Aspen Dental Online Newsroom » Aspen Dental Owner Dentists

Pace of Practice Ownership Appealing to Dr. Reddy

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:27:33 +0000

Dr. Amrita Reddy joined Aspen Dental in 2003 as a Managing Clinical Director in Woburn, MA, shortly after graduating from Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine.

The pace was a bit slower than what Dr. Reddy had envisioned so she jumped at the opportunity to become dual MCD of Woburn and the nearby Medford office.

While the dual MCD role presented new and different challenges, after a few years she was envisioning additional opportunities.

“I have a lot of energy and passion for dentistry. Managing two practices was a great experience, but I really was looking for a bigger challenge with a higher-volume office,” she said.

That challenge presented itself with an opening in Manchester, NH.
“Not only is Manchester a busier office but I also enjoyed the challenge of growing the office with a different patient base than to what I was accustomed and managing a larger office team,” Dr. Reddy said.

After several months in Manchester, Dr. Reddy decided it was time for another challenge. This time it was exploring the possibility of becoming a practice owner in Aspen’s Practice Ownership Program (POP).

Recently, Dr. Reddy became Aspen’s twenty-third POP owner after investing in both the Manchester and Nashua offices.

“I really thought I was up to it. I’m learning how to manage a staff, the business is coming quickly and I’m receiving fantastic support from our office teams, as well as the team at Aspen Dental Management Inc. (ADMI),” she said. “The transition has been very smooth.”

And, she’s doing this under challenging circumstances. Dr. Reddy has a 2-year-old daughter at home and is six months pregnant.

“One of the great points about Aspen’s Practice Ownership Program is that I can strike the balance of realizing my dream of ownership and growing a family at the same time. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew, but I think it’s wonderful that with Aspen’s support, we are afforded these kinds of opportunities for ownership. And it’s especially gratifying as a woman and mother,” Dr. Reddy added.

“Dr. Reddy has been up to all of the challenges she’s taken on and has truly embodied the characteristics of a great partner for ADMI,” said Bob Fontana, ADMI President and CEO. “We look forward to working with her to continue to grow her practice.”

Aspen’s Practice Ownership Program (POP) has Dr. Timothy Owczarzak in a “perfect situation.”

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:26:06 +0000

“For me, this is a dream come true, a perfect situation,” said Dr. Owczarzak, new dentist-owner in North Hills, PA. “My life is much less complicated and I’m doing what I love to do, which is practice dentistry. I tell people that I think I’m a pretty good dentist, but the world’s worst accountant. Having a management company behind me has been great because it allows me to serve patients and develop my staff. Everybody at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) is as cooperative as they can be. I couldn’t ask for a better situation. Members of the management company are professional, always available, and they’re quick to respond to any issues I might have.”
A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Owczarzak served as an oral surgeon for four years with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division upon graduation in 1991.
“The Army was a phenomenal experience and prepared me for almost anything,” he said. His first two years were spent in a surgery clinic, where he was “thrown into the deep end of the pool,” and he eventually ran the 4-chair, “un-air-conditioned” clinic.
“The conditions were challenging, but as far as dentistry was concerned it was great because I did everything from implants, crowns and bridges, periodontal therapy, extractions, you name it.”
After leaving the Army and Fort Bragg, NC, Dr. Owczarzak returned to his hometown and owned a solo practice in Bethel Park for 12 years. A growing family that includes three boys coupled with the pressures of running his practice had him looking for a change in his dental career path.
“Owning your own practice takes away from quality family time. I was in charge of everything–payroll, accounting, making sure our quarterly taxes were paid accurately and on time, OSHA, HIPAA. You wear every hat. One minute you’re the dentist working on a patient, the next minute you’re the repair man fixing the chair. Owning your own practice is a totally different animal. When you’re in private practice it seems like it’s 20% dentistry and 80% business. I simply became tired of it.”
Dr. Owczarak acknowledged he knew nothing about Aspen Dental when he spotted the North Hills office on McKnight Road during his commute and inquired about a part-time position. He joined Aspen part-time in February 2007 and became the Managing Clinical Director in North Hills shortly thereafter. He then informed members of the ADMI leadership team that he’d like to get involved with POP some day.
“This has been a winning situation all the way around. I own a practice. I’m providing more comprehensive dentistry for more patients. I have a great office team and specialists in North Hills, and a committed partner in ADMI to handle the business end. And, most importantly, I have more time with my family.”
“Dr. O is a tireless worker, an energetic and mature leader, an excellent clinician and a great manager of people, “said ADMI President and CEO Bob Fontana. “He truly understands the value of partnering with a management company. We look forward to working with Dr. O. to continue to grow his practice.”

Aspen’s Growth Provides Ownership Opportunity for Dr. Modi

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:22:35 +0000

Aspen Dental’s expansion into new markets provided Dr. Parag Modi with the ownership opportunity he had been seeking since he began his career in dentistry. Dr. Modi became the owner dentist in Troy and Springfield, OH this past January under Aspen’s Practice Ownership Program (POP).

Dr. Modi, who graduated from Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine in 2000, joined Aspen Dental in May 2006 as Managing Clinical Director (MCD) in Hazleton, PA after working at a community health center and several small practices.

“I heard about Aspen when I graduated from dental school. I had conversations with (recruiter) Karen Almond about opportunities with Aspen,” Dr. Modi said. “I was really drawn to the fact that Aspen would allow me to care for patients and not have to worry about the business aspects. I knew I would really be able to develop my dental skills.”

“Hazleton was a great experience. Things started out slowly but we had a wonderful staff. Our assistants were great, as was the office manager, and our PSR always confirmed patient appointments and communicated well with patients. A lot of our patients came to us through referrals,” Dr. Modi said.

Dr. Modi learned about POP during his initial interview and he immediately felt that Aspen presented the perfect opportunity for ownership.

“Rhett Brundin, the Director of POP, explained the details of the program to me. He literally gave me options from Maine to Illinois,” Dr. Modi said. “We went through the different markets and finally settled on entering our new Dayton, Ohio market. It was perfect for me. My sister lives there so I was already familiar with the Dayton area. I seriously doubt I would have had these opportunities with another dental practice management company. The idea of being completely on my own didn’t appeal to me.”

Dr. Modi said being an owner of two practices certainly offers challenges.

“The support I received from Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) gave me the confidence to feel that I could handle more than one office and helped me make the decision to take on two. I am happy with our teams and the support has been wonderful.”

He credited the Practice Support Center for always stepping forward and being a great partner.

“The team at the Support Center does everything it can to help and that was a big influence in joining Aspen rather than opening my own practice,” Dr. Modi. “With Aspen, it’s more than just business – it’s personal, and there’s a strong sense of partnership.”

“Dr. Modi did an exceptional job in developing the Hazleton office and building a great team there,” said Bob Fontana, ADMI President & CEO. “I’m confident that Dr. Modi will do the same in the Dayton market and, in the process, build a strong Aspen Dental brand and provide great patient care.”

Dr. Losier Fast Tracks it to POP

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:59:17 +0000

Dr. Kurt Losier acknowledges he’s a “crazy competitive” individual who “wants to get as far as I can as fast as I can.”

In a little more than a year, Dr. Losier has taken the fast track at Aspen Dental, becoming the youngest owner dentist (Kokomo, IN) in the Practice Ownership Program.

“It’s impressive to me that Aspen is willing to work with young doctors and experienced dentists alike,” said Dr. Losier, a 2008 graduate of the Indiana University School of Dentistry. He joined Aspen as an Associate in Fort Wayne before moving to Kokomo as Managing Clinical Director (MCD) in June 2008.

“I think the company’s approach with young docs is on the mark for a number of reasons. Cultivating young talent is a great way to create long-term opportunities,” he continued.

“When I first started I wasn’t sure of working for a large, branded company, but after just a few days I realized what a great thing I had going for me, especially just being out of school. When Aspen showed interest in a partnership, I jumped at the chance. It’s clear that this is the right thing to do if we want to align our interests and create long-term working relationships. It creates stability. That—and quality patient care—help make a practice successful.”

Dr. Losier says it’s a “great testament to the Aspen model and the level of support provided by Aspen Dental Management, Inc., (ADMI) that a relatively young doctor can come in and do really well.”

“As far as being the youngest POP owner, I’m just grateful that Aspen was open-minded enough to first give me the opportunity to be an MCD, and then to see the potential for me to be a good long-term partner,” he said.

Dr. Losier discovered Aspen through a newspaper advertisement. Upon further research he decided Aspen offered a “lucrative” opportunity to lead a practice as an MCD. Shortly after hearing a presentation delivered by Rhett Brundin, Director of POP, at Doctor Orientation, Dr. Losier decided ownership with Aspen was for him.

His enthusiasm was subsequently tempered a bit, however, by the faltering economy.

“I started to drag my feet as the economy went south. I was waiting for the patient demand to slow and for our results to drop out, but it didn’t happen,” he said. “After some great months in Kokomo, I had an epiphany. I figured ADMI is not going to enter POP with someone or open an office in a location if they feel it would be a bad investment, so in the end, I got comfortable that any risk I was taking was significantly mitigated by the fact that I have such a capable and dedicated partner.”

POP also made a lot of sense to him since he is a staunch advocate of Aspen’s service model, which he has been “living and breathing” since attending the Doctor Orientation Program.

“The ‘A’ Game is more common sense than anything,” Dr. Losier said. “It’s not hard adapting to a model that is focused on access to comprehensive, affordable care.”

“My team doesn’t let that kind of negative news about Kokomo get us down,” Dr. Losier said. “There’s a lot of unmet need in Kokomo, a lot of opportunity for patients who fit the Aspen demographic. We get patients scheduled quickly, we take the time to relate to patients and educate them about their treatment, and we get patients started on their treatment as soon as we can, meaning on the first day they’re seen, whenever possible.

“For the most part, if my team doesn’t work with a sense of understanding and urgency, and we don’t start work that day, we’ll lose them,” Dr. Losier said. “We aim to get work done quickly, done right, and within their budget. We have a firm belief that if we don’t get patients to commit to treatment they will go without and that’s not what we’re about.”

Dr. Losier said he wouldn’t be enjoying this success without his great office team and the team at the Practice Support Center.

“This partnership is incredible,” Dr. Losier said. “ADMI has my back. I’d be totally stressed out if I had to deal with all the business concerns, particularly insurance. And, if I have an issue, my field managers work with my team to ensure it’s addressed in a responsive manner.”

“Just as Dr. Losier realized that he wanted to enter into a partnership with ADMI, we also saw his potential right off the bat,” said Bob Fontana, President & CEO, ADMI. “Dr. Losier’s results inspire great confidence and reinforce our belief that ownership is attainable for dentists with the right skills and commitment, regardless of age. We look forward to supporting Dr. Losier to build and grow a highly successful practice. He’s off to a great start.”

Maine Focus for POP Couple: Congrats to Aspen’s First Practice Owners in Maine

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:25:10 +0000

She is a native of Miami, FL, about as far south in the U.S. as you can go without being off the mainland.
While not as far south, he hails from Frederick, MD, and had thoughts of embarking on his career in North Carolina.
Now, Dr. Justin Griffee and Dr. Cristina Dominguez are the first husband-and-wife owner dentist team in Aspen Dental’s Practice Ownership Program (POP)—in the very un-Florida-like setting of Maine. They are now practice owners of offices in Biddeford, Portland and South Portland.
“I thought Boston was cold, but Portland was minus 18 this morning,” Dr. Griffee said recently. “It’s taken a while to adapt. Four or five years ago my fingers would’ve fallen off but now it’s just winter.”
“I certainly never envisioned myself being in Maine,” Dr. Dominguez said. “I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to stay in New England.”
Such was the attraction of Aspen Dental and, ultimately, the lure of Aspen Dental’s POP. They never envisioned a career with Aspen Dental, let alone a long-term commitment with Aspen.
“If I would’ve gone the private practice route it would’ve taken me 15 years to afford to own my own practice,” Dr. Dominguez said. “Buying a building and starting from scratch is virtually impossible. This is an awesome feeling. I don’t know of anybody else in my class who had this kind of opportunity.
“It’s all because of Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) that we’re doing this,” she continued. “We’re still learning about the business side of things, what works and what doesn’t make sense. We place a lot of trust in and had a strong desire to partner with ADMI. They’re people we really wanted to work with because, as our partners, they want us to be successful and our goals are aligned in terms of our mutual desire to grow a practice.”
“My goal was to eventually own a practice. I didn’t imagine this happening so quickly,” Dr. Griffee said. “We both feel the Aspen Dental model is genius with our high volume of patients, in-office denture lab, a large demographic in need of our services and the fact that private practices don’t offer what we can. We hear of companies and even private dental practices closing throughout the country yet our offices and our practice are as strong as ever.
“We’re doing well and feel fortunate to have met the right people at the right time. Our relationship with Bob (Fontana), Rob (Connor) and Rhett (Brundin) is why we wanted to become involved with the POP because we knew the company had smart, good people who we trusted and who we knew would put the pieces in place for us, and they have.”
Dr. Dominguez and Dr. Griffee met at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where they became engaged. She graduated in 2006, a year ahead of Dr. Griffee.
“I never thought I’d be with Aspen because everybody bombards you, perhaps even impose expectations on you, relative to the private practice model. When I started interviewing in Boston, however, private practices were looking for long-term commitments of 3-4 years. I couldn’t make that commitment with Justin in school. I interviewed with Kelly Marcinkewich and she convinced me that there was plenty of flexibility and tons of growth potential with Aspen,” Dr. Dominguez said.
She joined Aspen as a part-time associate dentist in Methuen and Saugus, became Managing Clinical Director in Saugus, but turned down an opportunity to become Biddeford’s first MCD in order to stay closer to her fiancé. By the time he graduated from Tufts in June 2007, Dr. Dominguez said she had already had a “great experience” with Aspen and “liked the people and the work.” Dr. Griffee accepted an offer to join Aspen and the two attended the Doctor Orientation Program in separate sessions in July and September 2007, where the idea of practice ownership with Aspen really began to take shape.
Two opportunities were available in Maine.
“Kelly had asked me to come to Maine for awhile and she put the bug in Justin’s ear. We drove up to Maine, spent a day and figured if we came here together it wouldn’t be so bad. It was kind of a spontaneous thing,” Dr. Dominguez said.
Their spontaneous moment has turned into a long-term partnership.
Dr. Dominguez became the Biddeford MCD in mid-2007; Dr. Griffee took an Associate Dentist position in Portland, then opened the South Portland office as the MCD in October 2007.
Their POP deal was finalized in December 2008, culminating a whirlwind final quarter during which the two bought a house, married in September and honeymooned in November.
The two have excellent relationships with their office teams, hosting a variety of get-togethers to promote teamwork and camaraderie, and they zealously follow Aspen’s “A” Game business model.
“We try to follow the model to a T,” Dr. Dominguez said. “Every person is getting seen. We don’t turn anyone away. We ensure that our OMs are offering and explaining financing programs. We see a lot of denture patients and we’ve grown proficient in being able to deliver quality dentures to them in a timely manner. We have great co-workers at the Support Center and in the field that give us the freedom to do dentistry, not worry about the books, and we have our own practices on top of all of that.
“When we see that some of our classmates are spinning their wheels we pinch ourselves and say, ‘This seems too good to be true. What’s the catch?’ But there are none,” Dr. Dominguez said, which explains why they have referred many of their classmates to Aspen.
“Dr. Dominguez and Dr. Griffee may not have originally envisioned a long-term career with Aspen Dental but we’re all very fortunate and pleased that they recognized the great opportunity we have to build a successful practice in Maine together,” said Bob Fontana, ADMI President & CEO. “They are strong, mature leaders and fair, hard-working partners who fully understand and appreciate what it takes to grow a dynamite practice and build a high-quality brand name.”

POP Seals the Deal for Dr. Dermesropian

amacpherson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:03:37 +0000

When Dr. Patrick Dermesropian joined Aspen Dental in 2008, he saw a career opportunity that no other company offered. It was the Practice Ownership Program (POP) that sealed the deal in his decision to join Aspen Dental.

“With other companies, I felt my growth was limited. I had thought about opening my own office but then I met with (Director of Operations) Lori D’Anna, and the Aspen Dental Management, Inc (ADMI) leadership team, and I was very impressed,” Dr. Dermesropian said.

Dr. Dermesropian began his Aspen career as East Longmeadow Managing Clinical Director (MCD). In January 2009 he started talking with Director of POP Rhett Brundin about practice ownership. By April, he was the dentist-owner for the East Longmeadow and West Springfield offices.

Dr. Dermesropian gained first-hand knowledge about the importance of teamwork when he was a member of the Lebanese national basketball team. He discovered there that all members of the team must work together to achieve success – whether it be basketball or dentistry. His grandfather was a dentist, his dad is an oral surgeon, his mother an orthodontist and sister a dentist.

“My dad has always told me to treat people the way I would treat him. It’s his way of saying we need to do the best we can with patients and never settle for anything less than that,” Dr. Dermesropian said. “In addition to that, you need to have the right team and a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish with your patients. Specifically, at Aspen Dental we’re here to ensure that patients don’t walk out the door without getting the care that they need. Everybody is doing their part to serve patients at a high level and that is what makes our office work well.”

Dr. Dermesropian treats the members of his office team as partners so that “they’ll want to stay to be part of a successful practice.”

As the leader of the office, Dr. Dermesropian has set the tone and motivated his office team to achieve great results. He gives Aspen’s proven business model a lion’s share of the credit.

“It allows you to reach your potential faster than most, without sacrificing patient care,” Dr. Dermesropian said.

“Dr. Dermesropian quickly demonstrated excellence in executing our model,” said Bob Fontana, ADMI President & CEO. “Combined with his leadership, communication and clinical skills, he was a natural fit for POP. We look forward working with Dr. Dermesropian to strengthen our presence and further solidify the Aspen Dental brand in his market.”