Newly Launched Marquee Dental Partners Acquires Seven Office Nashville Dental Practice

Shortly after launching with a $35 million capital commitment from Chicago Pacific Founders, the Marquee Dental Partners team has completed its first major acquisition. Marquee announced today that it has entered into an affiliation agreement with Embassy Dental, a multi-office, multi-specialty dental practice based in Nashville. By providing dentists with both the support and the clinical autonomy they need to succeed, Marquee enables them to focus their attention on providing the best oral healthcare services possible.

“We are honored that our first major affiliation agreement is with a practice group as vibrant and highly respected as Embassy,” said Marquee Dental CEO James Usdan. “By acquiring the business end of Embassy through this affiliation, Marquee has taken its first major step toward growing our footprint in the Mid-South.”

From the patient perspective, the transition will be seamless. Marquee Dental, which places heavy emphasis on dentists’ clinical autonomy, will leave in-place Embassy’s seven offices in the greater Nashville area, along with their staffs.

“Affiliating with Marquee Dental will allow our dentists to continue to focus on providing the highest quality care and growing their practices without being distracted by administrative paperwork,“ said Embassy Founder Dr. Warren Melamed. “The support Marquee will provide our dentists will be invaluable as we move forward.”

Marquee Dental CEO James Usdan is a seasoned leader who has served as CEO of three public companies and five private equity-backed firms, including having led or been a board member of four dental service companies. Joining Usdan are COO Christy Englehart, Chief Dental Officer Dr. Steve Hecklin, CFO Luke Lamphron and Vice President of Business Development Les Matthews. Embassy Founder Dr. Warren Melamed will remain actively involved with Marquee with a focus on acquisitions.

Marquee Dental plans to rapidly grow its practice roster in the coming months. The company will affiliate with dental offices and practice groups in growth markets with a history of providing high quality care, initially focusing in the Mid-South on markets including Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama.

About Marquee Dental Partners
Marquee Dental is a premier dental support organization dedicated to making dentists and their patients the priority. By providing dentists with both the support and the clinical autonomy they need to succeed, Marquee enables them to focus their attention on providing the best oral healthcare services possible. Led by a team of highly accomplished industry veterans, the company was founded in 2015 with an investment of $35 million from Chicago Pacific Founders. For more information, visit www.marqueedentalpartners.com.

 About Chicago Pacific Founders
Chicago Pacific Founders (“CPF”) is a strategic healthcare investment fund focused exclusively on healthcare services, led by former healthcare CEOs and senior executives with a passion and track record of building healthcare businesses. CPF is actively looking to partner with organizations focused on delivering the highest quality of service to patients, providers and payers. The fund will invest up to $75 million of equity capital per opportunity in growth, minority recap and buyout transactions for cash flow positive businesses. CPF currently has investments in the senior living, behavioral health and dental industries.

Marquee Dental Partners Launches with $35 Million in Funding to Support Dental Practices

For many dental practices in today’s market, the pressures of performing administrative and billing functions prevent them from focusing their attention where it’s most needed: their patients. Launched with a $35 million capital commitment from Chicago Pacific Founders, Marquee Dental Partners provides dentists with both the support and the clinical autonomy they need to succeed.

“By handling the administrative end of the practice, Marquee enables the dentists we support to focus on what truly matters: providing high quality oral healthcare services,” said Marquee Dental CEO James Usdan. “Marquee acquires the business aspects of the dental practices and enables the dentists to focus on personal interaction with patients rather than spending their hours on filing and accounting.”

Usdan is a seasoned leader who has served as CEO of three public companies and five private equity-backed firms. He brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare provider and multi-site management operations, including having led or served as a board member of four dental service companies. Joining Usdan are COO Christy Englehart, who has 25 years of dental operations experience, as well as Chief Dental Officer Dr. Steve Hecklin, CFO Luke Lamphron and Vice President of Business Development Les Matthews.

Along with easing administrative burdens, Marquee Dental can also assist dental practices in implementing new practice features such as specialists in orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics and oral surgery—providing patients with a one-stop-shop for all of their dental care needs.

“In addition to the attractive market dynamics of the dental industry, Chicago Pacific Founders saw an opportunity to partner with a highly skilled and proven team of executives,” said Mary Tolan, Founder and Partner of Chicago Pacific. “Under their leadership, Marquee is well-positioned to achieve operational excellence very rapidly by following a proven model for success.”

“Our goal,” said Vance Vanier, MD, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Chicago Founders, “is to differentiate ourselves clinically by treating our dentists as the key customer of Marquee.”

With a relatively stable reimbursement profile, the dental market in the United States was valued at more than $111 billion in 2012. That figure is expected to grow to $163 billion by 2020, driven in large measure by an aging population. These factors, coupled with a highly fragmented landscape and a relatively low risk profile, have led to a robust pipeline of acquisition opportunities for Marquee Dental Partners.

About Marquee Dental Partners
Marquee Dental is a premier dental support organization dedicated to making dentists and their patients the priority. By providing dentists with both the support and the clinical autonomy they need to succeed, Marquee enables them to focus their attention on providing the best oral healthcare services possible. Led by a team of highly accomplished industry veterans, the company was founded in 2015 with an investment of $35 million from Chicago Pacific Founders. For more information, visit www.marqueedentalpartners.com. 

About Chicago Pacific Founders
Chicago Pacific Founders (“CPF”) is a strategic healthcare investment fund focused exclusively on healthcare services, led by former healthcare CEOs and senior executives with a passion and track record of building healthcare businesses. CPF is actively looking to partner with organizations focused on delivering the highest quality of service to patients, providers and payers. The fund will invest up to $75 million of equity capital per opportunity in growth, minority recap and buyout transactions for cash flow positive businesses. CPF currently has investments in the senior living, behavioral health and dental industries.