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Moving up the Line
There were a number of factors that helped convince Dr. Craig Williams in 2006 that it was time to move his practice: he wanted to attract a new associate, he’d outgrown his original practice and there was increasing competition in the Wayne, Penn., suburb of Philadelphia. But perhaps most important was the need to provide the highest level of service for his patients, which included having a practice space that mirrored his vision ­of dental excellence.


Taking all these factors into consideration, Dr. Williams made the decision to move. A serendipitous cold call from a real estate agent revealed that a new building a few miles down from the Main Line was looking for a dental or medical practice to join, and he jumped at the opportunity.

Dr. Williams called his longtime friend and Patterson Sales Representative, Jim Solimeo, and Solimeo contacted Phil DeMoss, the equipment specialist for the doctor. The three got together to assess the doctor’s needs and wants in a new space and to come up with a floor plan.


Focused on Success
When Dr. Williams moved to the area in 1977 to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, he undertook a rigorous schedule of doctoral study that would take eight years to complete. After earning his general dentistry degree, he accepted a residency through Penn and worked on Saturdays as an associate dentist in a private office in Philadelphia. In 1982 Dr. Williams began specialty training for degrees in Prosthodontics and Periodontics. He completed both in 1985 and started Main Line Dental Group in Radnor, Penn., a few miles east of his new practice.

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Main Line Dental Group always had the most up-to-date technologies and best equipment, thanks in part to Dr. Williams’ long-standing relationship with Solimeo. “He’s not just my salesperson, he’s my friend,” Dr. Williams said. “If he tells me I need to do something or there’s a new product out, while I might do my own research on it, I know if Jim’s telling me … it’s worth looking at.”

Dr. Williams felt there were some key components missing in the existing space that he wanted to change in his new practice. “The operatories were open and there was no place private where I could talk to a patient,” he said. Patients who needed to discuss insurance issues or payment also had no confidential space to talk with the office manager.

He brought these and other concerns to his planning meetings with Solimeo and DeMoss. The group decided to separate incoming patients from those checking out in the reception area and planned to include a consultation room for presenting ­treatment plans to patients.
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