Telfer Executive MBA: More than a degree

‘Everything circles back to corporate responsibility,’ says CEO and uOttawa Telfer School of Management graduate

“It was basically an accidental conversation over a decade ago with our family dentist that started the company, “ explains Andy LeValliant, CEO and co-founder of Fine Touch Dental.  The dentist shared with Andy’s father his strong desire to focus only on patient care and not on management tasks associated with managing a dental practise.  “One thing led to another and the concept of Fine Touch Dental began to emerge, which led to doing a business plan.”

Fine Touch Dental’s key strategy was to acquire dental practices and manage the operational aspect of the business while the dentists focus on their patients.  It acquired a dental practice in Ottawa shortly after and the company went on to develop and to refine the back office system that is the backbone of Fine Touch Dental.  Andy walked into the COO role in 2004.

Choosing Telfer deliberately

Fine Touch Dental’s emergence may have been something of an accident.  Andy’s choice of Telfer Executive MBA  was very deliberate to strengthen his knowledge and skillsets.   He started to look at various programs shortly after assuming the CEO role in 2010. “I was already in an advanced position with the company and I wanted a degree to go with it.  Telfer Executive MBA offered more than just the credentials, it offered practical experiences that are relevant in business environment”. 

Andy particularly enjoyed the program’s focus on teamwork and it provided valuable insights on the importance of workplace collaboration.  “When you leave the program, you realize how much more effective you are as a unit. This mirrors the way we work at Fine Touch Dental and directly linked to why we did so well.  Fine Touch Dental is not just about one person; it’s about the team that works well as a unit that make it as strong as it is.”

Over the next few years and while attending the program, the company experienced substantial and impressive growth.  

“We grew the business several times over,” Andy says, noting Fine Touch Dental now employs more than 200 people at clinics in the greater Toronto area, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Ottawa.

Confidence is key

His experience with Telfer expanded Andy’s understanding of collaboration. He now recognizes the value of entering negotiations with the confidence that comes with having fully assessed the potential risks and benefits derived from a thorough analysis of data.  In addition, he says, the program also teaches you how to use key tools to generate relevant data.

“The Telfer Executive MBA program gives you the ability to understand a company from a strategic perspective through financial statements, trends, analyses and risks.  This drives your comprehension and a well-informed deal is a smart deal.”

He takes a different view of the negotiation process now since taking the program and he adds “One of the biggest things I learned in the program is knowing what is important to the other side of the negotiation table and the importance of reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement in the end.” Andy further adds, “Working in the team environment as part of the program, you can see how other people think, learn how a team works and how it deals with conflict. You are then able to appreciate varying perspectives that help to get a deal that works for both parties. That’s  what it is all about.”

Corporate social responsibility focus

Andy was a recipient of Ottawa Business Journal’s Top Forty under Forty 2014. He was  recognized for his community service along with his business-related achievements.  Andy emphasizes that corporate social responsibility is very much a part of the Telfer Executive MBA culture.

“We put a huge emphasis on corporate social responsibility at Fine Touch Dental on making sure we are also benefiting our community. At Telfer Executive MBA, everything we learn and do in the program circles back to responsible leadership and corporate social responsibility. People think business is about making as much money as you can. That’s what capitalism is all about and not what good business is about. Responsible leadership and good business is about giving back.”

-Business Journal