSO as a regional operations manager in 2016. She then became operations leader, leader of market operations and now director of operations.
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, Marquee Dental Partners has over 42 locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas. The group recently acquired Comfort Dental Care & Orthodontics, expanding its footprint into Florida.
Planet DDS Welcomes New Director of Conversions, Matthew Junk
Matthew joins Planet DDS with a wealth of experience in healthcare IT, including serving as the Vice President of Technology at OCHIN, Inc. and also working for several large hospital systems. He will be serving as the Director of Conversions overseeing the conversion process for Planet DDS’s flagship products, Denticon and XVWeb. Matthew attended the College of Charleston for his undergraduate studies also completed the Healthcare Executive Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. Planet DDS is a provider of cloud-based dental practice management and imaging solutions.
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – August 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – July 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – June 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – May 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – April 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – March 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – February 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – January 2021
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – December 2020
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – November 2020
DSO People! New DSO And Dental Group Hires, Promotions & Awards – October 2020
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