Henry Schein to Acquire Becker-Parkin
Posted by dentalinsider on June 4, 2007
MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC – News), the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement which will enable it to acquire the full-service and special markets business of Becker-Parkin Dental Supply Co., a privately held company. The transaction is expected to be completed in July. Becker-Parkin’s full-service business offers customers consumable dental products and equipment through field sales representatives, and the company’s special markets business serves corporate dental customers with multiple offices and centralized purchasing. Combined, Henry Schein estimates these two businesses will contribute approximately $40-45 million in revenue in its first full year. Henry Schein expects the acquisition to be neutral to 2007 EPS and slightly accretive to 2008 earnings. This excludes a pretax gain of approximately $2 million in 2007, which will be realized upon the disposition of certain businesses of Becker-Parkin. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“This is an exciting development in the continued growth of our U.S. Dental business,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “This acquisition will expand and increase penetration for Sullivan-Schein Dental in key markets, including New York, Florida and Arizona, as well as continued leveraging of our existing infrastructure. We look forward to welcoming the approximate 25 full-service and special markets sales representatives of Becker-Parkin to Henry Schein.”About Becker-Parkin Dental Supply Co.
Becker-Parkin Dental Supply Co. was established over 70 years ago in New York City and grew to be a premium dental distributor serving New York City dentists. In the 1970s, the company added an equipment and service department, and began to expand its scope from regional to national. The company has grown to become one of the leading dental supply and equipment companies in the United States.
DI
Technorati Tags: Dental, dentistry, Dental Insider Blog, Henry Schein, Becker-Parkin
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Ricklin said
Well there’s one we all saw coming. Word around the campfire is that Schein had a significant stake in BP for years prior to this deal.
DentalDiva said
With the recent acquisition of the field sales reps of Becker-P by Schein, is anyone wondering where the telesales staff are going? Darby LLC has purchased the telesales staff. Last year, Schein bought Darby’s field sales division. Is it just me, or is it weird that Schein and Darby are now splitting the sale of Becker-P? So who owns Darby anyway? Sounds like another Accu-Bite/Patterson affair to me.
cloudofdust said
How can Darby taking over BP’s inside sales sound like an AccuBite/Patt deal? Patterson took over AB and then dumped the inside people. Darby is strictly inside sales and they are obviously expanding. Schein has no stake in Darby, but it does seem as if they are partnering up to squeeze out the competition.
kp said
So now that this is finally happening, how pissed are BP customers going to be when Schein pulls the deep discount pricing BP offers off the table. Now that it’s no longer privately owned, they will not be able to keep the low margins they have been getting on sundries.
Better for the Patterson’s, and Benco’s it seems.
kp said
So now I read an article http://www.sys-con.com/read/384051.htm that says that Darby bought the telesales unit of Becker Parkin. What exactly is happening here? I am a little slow so please spell it out. Are they colluding? Are they the same company? If so then is Schein on public record with the ownership, and is Darby really not a private company? Why would Schein want to have Darby/ BP’s low margins on the books?
What is the difference between the tele sales and the “full-service and special markets business of privately-held Becker-Parkin Dental Supply Co.”
Plus both Darby and Schein announced on the same day. Does that mean anything?
so much for my theory of the bargain pricing and low margins going out the window.
Miss Kad said
Well, look at the history of Schein’s other purchases. Some have been acquired and integrated right away, along with laying people off. Other’s were acquired but remained on their own, continuing to hire people for that division and just sent their money to Schein before actually integrating reps later on. Time will tell! But I would bet that telesales will only be the people who will take your orders when you call in.
cs said
pretty sad and pathetic industry that this has become! In the end it is the customer that gets the big shaft ,by once again having to go threw change.But hey what do big busineses care when it comes to THE ALMIGHTY $$$$. They dont plain and simple. The whole thing is a discusting mess! Fed up!
cloudofdust said
A multi-million (if not billion) dollar industry is sad and pathetic because a supplier or manufacturer here and there can’t cut the cake? Pass the knife!
kp said
“Time will tell! But I would bet that telesales will only be the people who will take your orders when you call in.”
This is part of my question that I hope someone can answer. Is Darby just getting the employees? or are they getting the business? And why would Darby have one part if Schein has the rest.. assuming they are not the same company?
confused about the deal.
kp said
I just spoke to one of my doctors who recently just opened her office with Becker Parkin equipment and supplies. She spoke to her equipment guy today and he told her that Schein got the equipment business and Darby got the supplies. That is all she relayed that he had said to her. She is in North Jersey.
jd said
Ok to clear up the confusion here we go. Schein basically acquired the outside sales reps, equipment reps, and reps who handled the very large group practices. Darby acquired the approximately 60 telesales reps and their business.
Darby Dental and Schein are two seperate companies, neither owning a piece of the other. This was a co-ordinated effort between Darby and Schein to spit up Becker Parkin, and take the pieces which fit best into their current business model.
An interesting follow-up question is whether deal was orchestrated when Darby sold its other divisions at the bargain basement price last year. Thoughts on this?
BGLebowski said
Bigger question is Darby Group is now Darby Dental LLC. Who are the members of this LLC? Is it just Darby? Who are other owners?
EXBP said
As a now EX BP employee I can now say….I hope B.S. chokes on his millions. They were always a second rate company with no direction. They did nothing but piss off a lot of dentists for a very long time, and take advantage of each employee. And as far as there management is concerned….we all hope that J.L. will now know what it is like to be worried about $$$$. FINALLY….death to a cancer that effected us all!!!! DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!!!!
dentalinsider said
This is from my source at Darby…
“Yes, Darby is still a privately owned company and Schein has absolutely no stake in us. Period.”
***********************************
Bigger question is Darby Group is now Darby Dental LLC. Who are the members of this LLC? Is it just Darby? Who are other owners?
If Schein was a silent partner in the LLC, they would have to disclose it and I can’t seem to find anything tying them to the LLC. Maybe one of our many readers from the financial firms on Wall St. can do a little research and find an answer.
DI
DentalDiva said
In response to DI….
No source at Darby would be able to tell you the truth….Schein is a public company, But Darby is LLC….Patterson lied to everybody about their plans for AccuBite, even to the AccuBite employees. If Schein and Darby are planning something together, any leaked information would screw the deal. They aren’t going to tell the truth when MILLIONS of dollars are at stake.
There has to be some sort of plan involved here. Have we seen all of the phases yet?
Phase 1: Schein buys Darby lab,service,medical which combined posted earnings of 219 MILLION, but were purchased for a mere 51 million. HUH??? What kind of business sense is that?? Darby changes it’s name to DarbyLLC, meaning they no longer have to post ANY KIND OF INFORMATION to the public. Why?
Darby then moves their headquarters DOWN THE HALL so Schein can move into their old space!! I have spoken to a former Darby employee who said they had to call SCHEIN to contact their DARBY purchasing agent about three or four months after the sale. Why would that be?
Phase 2: Becker Parkin is sold to both Darby and Schein on the SAME DAY. Other posts have suggested that they “collaborated” in the sale. Here’s a question: Has anybody ever heard of McDonalds and Burger Kind “collaborating” to shut down Arbys?!?! It doesn’t happen.
Phase 3: We don’t really know what phase 3 is yet. Or if there is going to be one. My hunch is that Darby LLC will be shut down in the next year or so.
Welcome to the world of Patterson and Schein. Screw the little guy!
kp said
DI – is that all the info you got from your source?
EXBP- Are all of the supply customers being funneled to Schein or Darby?
Dental Guy said
It’s possible that Schein could have an agreement to sell Darby merchandise at reduced costs… Isn’t this what got Becker Parkin in debit to Schein in the first place?
Darby Dental is very focused on “growing” their business. That’s the wording they are using through their people. Reps from Lanmark say that Darby is just a small company trying to focus on growing their business. Darby has also signed agreements with numerous practice consultants to promote them. It’s somewhat similar to the DEXIS advertising approach. Have you noticed all the ads Darby has been running in the magazines? Prior to the sale of Darby’s divisions to Schein, I never once saw a Darby ad. In fact, most people would say they are too cheap to advertise. Now, they run quarter page ads with a very high frequency.
It makes me wonder if SmartPractice is ever going to stir the pot and do something splashy, but they seem content to stay to themselves.
DJ said
I spoke to an ex BP employee who had to interview with Schein for his job. He was told he only sells one third of what he actually produces and offered him 1/2 his salary at BP.
I can’t see BP hiding sales. So is Schein trying to pick up reps cheap or is something “fishy” about?
Associate Q said
I have one question. Do McDonald’s and Burger King share offices? Becuase Darby and Schein do. Take a trip to 300 Jericho Quadrangle and see what you find.
This is a weird situation and only getting stranger.
I think everyone should take a step back and just look at what is happening. When the dust settles on this situation, and it could be many, many months before we see what is really happening, we will be left with fewer dealers. Hence custoemrs will be left with fewer options. The dental market will be a choice between Schein and Patterson. Benco just doubled in value, so it is only a matter of time before they cash out.
This is one more reason to support your local dealers, because the fix is in.
EXBP said
KP-Ihave no idea about customers being funneled any where. Supply reps are being told to contact all customers and explain that this will be a seemless integration. YEAH RIGHT! The only thing seemless is the deposit into B.S.’s checking account!
Be patient. There is a rougue dealer on there way to the east coast. Gonna really stir things up. I cant wait to see the fallout.
As far as alll the other EXBP’s not many have signed on the Schein dotted line yet. One thing is for sure…there are plenty of equipment reps in the NY area with very few places left to go. I guess that was B.S.’ one last “F” up the a$$ to all his employees. Yup….one big happy family. BTW everyone….has anyone considered the Danaher factor?
DentalMan said
To those who wonder about the Schein/Darby connection, here is a quote from an article I found:
“In June 2006 Schein bought three divisions of Jericho, NY-based rival Darby Group Cos. for $51.5 million in cash.”
…so I would assume that one hand knows what the other hand is doing in the Schein/Darby connection or office sharing arrangement… does this mean that indirectly Schein now owns the BP telesales group too???? (just under the Darby umbrella) to keep the low margin sales off Schein’s books???
Here’s the article: http://multichannelmerchant.com/news/scheil-becker-deal-06052007/
Associateq said
First, I just want to say I think it is great to see all the posts here and to see that everyone is staying interested in what is happening. I am excited the site is doing well and that it is just not 2 people bantering back and forth.
Keep all the posts coming. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions or give the information. This needs to be an open forum and if Becker Parkin reps are getting shafted people should know.
If a company is playing dirty pool then why would you as a customer, employee, supplier, etc, etc want to do business with this company? This is not a slam against any company in particular, although if the mold fits….
EXBP I hear you on the Danaher factor, but they are a conglomerate and run differently than most dental companies. I mean they are fresh to dental all things considered.
THE REAL QUESTION IS….
HAS ANYONE CONSIDERED THE DENTSPLY FACTOR? ONE OF THE LARGEST DENTAL MANUFACTURERS IN THE WORLD.
Watch for more and more manufacturers to jump ship and start selling direct. Schein is putting the Wal-Mart squeeze on and that crap won’t fly in this industry, at least with most manufacturers.
Also watch out, because the larger they are the harder they fall. We could easily have another HealthCo situation on our hands. I know, I know different times and circumstances. But if Schein gets in over their head or gets nailed to the wall then they might be over-extended and get caught with their pants down. Right now they are leaving themselves wide open to get picked off by dealers that go out and work hard. They can’t lower their prices (at least under the Schein name) and I hear the same complaint over and over, Schein charges over MSRP and they are not competitive on price. Yea they have everything under the sun, until manufacturers tell them where to stick it, so that will keep them going for now.
You would be blind to not see what is happening. If Schein can’t beat them, then they buy them. What does that tell us long term? Prices will increase with less competition. If it boils down to PDCO and HSIC then expect prices to go up, up, up and away. Where are you going to turn. That is why you need to support your local dealer while they are still around. And no, I don’t work for a dealer.
As a side note my thoughts are with all the Becker Parkin people who are hanging in the wind. I know some good people from BP, and I think it sucks when someone works their ass off and then something like this happens. Don’t bend over for those Melville suits!
BGLebowski said
Earlier post is correct. A public company cannot also be an LLC. However, they can make investment in many types of ventures. As long as its not material it doesn’t have to be disclosed….Didn’t Schein allegedly have a stake in Axis a few years ago until they were “outed”? Companies can make loans to anyone. As Deep Throat once said “follow the money” and the legal documents as they are posted and can be found online….you just need to dig deeper. Somone may find something very soon.
kp said
Is all of this legal? Are there anti-trust, and collusion laws that come to play on these sort of things?
Any lawyers out there?
X-BP EMPOYEE said
I know from someone very high up (I mean just alittle lower then the salzmans) That next year Schein will officially take over Darby. The BP reps that signed the Darby contracts just signed their jobs away because Schein will take their accounts & they will be fired. Its just like the Dental Mob. Thats why Im taking my million dollar file to a smaller company & if they go under well then Ill move on like I always do. I worked at Darby also & I will never go back there.
Dental Guy said
As for the Danaher comments, here’s what I do know. It’s somewhat odd becuase Danaher has repeatedly sent mixed messages as a result of its actions.
At the first Patterson sales meeting that Danaher attended, Patterson welcomed them and pretty much said, “this is how we do things,” and the Danaher people responded by saying, “Oh really? This is how we plan to do things.” So, it raised a few eyebrows, but the KaVo people really liked working with the Patterson people like Scott Anderson. Then rumors started to fly that Danaher was upset that the dealers put such a squeeze on their profits. At the same time, Danaher purchased DEXIS and Pelton Crane. Although Patterson was not too pleased that Danaher planned to sell digital sensors directly, the final straw was the details of the agreement between Pelton Crane and Schein were released during the acquisition. Patterson was so up in arms over the info they found out, they dropped KaVo from preferred status. Danaher then got mad and pretty much ended their relationship with Patterson. Then, Danaher goes out and purchases Sybron during this saga, but it does not appear that Syrbon has being stiring the pot as much as Danaher’s equipment divisions.
One of the rumors was that Patterson dropped KaVo from preferred status becuase of their relationship at A-dec. However, people at Danaher said it had nothing to do with A-dec. KaVo’s handpieces were not Patterson’s top selling handpieces, but they did a tremendous amount of business. In losing preferred status, it meant that Patterson reps pretty much had no incentive to sell KaVo’s handpieces.
Danaher was pleased with Schein because it was in a position to make decisions on a global level with its European and Austraila divisions. As for Schein, the selling of the Dentrix imaging software to DEXIS seemed to solidify whatever was going on there. My original response was, well Schein owns Dentirx what’s the big deal?, and the rumor from Danaher was that Schein DID NOT own all of Dentirx. So, who owns all of Dentrix? Another insteresting question!
But back to BP and Darby. Maybe Danaher had a role in this, but I find it doubtful.
Associateq said
Dental Guy that is some very interesting insight and really is something to think about. Getting dropped from PDCO preferred status is a body blow, whether Danaher likes it or not. However, it is still my feeling that many, many manufacturers are going to continue expand their own sales forces and take more business direct. If they sell it, then they sell it. If a dealer sells it, then a dealer sells it. It keeps the dealer honest and the prices down. In this industry, especially on the lab side with only roughly 12k businesses, it is easy to manage since you are talking around of 150k customers. It is different than selling to the generally public of 250 million.
I will say one other thing about one of your comments in regards to the international scene. Schein is trying to buy there way into overseas business but every time they make a move they are met with resistance. Specifically in the Euroland. I will say this, neither Schein or Danaher (the mothership, not the companies they bought) has a good reputation on the international dental scene. Schein is trying to make headway in China and the last I was told they were not doing well. They can’t take their business model anywhere but the US because they are marking things up too high. The trend in Europe is one of manufacturers selling direct or only offering dealers 10%, especially on equipment.
We all know in the end it is about who can deliver, and Schein can keep buying and buying but if they don’t start selling then they will get passed by, or at least caught up to. I mean sure BP was 50 million, what the hell is that to a company doing 6 billion? I guess when you add them all up it counts, plus they get all the BP reps to sign and then lock them out if they quit. That is really what they are buying, they are buying everyone out of the way. Trust me, the most important thing to them is always the non-compete agreement.
kp said
as far as I know, Dentrix/Dexis sells independently of Schein reps. they are supposedly owned by Schein but the sales forces and support are different companies, whereas Patterson has all divisions and all support under one roof.
small potato said
let’s tell the truth here-schein is the parent company- darby is under schein’s umbrella and barry cashed out. i dont blame him -i would have done the same thing–the sad part is that the little people who worked at bp are the ones that get hurt. this now leaves a void in the northeast which will only make the existing dealers that are run well to grow! change can be good “life is change , those who adapt succeed”
kp said
Q – you are right on.
I still am not convinced though that Schein is necessarily going to get the lions share of the BP biz that they are buying. Mainly due to the fact that BP’s margins are very low. Those customers won’t take kindly to Schein’s price increase. They are more likely to go to Darby, (assuming that Schein has no stake in Darby)or Newark/Pemco to keep in the same price range or other discount internet suppliers.
Patterson’s moving Kavo off the preferred status was a necessary business move to show Danaher that they need to protect their interests.
Becker Parkin Sold To Henry Schein « The Dental Implant Blog said
[…] Parkin Sold To Henry Schein A very interesting article is up at Dental Insider regarding this latest acquisition. Lots of information in the comments as industry insiders weigh […]
EXBP said
Hey X-BP….just out of curiosity…who could be any lower than a Salzman???? Sorry…a little attempt at humor. There is NO ONE else under the Salzman’s that would ever be considered a reliable source. Everyone that is NOT in the “know” thinks they have a friend…a source….an inside track. Those same people all said that Patterson was buying Benco 2 month’s ago. Plain truth is…all we can do is speculate. The landscape of the dental business is forever changing. Unfortunaltly, it looks as though we truly are heading towards a McDonald’s Burger King type business. So where the heck is Wendy’s (ie: Pearson) to save the day on the East Coast????
Thomas said
No one has mentioned the shear volume of backdoor wholesale business that Becker-Parkin was doing ($$$ millions). I don’t think that Schein will continue that operation…will they? This whole thing has a funky smell to it.
TJ
kp said
I talked to another doctor today that has dealt with BP for 7 years she relayed that Darby purchased the customer base (i.e. supply biz), and all Schein is getting is the equipment and the service tech biz. This is the 2nd doc to state this to me. Somehow though this does not come through the official press releases. Why wouldn’t Schein want the supply business? and if they are not linked to Darby, why would they let Darby have it?
What are the chances that Schein secretly owns Darby and that after Darby absorbs the BP customers and lulls them into false security of low prices etc, that they then pull the rug out and gobble Darby?
The same office told me that the owner (Salzman) is already on a month long excursion to China. I got the impression it was plasure not business. Cash out and take off. What a great message.
Apparently BP just had some sort of company event in Vegas a week or two ago as well. A big rah rah and then they come home to no jobs and a sellout.
In other Schein news today related to a previous post about their international efforts, they are trying to buy up practice management software in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Henry Schein Announces Its Intent to Offer to Acquire Software of Excellence Limited
Monday June 11, 4:15 pm ET
Acquisition Would Establish Leading Positions in the UK, Australian and New Zealand Dental Practice Software Market
MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC – News), the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, today announced its intent to make an offer to acquire Software of Excellence International Ltd. (NZX: SOE), a New Zealand publicly listed company with revenue from continuing operations of approximately $19.1 million for its year ended March 31, 2007. Henry Schein intends to offer NZ$2.70 per share to Software of Excellence shareholders, after payment of a dividend of NZ$.03 per share. The combined offer price and dividend represents a 27% premium based on the closing price of SOE shares on April 27, 2007, the last trading day prior to when Software of Excellence made public the disclosure of a potential acquisition. If completed, the total purchase price excluding transaction costs will be NZ$77.2 million (approximately $58.0 million), and is expected to be paid in cash. Henry Schein expects the proposed transaction to be neutral to 2007 earnings and slightly accretive to 2008 earnings.
Software of Excellence has been delivering innovative clinical and practice management solutions to Dental professionals since 1988, and now serves a customer base of more than 5,000 practices in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Software of Excellence is a leading supplier of practice management systems to both private and public health dentists in the United Kingdom, and is also the largest supplier of dental software in Australia and New Zealand.
“Software of Excellence is well respected in these markets and will be an important addition to Henry Schein’s current technology platform, enhancing the value-added services proposition to our customers,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “Our intention would be to have the management team of Software of Excellence join Henry Schein and keep Software of Excellence’s existing infrastructure substantially intact.”
Henry Schein has today delivered a formal takeover notice to Software of Excellence, which commences the takeover process under New Zealand takeover rules. Investors representing approximately 23% of the outstanding shares and mandatory convertible notes of Software of Excellence, including Chief Executive Officer Brian Weatherly, and the company’s largest shareholder, have entered into a lock-up agreement under which they have agreed to accept this offer. The offer will be subject to the receipt of acceptances sufficient to provide Henry Schein with 90% or more of the voting rights in SOE.
Sarah said
Just a couple of clarifications here if I may …
KP – BP did not go to Las Vegas for a last rah … rah … Their national sales meeting was scheduled to start the Wednesday after the announcement on Monday …
Associateq – I’m surprised at your wealth of knowledge – Schein pricing over MSRP … not all products are listed above MSRP … how could you mention that if you don’t have access to all manufacturer’s info. Be careful not to inflate issues here. You obvisously don’t like Schein which is okay but to misquote … well you know …
Associateq said
Sarah –
Let’s not start this type of bickering, this discussion has been good and quite a bit of info is coming out during these posts.
All I was saying is that I hear the same complaint over and over from offices and laboratories that buy from Schein – Zahn – Darby or whatever you want to call them. That complaint is that Schein charges over what MSRP is as set by the manufacturers. To be honest with you I hear the same complaint about other dealers, including Patterson. Obviously Schein prices some things higher and some lower. I am not saying that across the board they charge, say 10% over MSRP. What I am saying is that these complaints coupled with the fact that I talk to people within Schein and they talk about how they have margins that must be met, regardless of any other facts or pricing.
I don’t necessarily view this as a terrible thing either, because this helps to get the pricing up across the industry. Margins have been trampled on until both dealer and manufacturers were working on tighter margins than ever. Over the past couple years this has reversed a bit and it is a good thing. True stocking dealers that support a product line have to make a certain amount of money to exist, or they basically end up like many of these companies that have sold out.
Also, to set the record straight I do not dislike the company Henry Schein, Inc. I do however dislike certain people who work at that company and think they need to take courses in business ethics. There are other people within Schein that will tell you the same thing. I know too many people, whom I consider friends, that have been screwed over by certain people within the company that it just sick.
This is not to say that these things do not happen at other companies, or that “it’s just business”. But I guess I operate under a different set of morals than these people. The way a person treats others as well as their core values are what define them. I don’t even want to get started on this topic, I think we can all see the writing on the wall and see the actions that they have taken publicly and those that have happened privately, that have been talked about on this board and others. It is your decision whether you feel these actions are OK or not.
But thank you Sarah for bringing these issues to the forefront and allowing me to clarify myself. Hopefully we can keep the discussion on a professional level, and not allow the posts to fall to the level of bickering and nit picking.
Please keep the posts coming.
Ledger said
What is the story on Pearson ?Why aren’t they on the east coast or midwest ?
EXBP said
KP…just to clarify…Barry Salzman was in Melville yesterday. Not at the great wall. I have NO love for the man, but there is no reason to turn this into a “rumor mill”. There is so much of that going around as it is. I agree…I would have done the same thing. Cash out that is. However, I think we all would have done it differently. Maybe with a little more heart and caring. It is sad to see so many of my ex-coworkers that have been with BP since the begining about to get royaly screwed. 8 weeks severance for 20+ years of employment???? Real nice. Talk about cashing out!!!!
The next to fall will be Benco. And at the end of it all…..the DDS is the one who will lose.
Mary Frances said
That’s a pretty good question. I sent my resume a few years ago to Pearson and a letter asking if they were interested in opening something on the East Coast. I never was able to get to anyone worth talking to on the phone about that situation.
Dental Guy said
Maybe you could have more luck with Atlanta Dental. Gary Kirkus seems to be a fairly apporachable person.
kp said
I stand corrected on my previous points. I don’t mean to cloud the issue.
JimmyJ said
Ledger – At one time Pearson had a store in both Florida and Texas, not sure if they still do or not. They are strong on the west coast though, not really sure about the size of their lab business.
Mary Frances – You dont know how lucky you are that you couldnt get a response from Pearson. Pearson is owned by an Iranian family and from what I have heard from past employees, they are tough to work for. I have also heard that they have some issues regarding customer service. Hope that helps
JJ
Associate Q said
From what I understand Pearson has retreated to California, and why not it is the 8th largest economy. Plus, they are involved in other businesses and I get the feeling that dental takes a back seat sometimes.
I know they were supposed to or did open a warehouse in the Orlando area, but I never heard much after that. I know on the lab side it just seems like they quit worrying about everything but California.
Yes, Benco will go next but how will they go? If anyone thinks the Cohen’s will lay down your crazy. If anything they are out right now looking to buy.
But alas in the end the DDS is the one who loses out. Higher prices, less selection and take it or leave it attitude.
shhhh said
I am being harrased to sign with Darby from BS. I mean literally harassed.
I am somewhere else where I am HAPPY. If Schein takes over the world then I’ll worry about it when the time comes. Life is so short everyone should really think before they sign on the dotted line. If you have a file that writes 500,000 a year you can always find someone else to work for.
My philosophy is One door shuts & another one opens. Its worked for me these past 15 years in this industry & I am happy!!!
DentalDiva said
Benco, Darby, Schein, Patterson….we’ve all heard those names a million times, and from all accounts, they are all pretty much interchangable at this point. You’re either Schein or Patterson or owned by Schein or Patterson. That’s all she wrote.
I see everybody mentioning Pearson on the East Coast, but there is already another company that covers the entire country the way AccuBite used to, Dental Health Products out of Wisconsin. Has anybody checked them out as a more reliable alternative to Becker/Darby/Schein?
kp said
Benco, from a very good source,(much better than my BP story) is not going anywhere. Chuck won’t have it.
Leventhal may have the potential to be bought, but not Benco.
EXBP said
Hey Shhhh….dont EVER listen to B.S. He is the LAST person on earth you would ever want to take any advice from. Wait…I take that back. J.L. is the last one. Stick to what you know best. Sales. If you are who I think you are….you know the right thing to do. Just trust me when I tell you…dont trust a thing that comes out of a Salzman’s mouth. Not one of them. Yes…I’m a little bitter.
dentalinsider said
KP- I’ll second that! Benco will stay independent and not fall to PDCO or HSIC. I think Leventhal is safely in the independent corner as well. My next guess for a take out……….
Wait for it……………………………………..
SmartPractice, Inc
DI
teresaduncan said
FYI: released from the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4883451.html
Schein CEO Sells 10K shares:
NEW YORK — The chairman and chief executive of Henry Schein Inc., a distributor of healthcare products and services, sold 100,000 shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
In a Form 4 filed with the SEC Monday, Stanley M. Bergman reported he sold 100,000 shares Friday for $52.49 to $52.85 apiece.
Rick Lindquist said
Hmm……
Stanley Bergman sells 100 K shares of Schein, Pete Frechette also sold 100 K shares of Patterson in the last couple of weeks.
dentrep said
According to the story Bergman sold 10k shares and Frechette sold 15K.
dentrep said
Frechette also sold 85K the day before.
dentrep said
My apologies, the headline says 10k and the article says 100K. Either way it’s a lot of money or a hell of a lot of money.
teresaduncan said
Weird – the title says 10K shares then the story states 100K shares sold. The press release itself is incorrect. Here’s the actual filing – looks like it is 100K shares sold.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=74322&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2NjYm4uMTBrd2l6YXJkLmNvbS94bWwvZmlsaW5nLnhtbD9yZXBvPXRlbmsmaXBhZ2U9NDk5MDAxMSZhdHRhY2g9T04=
exABDS said
How reliable can DHPI be with only one whse, how can they effectively supply there customers.
I guess my point is. Take care of your customers no matter who you work for or who’s ever umbrella your under. In the end it doesn’t even matter.
exBUSA said
TJ
You are 100% correct Beckers, off shore/grey biz. is got to be a big part of the SSD decision.I’ll bet this part of their biz ‘Beckers’ was 40% of what they did in sales.
Best of luck to all the ex Becker people,Remember the only one in a hurry to find you a new job, is you. Take advantage of your friends and industry contacts.
Dental Guy said
Dental Health Products is a friendly organization. They are from Wisconsin after all! Have you ever met a mean cheesehead???? Oh wait, Sullivan-Schein is also up there.
teresaduncan said
So let me get this straight – the big dental supply players are: Schein, Darby, Patterson and Benco. I know there are lots of regional companies but are these the major national companies?
Sarah said
AssociateQ … appreciate the clarification.
Ledger said
Unfamiliar with Pearson dental.Anyone have accurate info on them?
RK said
Im not sure if my last post went through. It seems that people in our industry love to gossip. It also seems that some people think that they knowthe identity of people on this blog. For the record: RK is not “EXBP”. This is the first time I have visited this site let alone posted anything. Before people spread rumors, they should consider the potential hurt and damage that it could cause. I apologize to anyone that was lead to believe otherwise. Keep the topics relevant. Or simply use your real name. How on earth could I possibly know the where abouts of Barry when I havent worked there in 2 weeks? Good luck to all of my friends.
shhhh said
I am so HAPPY I am out of all this corporate crap!!! Smaller company smaller problems!!!! Which makes the reps a lot more happier,which makes the rep want to work harder, which means larger orders and getting new accounts a lot more frequently!!!! So have fun all you Darbyites because when the **** hits the fan remember that sometimes rumors ARE true & you should never get so comfortable & think your safe because my friends “The Woolf is Always at the Door”
glebur said
I’m new to this blog, but I’m also a 35 year veteran of the dental retail world. It was interesting to read a few comments about DHPI(Dental Health Products). In my storied past, I’ve worked for both Darby and Benco. DHPI, especially for inside sales people, offers a better chance at life than ANY other major player.
The owners at DHPI are firm, but fair, and don’t cut your territory in half just because you’re doing great and making “too much” $. Sure, they expect a return on their investment, but they don’t screw their employee’s. DHPI is now around #8 in dental sales in the U.S. In my particular market segment, we’re #2, second only to Schein(who isn’t?). If you’ve been screwed in the dental industry, look into DHPI. I’m here 6 years, and I have a larger business than when I was at Benco at 9 years. The major difference between the Robert’s Brothers at DHPI and the Cohen Brothers at Benco? While the Cohen’s are ruthless, the Robert’s are fair. Your replies and comments are welcome. GLeBur
repairguy said
how did this stop? love to read this stuff, maybe the dental insider just ran out of space, hoping to read more and more about this bp fallout and see how schein treats the salesstaff that has to merge with what has been a nasty lil battle over cotton rolls…..better then the soaps
jbsmiles said
DARBY GIVES THE LOWEST PRICES, THE BEST SERVICE, 1-2 DAY DELIVERY!
PS SHCEIN HAS NOTHING AT ALL TO DO W/ DARBY!
Ledger said
What’s up with Tri State Dental ? Rumor has it that they are about to expand big time ?
Miss Kad said
I guess the Darby Schein issue has to do based on divisions. As far as I know Schien accuired the Darby Lab division, as the Darby Lab reps work with Zahn now. Some Darby reps stayed and some didn’t.
So to say that Darby has nothing to do with Schein isn’t really accurate.
Associateq said
What is Spencer-Mead Dental Wholesalers? 865 Merrick Ave?
And Darby Dental Supply, Inc? 100 Rockville Center Rd?
You know what, New York is looking more and more like the backwoods or Kentucky. Real incestuous. Everyone screwing everyone. And they are all a bunch of East Coast slime balls.
You probably notice I have not had much to say lately, well it is because there is not much to say. I am tired of the negative crap and there simply is nothing positive to report. Just everyone screwing everyone else over, and big dealers squeezing manufacturers for more and more profit. But really only so they can whore their products out for cheaper than others because customers are jumping ship like it is going to the bottom. Makes me sick, and actually make me think back to a simpler time. When people actually worked hard and we rewarded well.
P.S.S. Schein has everything to do with Darby and that is my OPINION. Unless you are a part of the family owning Darby, or are in acquisitions at Schein then you can not say without any certainty that this has nothing to do with that, you can only express your opinion. I know that the head of Darby Lab had no clue about the Schein takeover until days before it was announced. Heck, I think (only because of a big mouth acquaintance) that I knew before she did.
By the way there really is no Zahn left. It is all Darby management. Rita’s two cousins running the NY center and all the other locations are managed by Darby people. I am not even sure how many Zahn inside reps are left at this point. I do know customers HATE these moronic Darby Reps becuase they don’t know an impression tray from a porcelain tray. But that is not their job, their’s is only to whore out product, offer free shipping, lull the customer into a sense of feeling good about it and then 6 months go by and WHAM!!!! There goes your free shipping, there goes your discount. Big and small, they are doing it to anyone they can.
Be smart and do your homework. Better to find a trustworthy rep that won;t screw you over than to have to watch your bill like a hawk every time it comes in the door. There are a few decent folks left at Zharby, but they are an endangered species.
Over and out – Q
Mary Frances said
I know Lab customers are sick of it, but they are still willing to hold on, as long as they (the customer) knows the difference between impression and porcelain trays. Especially the customers who use Pentron or Noritake porcelain.
It’s when the customers that need help distinguishing between items, that they then turn to as I’ve been told “the experts” and call me or another reputable sales person that they delt with in a prior life to Zahn. I’m happy to help customers with the extra attention they need so they don’t have to order by number. I’d rather take an order by description than by number… less mistakes, less returns, less billing errors, less stress all around.
As far as the takeovers… yes things happen at the last minute. No one knows what will happen until the last minute. Even if you think you know, it could change. Money talks.
Shhh said
HALLALUJA!!!!!!!!Associateq I dont know who you are(actually I probrobly would know you if I knew you????)))But you are right on the money. I dont know if you remember Kent Dental, Sherry Dental, Dental Wholeslaers. Well Spencer Mead bought them which was also Darby & we(I used to work at Spencer)all worked in the same building!!! Just like Darby works in the same building and on the SAME floor as Schein in Jerico…..WOW!!!! Remember people there are NO Coincidences!!!!
And all you BP people who signed your Darby contracts…Remember they are from July 2007 to July 2008. Like I always say “The Woolf is ALWAYS at the Door!!!!!!”
Dental Guy said
Q:
It certainly sounds like some people have been screwing you over. Although things sound bad for you, I was speaking with a person new to a dental lab company, and after seeing the margins in the dental industry he wishes he had joined it a long time ago.
So, I guess it’s the glass half full vs half empty scenario. Years ago, everyone thought small banks were gone for good. Now, many cities are loaded with new small banks. Never count out the little guy.
Associateq said
Dental Guy, trust me if I were getting screwed over I would be posting here with my real name, picture and phone number. I would use this site to advertise the injustices. But it is not I who is getting screwed, but rather hundreds of others getting taken advantage of and I think someone should bring it to light.
I mean if anyone here can tell me I am wrong, and how I am wrong, I am more than willing to listen. But I have seen good employee after good employee get the shaft and show the door. The point I am trying to make is that in the end it does nothing but hurts the employees, customers, manufacturers and dealers.
Talk to your “person new to the industry” in 5 years and ask them how they feel. Plus, are they dealing with the lab side or the dentist side. Because it is two totally different worlds.
Don’t worry about my glass, it is completely full and I have a pitcher for refills. I am only trying to help out others and bring to light some of the injustices that I think others should be aware of.
Dental Guy said
Oh boy! I could use some of those refills. Things are so quiet and boring on my end I am not sure if I should be content to take advantage of the situation or heading in a new direction.
Cheers to full glasses and refills!!!!
DTA is beginning. I am sure some of our comments will be getting much discussion over the next few days.
CDH said
There have been very interesting comments made within this blog. I find it to be very true in regards to the comment made above about Schein (if we can’t beat them, then we will buy them). The weekly news in the industry is always the next company that Schein has purchased. And, the comment about Schein turning into the Wal-Mart of the industry is true, but the only difference between Wal-Mart and Schein is that Schein is selling at premium retail pricing. And, is the value really there? Is it worth having a rep calling on an office for a 15-20% increase in pricing?
I think Becker had a great thing going with the pricing that they were selling at. Although the crazy part is that Schein had ownership in that company all along – so that goes back to the east coast slime ball comment from earlier (Schein has always been partnered with Becker and Darby has always been partnered with Spencer-Mead Wholesalers).
kp said
type in http://www.spencermead.com and tell me what site comes up?
CDH said
That would be Darby
Associateq said
KP, may I ask what your point was in showing us that spencermead.com popped up the Darby Dental site? I asked who Spencer Mead Wholesalers was, not Darby-Spencer-Mead. I half know the answer, but was wondering if anyone else knew the entire story behind these two companies.
Since we are typing in websites and taking that as the final ruling, go to Network Solutions or another site and look at the “WhoIs” information on http://www.sswhite.com. Or try copying and pasting this link into your browser.
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=sswhite.com
You want to start talking about stories, I can also tell you half the story on this one.
You see I admit when I only have one side of the story, and we all know there is always at least two sides to every story. If not 3 or 4 different sides.
Later –
Q
dentalinsider said
To be clear…SS White burs are not owned by Darby. Here is a link to their site.
http://www.sswhiteburs.com/
DI
Dental Guy said
Oh no! Not the who owns who again… Wouldn’t it be funny if the Cohen’s were sharholders with Patterson and Schein stock!!
Dental Guy said
Oh, I forgot to add… Rumor is that something was up with the ownership of Sultan and it wasn’t just Paul Seid that was the owner and they had to sell the company….
For all we know DENTSPLY was a “silent” investor in Sultan just like Schein was in BP.
Associate Q said
DI, you are correct. SS White Burs is different than SS White. But there is way more to the story than that. They own the rights to the name in every country with certain exceptions. Someone else may be able to clarify this story better than I can, because the last time I heard it explained it was after quite a few drinks.
Whatever the story is I can tell you that it is one messed up situation. And I can also tell you that not all “SS White Burs” are created equally. Sure the SS White Burs company based in the USA with offices in NJ and IL make some great products.
But, and I say but, there are burs that carry the SS White name (that SS White Burs has absolutely nothing to do with) that are complete garbage. By law they should not be being sold here in the USA, but hey grey market is grey market right?
CDH said
There use to be a company called SS White Group out of the UK, but they are now being called Prima Dental. And, Darby Dental does in fact own that company. There is a lot of bad blood between Prima(SS White Group) and SS White Burs here in the US.
Associate Q said
Which company owns them? Darby Dental LLC, Darby-Spencer-Mead, Darby Dental Supply, Darby Group Companies, Darby-Kindt or just the Ashkins?
I ask that question in good humor. I believe that in the end Wal-Mart owns them all, so call me crazy!
kp said
Q,
I really didn’t have a specific point, other than it came to a surprise to me that Darby’s site came up. and that others may be interested to see that as well.
I definitely don’t have any real knowledge about the who owns who game. I just started googling and that’s what I came up with.
Associateq said
KP-
Cool, my bad because I thought you were kind of saying “Duh, its Darby”. I am seriously interested in what Spencer-Mead Wholesalers does. Does anyone know what this company is engaged in? Does it even still exist?
Q
dental217 said
Darby has been and still is a privately owned company. Spencer Mead, Dental Wholesalers, Sherry etc. were all part of Darby group,just marketing under different names. None of these companies exist anymore.
Knowledgeable said
Such interesting posts to say the least.
I must say I work for one of the ‘little’ guys and we just acquired a few BP employees, those whom SS did NOT want.
I have worked for Pearson before, good company to a point. It depends on which branch you work out of, and yes, Iranian Brothers do own it, they are fair and unfair depending on the situation. But show me a company that is always fair in everything? They are a no frill company for it’s employees. No expense acct, no mileage, commission only, paid once a month. It was brutal.
I have also been to the DHPI Wisc branch. Did you all know that in their building, under the same roof as DHPI there are the telemarketers for Profit Finders? Now I thought THAT was interesting! I spent a week at this branch so I did get to ask a lot of questions. I never got a real clear answer though.
And no comments out there for PracticeWares being bought by SmartPractice. I’ve just heard a rumor this week that a now larger fish, SS will eat the newly merged company up…. but I have first hand knowledge that this will not happen any time soon. SmartPractice is holding it’s own now with two distribution centers, east coast now and west coast.
I do know that Darby laid off some of it’s own employees that had been there under a year, to hire the BP inside people. They are also being brutal with their people. Wow, no loyality at any level anymore.
Here’s to the small fish, may they always have a place out there…..
V Santos said
H Schein/Becker Parkin just sent info on Cobra to dismissed BP employees, with effective dates of termination of health insurance coverage. This info was not provided to employees before termination giving them no time to prepare for having no health coverage. To this date, no info on the 401K has been provided either. As mentioned earlier, 8 weeks termination pay was given employees who worked at BP, some for more than 20 years. Screwed royally is a proper term indeed….
shhhh said
Small Fish here. Didn’t go to Darby. Darby Reps & Schein reps are calling my accounts(because Schein owns Darby no matter what anyone says I know this to be a fact)They are not doing so great in getting them. And I am making more money then ever and most importantly. I AM Happy & so are my accounts. I have worked at big companys & little Little is better. Customers LOVE the personalized Service. Small fish are GREAT!!!!!!!!
Mary Frances said
I love being a small fish on the lab end; so do my customers as well. I have the time to give them the personalized service like you were saying.
Wow very surprised to hear Pearson was commision only.
dentalsales said
No matter what the drawbacks of Pearson Dental the fact is that they are still much more in tune with the wants of the customers. And at anytime you can connect with any of the owners if you need anything.
I agree that they are not the most “corporate” company out there, but they are still big enough to service dentists and small enough to be personal. I worked for them a few years ago and are not as bad as
everyone here makes them out to be. At the end, they are not out there to screw both dentists and other dealers as schein and patterson are….The last BIG-LITTLE company out there
Thomas said
Does any one know if Patterson has a corporate policy that prevents them from selling to other dealers? I had heard that recently and was just trying to verify.
Thanks
TJ
Do It- To It- said
After reading this blog for months and going through what everyone else has gone threw, I’m quite surprised everyone is so worried about everything else going on around them and not about themselves.
All I hear in this business is he stole this, and she did that. If it wasn’t for this I could do that…blah blah blah.
In all my years of sales, dental is the most childish (wish I knew how to get out, but I happen to like my job) No one is concentrating on JUST working their numbers, not crying about a few accounts and just be proactive and go get more. It sales, for each their own. If Schein buy Darby, who cares. If schein buys payless shoes WHO CARES! Maybe if everyone was more focused on themselves, not bitchy & crying and just kept persevering, they would be million dollar writers and not have to worry who buys what because the million dollar writers will be going with no matter who buys what. That the point, that why companies push and set high standards, to push you to be better than you were yesterday and to exceed you limit. Everyone got used to slacking at Becker and now they are upset they are set to standards, HOW DARE THEY?!?! They bought Becker out for a reason! If staying at a low plateau was ok, then Becker would still be in business.
Life is what you make it, you make work depressing and full of drama, it always will be!
Sell on guys, I know I will!
Geneva Dental Implants said
Good news! Great development for our dental society. Henry Schein Inc. is one of the largest and well known distributor of healthcare products. There is no doubt that the acquiring of Becker-Parkin is a good move.
DR. Timothy Driscoll, DDS
Geneva Dentist
terri w. said
I stumbled on this website by accident, and as a first time reader (and probably last) I can’t help but be jealous that you people have this much TIME on your hands. Frankly, I’m too busy selling dental supplies to be concerned about such gossip.
Also, many of you need to learn how to spell. That’s something you could use up your extra time with!
dentalinsider said
Terri,
Glad you stumbled upon us here. It’s too bad that in the 26 minutes you spent on our site you didn’t find anything more than gossip. Don’t be jealous that we all have so much time, we all subscribe to the 4-hour work week theory (google it) and we work smarter not harder. Anyway, we hope you will hang around and give us another try.
DI
For the good of all our readers, maybe you could suggest somewhere online that offers spelling lessons.
AssociateQ said
Weee, ooooo, weeeee, oooooo, weeee, ooooo
This is the grammar police, please remove your hands from the keyboard and put them in the air.
Hold on a minute. I know it is debated whether it is actually a rule or not (ending a sentence in a preposition that is), but would it not be better to say:
“Also, many of you need to learn how to spell. That is something with which you could use up your extra time”
Is that more better? Or is it gooder? Wait, wait, maybe it is:
“That is something up with which you could use extra time.”
Terri, I have just one question. When you are selling all those dental supplies and you write a note to a doctor, do you put a smiley face over your “i”?
And also, who in the heck is this Frank you are talking about? And don’t you think you are abusing the exclamation mark a little bit? Straight from Wiki:
“Overuse of the exclamation mark is generally considered poor writing, since it distracts the reader and reduces the mark’s meaning.”
You know, this industry is really, really, really, really starting to sucks big time. And it is all because of people like Terri. Terri with an “i”, who spent a half hour reading all the posts and then decided that this site was so horrible she was never coming back. Bravo Terri with an “i” for taking a stand.
Disclaimer: I ran this post through severaal Microsoft and other spellchicks. Therefore I can not be helld lible for any mispeeled words.
By the way DI I did not knwo you subscribed to the 4 Hour Work week. we’ll have to compare notes sometime.
Sincerely,
Q
(Written on behalf of Q by his personal assistant Lola)
Mary Frances said
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip
Wayne said
Terri W,must be in the top ten sales numbers, must have missed his name on the list, everybody i know in the busines keeps informed, educated,aware….if you sell merchandise and dont read dentaltown,dentalinsider,salespro, proof,etc, then you cant be doing your job, the two best people i ever worked for were always aware,educated,in the know, and im sure they visit these sights often, i imagine Terri with an i is just a simple,uneducated,spell check monkey with a catalog and a diners card to take the staff out to chilis on a friday, or more then likely not a real name or even in the biz, Terri stumbles on a page that everyone in the field uses as a tool and Terri’s to stupid to figure out how to use it, but has the time to attack it, simple minded people, Terri when you come back to visit and i know you will, why dont ya post your real name…..wayne perron (san francisco) dentalinsider fan
rk said
Did you know that Darby is trying to sell wholesale to the Becker wholesale accounts?
Dentalguy1981 said
Did you know that Darby is trying to sell wholesale to the Becker wholesale accounts?
Interesting! – companies like Dentsply, GC, Kodak, Kerr and 3M should take note of this as it violates all of their dealer agreements. Since Schein owns Darby and NONE of the manufacturers know how to stand up Bergman and his corrupt bunch of cronies, nothing will come of this. Maybe someone will post a copy of an invoice from Darby to another dealer, then the manufacturers will have to address it.
Mark
http://searchdentistry.blogspot.com
Ledger said
Can’t blame Darby.There are potential big bucks to be made selling to the independents as a long list of previous wholesalers know.
Pink Panther said
Ledger…..Schein owns Darby & is using them to do their dirty work(“grey market”)Just as they owned 49% of Becker Parkin & then they bought them out right. Now they need someone else. Untill they own Darby 100% then I guess they will buy 49% of someone elses buisness & so on. Docs are getting tired of all this & are making it easier for little companys to switch docs on something else & for the little guys to grow. The big guys dont always win. Remember Healthco?????
Ledger said
Is it my imagination or has the dental supply market really slowed down to a crawl lately ? I haven’t seen it bounce back since the first of the year !
Ledger said
Having worked for Healthco I can assure you that what took them down was common greed by the ownership.Aside from that…it was a great company to work for.
AssociateQ said
Ledger, you are not imagining things. Regardless of what anyone else will tell you it is slower. The fact is we are in the middle of a recession, whether anyone else wants to admit it or not.
Q
AssociateQ said
Ledger, can you please elaborate on what exactly happened to Healthco?
It might be a good history lesson, plus I like to hear the story from different perspectives.
Q
Paula said
Doesn’t anyone have an ethics issue with the dentrix insofar as it scanning all the insurance “allowances” on their patients for further work? I believe this is called milking the insurance companies. It’s no wonder the price of health care is so high with Dentrix pulling that crap.
teresaduncan said
Paula – I’m not sure what you mean. Can you explain a little more?
Rick Lindquist said
Paula,
It’s been common practice for many years to use software to analyze a benefits plan. My son was writing software to do this over ten years ago. This was for hospitals to plug in ICD 9 codes for a patient. The software would analyze the ICD 9 codes and spit out how to bill the insurance so the hospital would pull in Max dollars.
Not saying I agree with it, but it is nothing new.
steve said
Has anyone of laye heard that Schein is going to buy Darby LLC this summer or in the near future? Rumors are flying between competitors that is.
US DEALER said
What Schein and Patterson don’t realize is they are reducing the competition for the small independent dealers when they acquire more companies. There is a reason to begin with why dentists were not buying from them. Do they really believe that the dentists who buy from these companies, will move to Schein or Patterson???
Steve, like you said, they’re just rumors as of now.
Dental Guy said
Oh, they believe it! Have you ever spent any time around the Schein and Patterson folk? They drink their coolade like it’s crack! They are so focused on each other, their only thoughts regarding the lil guys are gobbling them up. However, Patterson says it is going to refocus its sales initiatives by growing its sales force once again to spur more organic growth. I do find it interesting that Patterson’s most successful branches last year were Seattle and Atlanta. Considering the fact that Seattle is home to Burkhart and Atlanta has Atlanta Dental, Patterson’s best branches seem to know a thing or two about competing with “the smaller” big dogs.
US DEALER said
That’s absolutely perfect if they focus on each other…. In the mean time, we are getting new customers every week. No complains from my end.
I do pity the doctors who get caught up in the sales pitch from these reps who brain wash them into purchasing items they have no need for.
me said
Before you start beleiving the rumors that Schein owns part of this company and Schein owns part of that company remember one thing. They are on the stock exchange and must disclose who they have interests in. I don’t remember seeing Darby on that list. Oh and the “lie” that has been going around for years that Schein owns Darby or is buying Darby and closing them, that is a tactic that Schein reps have been using, without much success.
Dental Guy said
True, but Henry Schein owned Becker Parkin. They might not have owned the entire operations, and that was never “fully disclosed.” If a company wants to keep the ownership of different divisions a secret, they can do quite a bit to cover it up.
Pink Panther said
Dental guy is 100% correct. I hope Schein doesn’t own part of Darby. But since I worked at 2 companies that Schein bought & I also worked at Darby for 10 years I can say……Trust No One!!!!! I thank my lucky stars everyday for the job I have but I know all too well that rug under my chair can be pulled out from under my seat in a flash. There is not one of us who should feel secure. Between the economy & the wonderful companies like Schein & Dentsply who r trying to rule the dental world we should all be thankful for what we have today & have a back up plan. I have & so far it has worked but thats because of my sales skills & people I know in the industry. NEVER BURN BRIDGES….because you will need to walk over them again…..
GOD Speed!!!!!
OutOfDental4Now said
“Me”, You are correct to say that they have to disclose who they own, but the companies they own can be “phantom” ones that exist to hide ownership of real companies. Schein owned almost half of BP which was not indicated anywhere. I agree though that you should never get so comfortable and confident in your employment that you aren’t prepared for the worst. The BP fiasco taught me a good lesson, but I was lucky to find something as good as I did. Many did not.
“Pink Panther” is also very wise in saying that you should never burn bridges, although I have always been amazed at how many bridges some of the infamous industry veterans could burn and STILL turn up as a rep somewhere. Our industry seems to be good for that. I wish all of the Ex BP people luck, and hope that at the one-year mark you are all doing well. Ciao!