How does the trio of Drs. Jeffrey Minchau, Kent McBride and Spencer Stiles run MMS Endodontics practices across three states? Rapport, togetherness and giving back, for starters.

MINCHAU: MY FATHER WAS a dentist. I was amazed how he was able to help people at work and still be an active father at home. Fulfillment for me was being able to help people in a time of need—and being able to listen to good music while doing it.

McBride: My partner Jeff [Minchau] has had the biggest impact on my path. He was an endodontic resident when I was a student. It was refreshing to work with someone who had an amazing knack for patient rapport.

Stiles: Kent [McBride] was the largest influence on my own endodontic path. I admired his work and commitment and wanted to be a part of his team.

McBride: Lately, we’ve really defined our vision for the company. We’ve taken the time to imagine ourselves in three years and then very specifically define what things [will look] like. We then worked backward: What do we have to do in the next year to be on track? In the next 90 days? It has broken it down into bite-sized, manageable chunks.

Stiles: We believe that it’s uncommon for any group of people to buy in to the idea that it’s more fun, fulfilling and rewarding to risk failure together than to succeed apart, yet that’s the exact mindset that’s prevalent in our organization.

McBride: So many dentists are trying to wear every hat at their office. We feel a better model is to grow large enough to where we can hire the experts to support our doctors and staff. We also give a mission-trip allowance to our providers. We care deeply about the underserved and want our company as a whole to be very generous with our time, resources and skills.

Stiles: We’re only as good as our last case. We strive to make every patient walk out the door saying, “That was almost . . . fun!”

McBride: Our strategy boils down to, first, do the right thing for the patient. Second, surround ourselves with an amazing team. We’re blessed to work with a group of people that, like us, values team success over individual success. •

Drs. Jeffrey G. Minchau, Kent A. McBride and Spencer Stiles met at West Virginia University. All three doctors live in Morgantown, West Virginia. They’ve established four MMS Endodontics practices (mmsendo.com) and one periodontal practice (mmsperio.com) located variously in Cumberland, Maryland; Uniontown, Pennsylvania; and Morgantown. They’re currently expanding through their support company, Meridian Dental Solutions (meridiandentalsolutions.com).