Networking Proves Crucial to Small Lab Owner's Exit Plan

Bruce Keeling, CDT, knew there wasn't much of a market for a small laboratory that was dependent on its owner for its success. Although his four-person business in Phoenix had the reputation of being a boutique removable lab with a specialty in precision attachments and implants, he was the only one who did the setups and implant work. "When I started thinking about retirement, I knew I would have to merge with another laboratory or bring in a partner whom I could train to handle my technical work," he says.

Before he found the time to research those options, he was approached by a family that owned a few other laboratories and was interested in expanding into the Phoenix area. However, because of a death in the family, the deal never came to fruition.

At the time, Keeling was a member of Dental Services Group's affiliate program--a group of independent laboratories not owned by DSG but entitled to a number of membership benefits. Yet he never...