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When Guardian Dentistry Partners (GDP) secured more than $100 million in debt financing from Twin Brook Capital Partners this past September, it pledged the financing would help the company grow even faster. Today, that pledge rings true as GDP announced partnerships with dental practices in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
The latest announcement of new partnerships adds 30 more locations into the Guardian family and three new states in Q4, bringing GDP’s total practice count to 84. The Dental Partnership Network has seen its partnerships across the country grow exponentially since its founding in 2018 and now has a commanding presence in 10 states.
In September of 2020, GDN announced that Guardian Dentistry Partners (GDP), which was featured on Group Dentistry Now’s “Emerging Dental Groups to Watch in 2020” list, added North Carolina’s FRESHDental group and its seven locations throughout North Carolina to its burgeoning network. In early 2021, the emerging dental group partnered with Montage Dental Group, which was featured on Group Dentistry Now’s “Emerging Dental Groups to Watch in 2019” list, and its eight practice locations
The most recent partners to join the Guardian family include:
- Drs. Art Steineker, Bubba Waters, David Lieux and Darren Dillon with their Alabama/Florida platform, Gendus Dental Partners, supporting seven practices that span from Birmingham, AL, to Panama City, FL
- Dr. Marc Liechtung, with five practices located in the New York City area
- Dr. Jonathan Penchas, with his Midtown Dentistry, comprising five locations in Houston
- Drs. Raphael Goldstein and Steven Jaffe, with three offices in Novi, Dearborn and Brownstown, MI
- Drs. David Deeb and Michael Fanning, located in Calabash, NC
- Rhett Duleba, who has two dental practices in Columbia and Sumter, SC
- Drs. TJ Patel, Vivek Kashyap and Jay Shukla, located in Matthews, NC
- Dr. Eric Grimes, located in Lenoir, NC
- Dr. Michael Rogers, located in Arlington, VA
- Dr. David Strassman, located in Allentown, PA
- Dr. Charles Wolfe, located in Easton, PA
- Dr. Michael Parthum, located in Clawson, MI
Drs. Steineker, Waters, Lieux and Dillon built a premier dental partnership network in Alabama and Northern Florida partnering with local doctors much in the same way Guardian does. Their Gendus Dental Partners management company has nearly 100 employees throughout its seven locations that have joined GDP. “Guardian was such a clear match with our core values,” said Dr. Steineker. “And we love their growth trajectory. We know what it takes to run a successful group practice and to see what GDP has accomplished in such a short period of time is astounding. The fact that we are now a meaningful part of that story moving forward is both humbling and exciting.”
Dr. Waters added, “They laid out a clear path of growth for our younger associate doctors. These men and women in their 30s will be on the track for long, prosperous careers with the GDP model and culture.”
Dr. Liechtung, a renowned lecturer/author, iconic dentist and inventor of the “Snap-On-Smile” multi-purpose restorative dentistry procedure that has changed thousands of lives across the country, has seen his profession change dramatically over his 35 years of dental practice. He knows that now is the right time to partner with Guardian.
“With Guardian betting big on New York and on our local team, we can now expand throughout the boroughs and state and welcome more dental entrepreneur partners into our burgeoning New York partnership,” he noted. “For me, it’s all about ensuring our doctors and partners are valued at the highest level and that their legacy is honored. I can’t wait to see what Guardian and we do to build a doctor-focused group in New York.”
For Dr. Penchas, who leads five Midtown Dentistry practices in Houston and its suburbs, GDP was a very obvious fit. Dr. Penchas chose GDP because “They really met the due diligence of what I was looking for in a partner…They’re doctor-led and family office backed…a true, differentiated partner from the other options I had. I couldn’t imagine a better cultural fit for myself and my team here in South Texas.”
“At our core, our organization is designed to deliver exceptional service and growth opportunity for our Doctor Partners,” said Dr. Hisham Barakat, GDP Chief Clinical Officer. “We’re excited about how our footprint has rapidly expanded, but we are even more thrilled about the type of partnerships we’ve solidified. These are all leaders in their field and in their communities. And their ability to continue to make a bigger impact – be it locally or regionally or nationally – is catalyzed with Guardian. They are the GDP core values personified.”
In addition to GDP’s footprint growing exponentially, GDP has also expanded its support team. Over the course of 2021 the company added a trove of team members at both the regional and executive level. “Every area of the business – from Operations to Procurement to Marketing to Finance – has been designed and built to bring our mission to life every day in supporting our partners,” said Mark Censoprano, President of GDP. “We’re writing our story with the best the industry has to offer, and we believe that 2022 has even bigger and better things in store for the entire GDP family.”
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