Our thoughts . . . 07-01-08
THANK YOU, EVAN – PART ONE
OK, OK! I know I’m a little late in changing "Thoughts," but the timing of this article was kind of important. Today is Mr. Myers’ first official day of retirement from EMA and we need to talk a bit about what he has meant to me, this company and the dental profession in the Midwest.
The story of how this company was started sounds a lot like one of those Inc. magazine "pick yourself up by your bootstraps success stories" that they love to profile each month. Evan had been in the dental industry for many years when Jerry Krause of Healthco-Krause asked him to start a practice sales, mergers and acquisitions department based in the Kansas City store. While exact dates escape me (although he could tell you to the day!), I know that department was active by 1987 because this is when he sold my first practice for me. All of this effort was in addition to his regular merchandise and equipment sales territory.
Healthco International floundered in the early 90s. In the last minutes before corporate bankruptcy in 1993, Evan purchased the assets of the practice sales department from his employer and started his own company, Evan Myers and Associates, out of his home. Now with over 200 practice sales and many more appraisals, associate and temporary dentist placements along with billed and unbilled consulting clients, I think it is safe to say that thousands across the Midwest have been touched by his hard work. In addition, Evan was a founding member of American Dental Sales (now ADS) along with our Midwest colleagues Tom Smeed and Guy Jaffe. This national organization was formed to ensure quality and ethical standards which were sorely needed in this industry. They must have been on the right track as ADS membership is generally credited with having the most annual practice sales of any group in the country. In addition to being the largest advertiser in Dental Economics magazine, the ADS transactional database is the standard by which practices are measured and valued.
When a failing elbow signaled the end of my chair-side career, I called upon Mr. Myers to sell my practice so that I could have some surgery and retire in peace. As he had done on numerous occasions (I bought two and sold three practices with his services), the sale was professionally handled and painless. After the sale, he made the offer for me to "give him a call" if staying at home got too boring. My "retirement" lasted just three weeks as 52 was just too young to sit at home and watch Oprah. I went to work for him in late June 2003, bought the company from him in 2004 and began our transition that culminated with June 30th being Evan’s last day under contract. The company name was changed to EMA Dental Practice Sales in December of 2007 primarily to market better across the internet. 2007 was our best year ever and 2008 may ultimately surpass that level of sales volume thanks to the groundwork and methods that were put in place fifteen years ago. Evan knew that there was no right way to do the wrong thing and that philosophy continues to work pretty well for us.
I believe that our transition has been a model worth sharing and that will be the focus of my next "Thoughts" article. I think that our 25 years plus relationship as client, colleagues and friends will have some relevant points for those on both sides of a practice transition.
I guess all of this is being said on a personal note but to be specific, it has been a great ride! It’s a wonderful thing to follow in the footsteps of someone as respected as Evan Myers. I’ve never had to make any excuses for anything he did and am proud of the work that he has done and we continue to follow in his example. This isn’t really "Good Bye" as our friendship continues, but rather just "Thanks". My family and I will always be grateful for the opportunity he gave us and we work hard to be worthy custodians of his legacy.
Steve Wolff, DDS
UMKC Class of 1977