Smile Brands Inc. CEO Receives Dykema Dental Titan Award


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CEO Steven C. Bilt

I’m incredibly proud of how our team rallied to make sure that patients continued to have safe access to care and keep dental emergencies out of the ER.

Smile Brands CEO Steven. C. Bilt was honored to receive the Dental Titan Award at the 8th annual Dykema DSO Conference in Denver this week. Dykema, the leading law firm in dental services, created the Dental Titan Award to recognize individuals that have achieved extraordinary accomplishments and have made a profound impact on the industry.

Brian Colao, Director of Dykema’s Dental Service Organizations Industry Group, presented the award at the conference last Thursday afternoon.

“During a year when most businesses were simply trying to survive,” explained Colao, “Steve provided inspiring leadership to the entire dental industry, closed one of the biggest transactions of the year, established a platform to promote employee well-being and social justice, entered into an innovative partnership to provide greater access to patients for orthodontic treatment, and continued his philanthropic work through the Smiles for Everyone® Foundation. Dykema is honored to present Steve with the 2021 Dykema Dental Titan Award.”

Smile Brands, a leading dental support organization with nearly 700 affiliated practices across 30 states, has a deeply rooted culture founded on the company’s mission to deliver Smiles for Everyone®. Despite facing severe limitations on the ability to deliver dental care, Smile Brands persevered in 2020, delivering record earnings and dramatically increasing the company’s nationwide network with the acquisition of Midwest Dental.

“The dental industry faced an unprecedented crisis when the pandemic struck and forced the closure of most practices,” said Bilt. “I’m incredibly proud of how our team rallied to make sure that patients continued to have safe access to care and keep dental emergencies out of the ER. Our ability to quickly adapt put us in a position to support patients, providers, and employees throughout the crisis, and ultimately positioned us to make strategic acquisitions that will shape the future of the organization. It’s an honor to be recognized by Dykema after a crazy, unpredictable, and rewarding year.”

About Smile Brands

Smile Brands, based in Irvine, California, is one of the largest providers of dental support services in the United States. The company supports nearly 700 affiliated practices, with more than 7,500 dedicated team members across 30 states. Smile Brands supports a portfolio of over 75 brands including well-known regional brands: Bright Now! Dental, Castle Dental, Merit Dental, Midwest Dental, Monarch Dental, and Mondovi Dental. The company provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long-term agreements with affiliate dental groups, allowing affiliated practices to spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental office. The organization receives frequent recognition for its award-winning culture and has been on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work for three straight years. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. Visit smilebrands.com for more information.

About Dykema

Dykema serves business entities worldwide on a wide range of complex legal issues. Dykema lawyers and other professionals in 13 U.S. offices work in close partnership with clients – from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies – to deliver outstanding results, unparalleled service and exceptional value in every engagement.

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