COOs serve a crucial role in aligning the clinical and operational needs at dental organizations.
Here are the COOs of the five largest DSOs in the U.S.:
DeAnn McClain. COO at Heartland Dental (Effingham, Ill.): Ms. McClain joined Heartland Dental in 1997 as an accountant and served in several roles with the company before being appointed COO and executive vice president in 2020.
Erich Reutzel. COO at The Aspen Group (Chicago): Mr. Reutzel joined The Aspen Group as the vice president of finance in 2018. He was promoted to COO in 2023, and now oversees operations for the organization’s 1,000+ offices.
Jon Thorne. COO and Senior Vice President of Operations at PDS Health: Mr. Thorne has been with PDS since its establishment in 1994, serving in multiple operations roles during the company’s growth.
Jon Prod and Lorilee Schmidt. COOs at Smile Brands: Mr. Prod oversees operations for Smile Brand’s Northeast and Midwest regions, while Ms. Schmidt oversees operations for the DSO’s Pacific West region.
Justin Carroll. COO at MB2 Dental: Mr. Carroll joined MB2 Dental as COO in 2014. He previously served as director of private equity at Highland Capital Management.