I’m a 3rd generation Floridian, a sunny place for shady people, I jest; but was born in Winter Haven. I attended the University of Florida or as I like to think of it, The Harvard of the South, kidding again, for both my Bachelors in Psychology and my Doctorate of Medical Dentistry.
I have served the Tampa Bay area for over 20 years with offices in both St. Petersburg and South Tampa. I recently decided to be located exclusively in my South Tampa Office.
I have spent my entire career providing compassionate patient care with a simple mantra, “imagine it was you!” This spills over into providing uncompromising patient care and embedding myself in community service so that one day I will know I left this world just a little better place than I found it.
I have always known that I am the least important person in my practice. Without my team of dedicated and caring team members, I would be a ship without a sail. For anyone that has worked alongside me over the years, this will always hold true.
In the trend of asking google for answers to whom to trust something hilarious happened to me recently. My google search could contain my Marine Corps Service, the various boards of charities I sit on or the number one dry mouth candy in America that I am the spokesperson for or a bevy of other accomplishments and accolades I could rest my reputation on. But alas, I googled myself and found I was the funniest dentist in Tampa. I got such a kick out of this, I jokingly told my marketing team that I had decided to rebrand as South Tampa’s funniest dentist. They were fearful of the general population not getting the humor. To be transparent my reply was, “isn’t GEN-POP a term for prisoners?”
One of my favorite memories of awards I’ve won in my career involved being honored by PARC with the great Dick Vitale. I think I was more excited about meeting such a legend and getting his autograph on a basketball, than I was myself being honored. I have applied to win my second lifetime human achievement award, but found out I could only win it once.
So in short, I invest my time, my talents, and passion in my team, my patients and in my community. The journey so far has given me a platform to provide unparalleled patient care, I think that’s a geometry term, for those keeping score and all the while being able to give back and lift up those in our community that simply needed a little help. Thank you humbly for choosing and entrusting me with your dental health and care. I can promise you, all kidding aside, that it is not something I take lightly or for granted.
1. What is the best advice that you have ever been given?
Walk humbly confident. Be grateful for what you have and not envious of what you do not.
2. What is something no one knows about you?
I enjoy graphic arts and I am pretty good. I just designed and published a children’s book. Not to sell, just to give out to patients and their families. I created it from a book I loved as a child and that my children enjoyed.
Oh, and that I am named after a ‘pimp’. No, not really, but if you look up the name Ron O’Neal in the urban dictionary, it’s included there. I won’t tell you what it means, you can look it up. (laughs). It’s referenced in the movie Pulp Fiction and Menace to Society. Apparently “Ron O’Neal” was a super fly, big time pimp in New York City back in the day (laughs).
3. Tell us something Positive that you can take away from 2020?
I think this year has made us more mindful of the time we have together. We relearned to appreciate the little things we were doing prior to this–enjoy the simple things.
4. If you were not a dentist, you would be a what?
Probably a landscaper working in a yard somewhere. I love being outdoors. I had a landscaping business in high school.
5. How do you deal with the pressures of owning a business?
Give yourself grace. It takes time to make changes. Invest in the relationships with your people. As we go through tough times like we have this year, focus on what you can control and take good care of your team.
6. What advice can you offer to others based on your life & career experiences so far?
This is important: realize you are the LEAST important person in the building. And if you do not realize that your business is in trouble. Cherish everyone!
7. What is your endgame/ exit strategy?
I don’t know yet, I will tell you when I get there. As long as I continue to enjoy what I am doing, I have no plans to retire and sell my practice anytime soon. I think sometimes, when you over-plan or over-think what your plans are, you miss out on other opportunities. One day at a time.
8. At the end of the day, how do you want to be remembered?
As someone who was compassionate and made a difference in people’s lives for the better.
