How to Go from 0 to 25+ Locations in One Year
Speaker: Dr. Samson Liu
Owner, founder, and CEO, SOHDental

• Dr. Samson Liu has become one of group dentistry’s most incredible success stories, going from his first location at the beginning of 2018 to acquiring his 25th location by the end of that year. Dr. Liu spent the majority of his career as an executive vice president at Heartland Dental before starting SOHDental. Dr. Liu will share his inspiring story and more, highlighting:
  •  His step-by-step process of going from 1 to 25+ locations in 1 year
  •  Struggles, low points, highlights, and successes in the journey
  •  Advice for groups and DSOs looking to speed up growth
  •  Lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid while scaling quickly, with tips tailored for smaller DSOs

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• See Dr. Liu's speaker interview here for more info on his presentation. 

Integrating Culture into New Locations
Speaker: Dee Fischer
CEO, Fischer Professional Group

• Dee Fischer has decades of experience growing DSOs and currently helps doctors create systems, accountability, and passion in the workplace. Ms. Fischer has been an integral part of several DSOs’ exponential growth, guiding the operations and HR management to scale to larger organizations. Her presentation will highlight the human resources alignment needed to scale successfully, including:
  •  How to transfer culture from current to newly acquired locations
  •  Ensuring the seamless addition of new locations
  •  Retaining employees at new locations
  •  Overcoming negative attitudes
  •  Deciding which employees should be retained vs. which should be let go
  •  Adding existing systems to new locations
  •  Getting new employees excited about the company vision

Forming a Legal DSO

​Speaker: Brian Colao
Director, Dykema

• Brian Colao is the Director of Dykema’s DSO Industry Group. Brian is the foremost authority in the United States on DSOs, including regulatory and compliance issues, mergers and acquisitions, and legal best practices concerning DSOs and their affiliated dentists. Brian currently represents DSOs in all 50 states and six Canadian provinces, and has been in the dental space for more than 25 years. Brian was named a 2019 DSO Influencer by Group Dentistry Now.
  
  

  In his speech, Brian will go over the advantages of forming a legally compliant DSO, and will discuss:

  •  How to onboard acquisitions in a compliant manner

  •  How to onboard de novos in a compliant manner

  •  The various different ways to structure a DSO and/or sub-DSO

How Large DSOs Evaluate Acquisitions
​Jacob Berry, executive vice president of business development, 
MB2 Dental Solutions
Greg Wappett, director of corporate development, 42 North Dental

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• Jacob Berry spends his days leading business development and developing growth strategies for MB2 Dental, one of dentistry’s fastest-growing DSOs. A key part of his role is evaluating new-location and partnering opportunities through careful analysis and consideration. In this presentation, Mr. Berry will share methods that you can apply to your DSO’s next acquisition, including:
  •  A deep look at the financials for acquiring locations
  •  What to look for when purchasing new locations
  •  How to professionally analyze a purchase opportunity
  •  Essential metrics and KPIs to uncover during the evaluation process
  •  Recommended steps to determine a “yes” or “no” 

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  As director of corporate development at 42 North Dental, a premier DSO in the Northeast with locations spanning four New England states, Greg Wappett is experienced in managing the complexities involved with acquisitions. Strategically evaluating each opportunity, Mr. Wappett has helped 42 North Dental grow. He will join Mr. Berry in this presentation highlighting his approach, offering:
  •  An alternative look at the financials of acquiring locations
  •  How his view changed over time toward KPIs and metrics
  •  How to conduct a thorough review of each new acquisition opportunity
  •  Financials of a “healthy” practice vs. an “‘unhealthy” practice
  •  Deceiving numbers to watch out for when evaluating a potential new acquisition

Behind the Scenes: How Strategic Partnerships Will Change 
Dentistry
​Steve Bilt, CEO, Smile Brands
Dr. Alan Acierno, CEO and owner, DecisionOne Dental Partners

• Early in 2019, Smile Brands (400+ locations) and DecisionOne Dental Partners (27+ locations) came together in a landmark partnership that changed the dental landscape. Mr. Bilt and Dr. Acierno will present a “behind the scenes” look at how the deal came about and detail how other groups and DSOs can learn from their experience. They’ll discuss:
  •  The difference between a strategic partnership and an acquisition
  •  How this partnership has changed the DSO landscape
  •  Takeaways from strategically integrating two companies together
  •  Why Dr. Acierno and the DecisionOne Dental team decided it was time to partner
  •  What both groups got “right” during the process, and lessons learned looking back
  •  Advice for other groups looking to strategically partner 

Equity-Driven Growth Strategies for Acquisitions and Startups

​Speaker: Diwakar Sinha
Partner, Tusk

• Diwakar has been instrumental in Tusk's success and has worked in the dental lending space for over 12 years. He has provided capital to hundreds of solo dentists and DSOs throughout his career. In his presentation, Diwakar will discuss associate equity and compensation strategies when taking on acquisitions. He'll be addressing and answering the following questions:

• •  What are the different ways to address doctor compensation when taking on acquisitions?

• •  What are the pros and cons of various compensation/equity structures?

  •  How do you minimize turnover resulting from compensation issues in acquisitions?

• •  What is the best associate equity structure to provide a win-win scenario for all parties when taking on an acquisition?
  
  

Implementing Your Growth Vision Into Reality

​Speaker: Josey Sewell
Integrator/COO, CarolinasDentist

• As the Integrator for CarolinasDentist, Josey Sewell is an expert at implementing strategy into action. Ms. Sewell is set to share her experiences as the wearer of many hats within the leadership team of CarolinasDentist and will present an often overlooked, but vitally important aspect to growing a group practice or DSO: bridging the gap between the vision of the executive team to the entire team. ​

  Ms. Sewell will discuss in more detail the following:

• •  Roles of the leadership and management teams

• •  Delineating the difference between a visionary and an integrator

• •  Creating an optimal work environment for your leadership team (and subsequently your entire team)

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• See Ms. Sewell's speaker interview here for more info on her presentation. 

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What I've learned after 30 Acquisitions

​Speaker: Dr. Jeremy Dixson
Founder & CEO, The DSO Project

• Dr. Dixson is a top DSO Influencer/thought leader (Group Dentistry Now 2019), a three-time INC Magazine 500/5000 awarded entrepreneur, and the Founder/CEO of The DSO Project, dentistry's first dental support organization (DSO) accelerator. Formerly, he was the Founder/CEO of Smiles Services LLC and Founder/President of Smiles Dental Group PC. In addition to his M&A Advising and Consulting work at The DSO Project, Dr. Dixson provides Board Services to private equity firms. He also currently serves as a trusted DSO/dental industry advisor for private equity firms, dental technology companies and global dental brands in a variety of capacities. He is a visionary, inspirational, and transformational leader who builds unified individuals, teams, cultures, and world-class organizations.