Southern Orthodontic Partners has reached the Gateway to the West.

The Nashville-based practice management group backed by private equity firm Shore Capital Partners, has acquired three St. Louis-area orthodontic practice brands.

SOP said Thursday it has added Amazing Smiles Orthodontics, with locations in University City, Glen Carbon, Collinsville and O’Fallon, Illinois; Alizadeh & Schreiner Orthodontics in Chesterfield; and Unger Orthodontics, with offices in St. Peters and Perryville. The acquired brands, with six doctors across seven locations, are led by Dr. Jeff Mastroianni and Dr. Becky Schreiner, who merged the local businesses in 2017.

Schreiner will become SOP’s fourth board doctor and its first female member, while Mastroianni will join SOP’s Doctor Advisory Committee, officials said.

In SOP’s model, orthodontists retain their local brand and clinical autonomy as well as gain an ownership stake in SOP, while SOP provides operational and administrative support, according to its website. Chicago-based Shore Capital Partners, which has $2 billion in capital under management, launched Southern Orthodontic Partners in 2020.

The partnership in St. Louis, terms of which weren’t disclosed, marks SOP’s entry into Missouri and Illinois. The group now has 31 locations across seven states, with a total of 31 doctors and 16 individual practices.

“This group has developed their own capabilities with integrating partners, and they will provide SOP with additional expertise and experience,” SOP’s chief executive, John Nelson, said in a statement. “Becky and Jeff spent extensive time looking at many competing opportunities and were so very well informed around what makes SOP both special and a truly exciting place to partner.”

“The caliber of the executive team and partner doctors is impressive, but the culture is what ultimately drew us to this alignment,” Schreiner said in a release.

“In selecting a partner for my future, I wanted to see passion, culture, and a strong commitment to people. With SOP, I found this and so much more,” Mastroianni stated.

In addition to Mastroianni and Schreiner, doctors joining SOP with the new partnership include Drs. Julianne Ruppel, Julie McCray, Cyrus Alizadeh and Jim Unger. Ashlie Pinson, director of operations for the practices, also will join SOP, officials said.

View the original article on Nashville Business Journal.