Shore Capital Partners (“Shore Capital” or “Shore”) is pleased to announce that it has founded Southern Orthodontic Partners with the completion of a strategic partnership between Barbieri Orthodontics (“Barbieri”) and Reflections Orthodontics (“Reflections”). Together, Southern Orthodontic Partners consists of four orthodontic practices located in the Greater Nashville Area.

The Company has also developed a centralized executive and support infrastructure based in Nashville and led by CEO John Nelson, an experienced healthcare executive with a background in scaling multi-site healthcare businesses. Southern Orthodontic Partners works with orthodontic practices to provide expertise in finance, marketing, recruiting, benefits and other practice administration to allow orthodontists to focus on the maintaining the highest quality of patient care. Southern Orthodontic Partners continues to build its platform across the region with the goal of becoming the preeminent orthodontic services platform in the Southeast.

Shore Capital is thrilled to partner with Dr. Damon Barbieri and Dr. Scott Blackman, the owners of Barbieri and Reflections, respectively, and two of the most respected and well-known orthodontists in Tennessee. Drs. Barbieri and Blackman have distinguished themselves as leaders in the industry through their clinical quality and patient-centric approach to orthodontic care.

John Hennegan, Partner and Co-Founder of Shore Capital, said, “We could not be more excited to partner with Scott and Damon. Having established two world-class practices, they are experiencing significant growth and understand the value of a partnership like Southern Orthodontic Partners as they continue to augment their success.” He added, “we have been very impressed with the leadership of John Nelson and the strength of the team he has built.”

Dr. Blackman said, “I partnered with Shore because I am aligned with their vision for an orthodontist- focused organization and saw their track record of driving transformational growth in multi-site healthcare practices. As consumerism continues to drive change in healthcare, the time is ideal for a platform that will allow for competitiveness, growth and practice legacy, providing best-in-class transition strategies for orthodontists in all stages of their careers. Southern Orthodontic Partners is off to a great start and I have high aspirations for what we can achieve.”

Dr. Barbieri added, “I have been impressed with the resources that Shore and John Nelson have brought to the platform and their support for growth initiatives that I did not have the time to execute on my own”. He continued, “I am looking forward to expanding our patient care model through partnerships with other industry-leading orthodontists.”

“Building a best-in-class organization is made easier when your foundation is doctors like Damon and Scott, along with the high performing teams they have assembled at Barbieri and Reflections” said John Nelson, CEO of SOP. “We are well-positioned to grow and support our orthodontist partners as the healthcare industry transitions to a more consumer-oriented care model. While we must provide convenient and affordable care, we believe the orthodontist’s role is invaluable and clinical expertise will be the most critical aspect of treatment. Additionally, Shore has helped to bring together an exceptional board of directors consisting of industry thought leaders and orthodontists alike to guide our strategy and growth plan.”

Shore Capital and Southern Orthodontic Partners continue to invest in people and processes to support the operations, finance, accounting, human resources, and IT functions at their affiliated practices to allow the orthodontists to focus on clinical excellence and serving their communities.

The Company will pursue affiliations with independent orthodontic practices in order to build a network of top clinicians that maintains an orthodontist-led culture.

SOP represents the first platform investment out of Shore Capital Partners Fund III, L.P., a $293 million investment vehicle raised in April 2019.

To learn more about a partnership with Southern Orthodontic Partners, visit www.southernop.com or contact Kevin Ryan, Director of Business Development, kryan@southernop.com.

About Shore Capital

Shore Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap healthcare and food and beverage investments. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise, and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions, and generate value to shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant growth potential, including organic and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has more than $1 billion of equity capital under management through various investment vehicles. More information about Shore Capital Partners can be found at www.shorecp.com.