Employee Spotlight: Erik Strang

Dec 29, 2020 | Company Culture, Dental Support Organization

Erik Strang headshot

Employee Spotlight: Erik Strang

 

Oakpoint is proud to have such a highly-skilled and experienced Chief Financial Officer as Erik Strang. Along with CEO Mick Janness, Strang helped launch Oakpoint in 2019 and became the CFO.

“When I first met Mick, I felt like this was a guy I wanted to go into business and build something with,” said Oakpoint CFO Erik Strang. “I was employee #2! Mick’s past experience helps him really connect with dentists and doctors and I bring the financial part to the company.”

Strang brings more than 15 years of financial and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experience to the Oakpoint team, including over six years of experience leading dental and physician services organizations. He served as business development director for one of the largest dental service organizations in the U.S. and helped lead the affiliation of multiple transactions involving over 50 practice locations.

After working in the dental space for seven years now, Strang truly understands the ins and outs of the business. “I worked for Great Expressions which is one of the largest DSOs,” said Strang. “I’ve talked to a lot of dentists and know why they want to take that next step right now. I know what they’re going through and what they want and need from us.”

He realized the need for running back office operations at dental practices. Like in many specialty fields, dental professionals excel at taking care of oral health but may not be as skilled or even happy about managing all the bookkeeping, payroll, and other administrative duties.

“I’m an accountant so I’m good at providing that piece of the business,” he said. “My financial background helps me take those burdens off their plate including the payroll headaches.”

Strang spent over ten years with Ernst & Young (EY) including seven years providing M&A consulting and diligence services to companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 50, across many industries. He is knowledgeable in giving businesses the support they need to be effective today and create long-term value for tomorrow.

By partnering with the Oakpoint team, practices gain someone to oversee not just their payroll, but their human resources, IT, regulatory compliance, marketing and more. “What appeals to doctors is the idea of building Oakpoint with us, they have a seat at the table,” said Strang. “It’s a true partnership with a collaborative environment. There’s no interruption in service and the practices all keep their brand and local identity.”

“Our doctor partners still maintain a lot of the ownership of the practice and we make decisions together,” added Strang. “We are growing and they’re growing with us.”

Strang was excited about helping start Oakpoint. “I liked the idea of building something from the ground up,” he said. “I always wanted to grow a company and be there from the very beginning. Our Oakpoint team is phenomenal and we are all clicking so well!”

Strang was recently featured in DBusiness, Detroit’s premier business journal, for their 30 in their 30s profiles. Top professionals, who have developed new services and cutting-edge business models while pivoting in uncharted waters, were selected for this honor.

“My favorite part of this journey is seeing where we have come in 15 months—we had to start up and then suddenly navigate COVID, but it’s still the most fun I’ve ever had in a job,” said Strang. “The DSO model is still relatively unique in the Carolinas and surrounding areas and there’s a lot of room for growth.”

Strang also talked about how quickly Oakpoint and their partners responded to the health crisis created by COVID-19. “Our doctors opened back up safely with no issues following our new safety protocols we created together,” he said. “We’ve built an incredible team at the DSO level and I really like the doctors that we’ve partnered with.”

When Strang isn’t meeting with his team or each dentist to review key operational issues, he spends time with his family and four-year-old daughter. Strang is also a huge sports fan and his favorite teams are Michigan State and the Detroit Tigers. He’s currently in a competition with his friends to be the first to see all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks. Once the pandemic is behind us, we are betting on Erik to win!