Who We Are
We Focus on Your Practice, So You Can
Focus on Your Patients
At CORDENTAL Group®, we have developed a dentist-centric philosophy that allows our dentists to experience the freedom to care for their patients while we take care of managing the day-to-day business. With our comprehensive resources, you can be assured your office will be positioned to grow and thrive all while maintaining the individuality that makes your office unique. Collaboration, Optimization and Respect is an integral part of our success and we bring that focus to every affiliate relationship and practice.
Dana W. Soper
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dana is a proven healthcare executive with a track record of more than 25 years starting, acquiring, integrating and growing healthcare-related businesses while continuing to support their unique culture and strengths. She co-founded CORDENTAL Group® and is dedicated to the continued success and growth for each individual affiliate by empowering them to provide quality care and exceptional customer service in a collaborative environment that maximizes every member’s potential.
She began her career as a pharmaceutical sales executive and then moved into operations upon completion of her MBA. As a joint venture, she formed Infusion Partners, which she grew to over $60M in revenue and 17 locations before selling it in 2007.
Dana partnered with private equity in 2008 to form CarePoint Partners, a home infusion company that grew to over $150M in revenue over five years. It quickly became one of the top five infusion providers in the country. Dana’s efforts were concentrated on building the infrastructure of the company around a team of professionals whose sole purpose was to support the clinical sites, the newly acquired companies, and their owners.
This philosophy of supporting superior patient care drove the success of the company that thrived under her leadership. Removing the challenges of running a business and providing a renewed focus on patient care were the keys to continued growth. CarePoint Partners was considered the acquirer of choice in the home infusion industry because of the individualized approach to acquisitions and the culture of the company that Dana established.
After the sale of CarePoint in 2013, Dana has been involved in other startups and in consulting roles with private equity firms. She is a board member of ITC Compounding Pharmacy, MedaCheck — a startup company that provides a medication adherence program, and Anne Arundel Dermatology Management.
Dana is a graduate of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and holds an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati. She has been a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, won both the Association for Corporate Growth Deal Maker Award and the Fast 55 Award for Growth when leading CarePoint Partners.
Steven W. Jones
Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer
As one of the co-founders of CORDENTAL Group®, Steven has served in a number of positions within the organization since its inception. Initially as the Chief Development Officer, and then Chief Operating Officer, his proven leadership in healthcare, and dentistry specifically, have helped fuel CORDENTAL’s success over the years.
In Steven’s current role as Chief Growth Officer, he spearheads the development and implementation of strategies to drive growth and expansion within CORDENTAL that are aligned with the company’s overall business goals and objectives. This includes facilitating practice transitions that are uniquely designed for each situation, understanding that no two affiliations are the same and they must benefit all parties involved. He is also responsible for identifying new opportunities for growth, including launching new products and service lines, as well as potentially entering new markets.
Steven is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia School of Pharmacy and holds an MBA with a concentration in healthcare management from Regis University. He previously served as the Chief Corporate Development and Integration Officer for North East Dental Management (now part of Dental Care Alliance) and as Chief Acquisition Officer for Dental Services Group (now part of National Dentex Labs). He was Division President and Executive Vice President for Business Development for CarePoint Partners, a home infusion and specialty pharmacy company. In that capacity, he and the other executive leadership team members built the largest independent and overall fifth largest home infusion provider in the nation. That company was successfully sold to BioScrip, a publicly-traded home infusion company, in 2013.
Jeff Mentzer
Chief Financial Officer
A lifelong Iowan, Jeff grew up in Waukon, spent 10+ years in Des Moines and has resided in Dubuque since 2001. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Accounting, Jeff received his CPA designation and spent nearly 11 years with the international accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. In 2001, Jeff joined Advanced Data-Comm, a rapidly-growing, privately-held outsourced contact center company, as Chief Financial Officer. Following a decade of service to Advanced-Data Comm, including the successful sale of the company to Working Solutions, Jeff joined AppleWhite Dental Partners as its Chief Financial Officer in March 2011.
As Chief Financial Officer for CORDENTAL Group®, Jeff has been instrumental in maintaining the organization’s position as a dental service organization (DSO) of choice. He enjoyed the many challenging and diverse activities of his position, most notably working with top tier dentists wishing to affiliate with the company and helping their practices thrive and grow.
Jeff maintains professional memberships in the Iowa Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He’s the proud parent of two wonderful daughters and outside of his professional and parental life, enjoys spending time in the outdoors through fishing, running, kayaking, golf and various athletic events.
Gregory F. Ceraso, DMD
Chief Dental Officer
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Ceraso has practiced general dentistry for more than 45 years. During his career, he has practiced as a staff member at The Central Medical Hospital Facial Pain Center in Pittsburgh, PA, performing extensive dental reconstruction of accident victims, cancer patients, and other facial pain patients as well as leading a thriving practice in Des Moines, Iowa from 1995 to today.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ceraso has had a strong commitment to developing the next generation of dentists. He held a teaching position at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pennsylvania and has offered public seminars and lectured extensively to other dentists on temporomandibular joint therapy, dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, and all-porcelain CAD/CAM restorations.
Dr. Ceraso is a member of the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Academy of Osseointengration, the American Equilibration Society, and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Ceraso also attended and graduated from the Kois Center, where he has received extensive post-graduate training in treatment planning, implants, periodontics, removable prosthetics, and occlusion.
Ken Kollmann
Senior Vice President, Operations
A healthcare executive for more than 30 years, Ken is experienced in managing business operations as well as building culture and value within organizations. During his career, he has successfully integrated more than 50 acquisitions and multiple startups. As Senior Vice President of Operations at CORDENTAL Group®, Ken helps to drive the success of each office through a focus on increasing efficiency, whether that is through improvements to processes and clinical systems or updates and renovations to the physical space.
Prior to his position as Senior Vice President of Operations at CORDENTAL Group®, Ken served as Area Vice President for Option Care and Vice President of Operations for CarePoint Partners and Infusion Partners. In these roles, he was responsible for the growth of all offices including, marketing, customer service initiatives and organic growth.
Ken graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy. In his free time, Ken loves biking, golfing and playing out on weekends with his rock band.
Melissa Park, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Melissa is an innovative Human Resources executive with regional and global experience providing a full range of strategic and operational HR support. During her career, she has successfully led the human resources integration of more than 30 acquisitions, launched several HR departments from the ground up, and helped transition the sale of one organization to a publicly traded company. She is passionate about talent management and building world-class employment experiences.
Prior to her role as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at CORDENTAL Group®, Melissa successfully led executive HR functions at a number of organizations within the Healthcare, Infusion Pharmacy, Information Technology, Professional Services, and Hospitality/Tourism industries. Melissa brings sound business and personal judgment, demonstrated change-management capabilities and proven operational expertise to CORDENTAL. She specializes in start-up organizations, acquisition integration, organizational development, culture development, and talent strategy. She is passionate about maintaining the culture and character of our practices and organization as we grow and feels personal relationships and communication are integral to our success.
Melissa is a proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati and is a Cincinnati native. In addition to her 25+ years as an HR industry leader, she is a certified SPHR and SHRM-SCP and a member of several HR associations both nationally and locally. In her free time, she lends her HR talents and experience to local non-profit companies in advisory and board member capacities.
Jack W. Haney, DDS
Clinical Advisor
Dr. Haney’s passion for excellence in patient care, his commitment to ongoing learning, and his motivation for always being at the forefront of clinical advancement within the dental industry make him a valued addition to the CORDENTAL Group® Clinical Advisory Board. He has invested countless hours in advanced dental training, expanding his knowledge and application skills in restorative dentistry.
Dr. Haney is a graduate of the University of Tennessee’s College of Dentistry. After dental school, he completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and also spent time in Panama, Central America. Upon completion of his residency program in 1998, he returned to Tennessee to establish his current dental practice in Knoxville.
In addition to his affiliation with the Kois Center, he is a respected member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association, Tennessee Dental Association, and the Oral Design & Implant Study Club, an affiliate of the Seattle Study Club.