Business View Magazine | January 2020

63 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020 L IGHT DENTAL STUDIOS and dentures with incredible speed and superb quality. And Light Dental Studios also believes in giving back to the South Puget Sound region through a proud focus on community. Business View Magazine asked Steve Broughton, President/CEO of Light Dental Studios, for his insights into the firm’s unique business model and the reasons behind its success as a Fastest Growing Company, four years running. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: What’s the story behind your unusual business model? Broughton: “Most dentists, at least historically from the 1950s to now, would just go out and open their own practice – a kind of a mom and pop industry. In the early 2000s, there were some dental groups starting to form in the U.S. and the majority had capital through private equity. The rest of the dental industry, probably 90 percent, was fragmented - small offices with two, maybe three, locations. When we started to grow our group in 1997, a lot of people just didn’t believe in the concept. It was difficult to get dentists; difficult to get team members. We started expanding our hours to evenings and Saturdays, which is not typical for a dental practice. The entire fragmented model was based on a small team, only a few employees, working around when the doctor wanted to work. “So when our model started to grow, it shifted toward patient-centered rather than around the doctor’s schedule. We expanded hours; patients could get in on a moment’s notice. We still do that today. We always give the patient the choice of having a specific doctor, or the convenience. If they had a tooth break, or an emergency, they may not always get their regular doctor because he or she may not be available that day. But we will get them in to see a qualified provider. That really resonates with the public and it’s also less expensive. Because we have Dr. Steve Broughton CEO, Dr. Angela Dunn, COO, Katie Hogan, Executive Administrator. Ashley Rose, Director of Training and Development, Dr. Adam Poyfair, Director of Compliance, Dr. Jordan Collins Director of Operations