“I will always place the mission first… I will never accept defeat… I will never quit.” An excerpt from the United States Soldier’s Creed, these words are more than just letters on a page. They are values by which to live, ideals by which to survive and a foundation by which to succeed. It’s an oath Dr. Anthony Green first swore in 2003, and a pledge that shaped him as a person, helping him grow into a better soldier, father and dentist.

I Will Always Place the Mission First. Dr. Anthony Green isn’t your everyday dental practitioner. During his residency, the budding New York City oral surgeon enlisted in the Unites States Army Reserves. Shortly thereafter, he was deployed for his first tour of duty. As an Army Captain in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, he honorably served his country, wholeheartedly conscious of the uncertain career path awaiting upon his return.

“Coming back from Kuwait was really what motivated me to go out and start my own practice,” Dr. Green recalls. “I came back and didn’t really have a job opportunity, so I decided to step out on a limb and do something that I had never considered before.”

Dr. Green returned from his tour with the confidence and resolve to start his own practice in the highly competitive New York market, knowing full well of the subsequent risk involved. Aligned with the values instilled while serving his country, Dr. Green wasn’t willing to settle for anything but achieving his practice’s maximum potential, as evidenced in his practice’s exponential growth in a matter of just three years. His practice grew top the point that the building he purchased upon returning from the Middle East could no longer meet his exceptionally high standards of care. “With an increased patient pool and referrals coming though more and more often, the space I had simply could not accommodate patients the way I wanted to."

“Coming back from Kuwait was really what motivated me to go out and start my own practice,” Dr. Green recalls. 

Dr. Green made yet another leap by calling in a team to create an ideal office to adequately serve his growing practice. His new space in Jamaica Queens needed more than just an updated office; he required a team he knew he could trust—a team that would keep the mission first. With that in mind, Dr. Green called on his long-time friend and Benco Equipment Specialist Jairo Castillo. Castillo presented all the options of which the doctor could take advantage to complement Benco’s wide equipment selection.

“Dr. Green basically wanted a bigger space,” Castillo recollects. “His waiting room and operatories were very small, and he needed more than just new equipment.” Castillo introduced Dr. Green to the Insite Design team to provide an efficient, dental-specific layout and Transitions Group North America to help Dr. Green put systems in place to ensure his now large practice would run more efficiently. With all the tools at his disposal, Dr. Green was positioned for a smooth, seamless move into a new office—until an unexpected twist of fate transformed Dr. Green back into Captain Green.

I will never accept defeat. “We had just signed the paperwork and hired a contractor,” Castillo recalls. “We were almost ready to begin selecting equipment, when he was redeployed back to Iraq.” Dr. Green had it all going for him: a new office, new equipment, a rapidly increasing patient base, not to mention a newborn baby boy. But it was all put on hold—or so he thought—when the country he had so loyally served called him away for a second tour of duty.

“It was stressful, but I think it was more so for my wife,” a nostalgic Dr. Green says. “My wife just had our baby, and I was activated when he was just three months old. We didn’t see it coming. My wife was caring for a new child and I was away. Then, on top of it all, she had to try and keep everything together with not just the new practice, but also the old, operational one.”

Dr. Green’s wife was the practice’s rock, instilling stability and harmony to a potentially chaotic situation. She met with contractors, vendors and Benco reps and techs to ensure the progress of her husband’s new office was never impeded. To help her, Castillo and his team of Benco experts stepped in to keep to the process moving, finalizing agreements for four operatories of Midmark equipment, cabinetry and sterilization.

A Coach For the Captain 

Based on his relationship with his Equipment Specialist, Jairo Castillo, Dr. Green was never hesitant about giving Transitions Group North America a try. “Because I moved into such a larger space, I was forced to take a look and pay more attention to growing the business,” Dr. Green says. “And because expenses increased, I could no longer do business as usual. Jairo (Castillo) introduced me to Transitions, and it has been working out excellently.”

While Dr. Green was on board with Transitions prior to his deployment to Iraq, he was unable to take advantage of the practice development company’s solutions until his return. “Between the move into a larger office and being activated to Iraq, we got off track for quite some time. Transitions came in and grounded us again.”

Dr. Green is proud to report that the systems and protocols put in place by Transitions Group North America have immensely improved the practice’s functionality and efficiency. In 2009, during one of our nation’s worst economic times, Dr. Green’s reported a 35% increase in gross revenue and 18% increase in revenue per hour as compared to pre-Transitions statistics.

“Transitions undoubtedly has us set up for a brighter future. In the midst of 2009, which was a difficult time for everyone across the board, they came in when I needed them the most,” Dr. Green credits. “There was a time I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seemed bleak and dismal; but here I am in this new, larger office. Because of the tools and systems Transitions put in place, I can see and project that this year is going to be amazing!