Simpson Thacher is representing KKR in connection with the announced strategic merger between 123Dentist, Altima Dental and Lapointe Group to create one of the largest dental support organizations in Canada, with nearly 350 supported dental practices. The transaction is being financed through equity capital provided by Peloton Capital Management, KKR, Heartland Dental (a KKR portfolio company), and Sentinel Capital Partners.
123Dentist is a leading dental support organization in Canada. It has grown from a single practice in Vancouver, owned by CEO Dr. Amin Shivji and two partners, to more than 250 supported practices and 3,500 team members. Altima Dental is one of Canada’s longest-standing premier dental support organizations, founded and led by dentists Dr. George Christodoulou and Dr. Sven Grail. Founded in 1987 by Larry and Yves Lapointe, Lapointe Group has been serving professionals and patients for 35 years. The Lapointe Group joined Altima Dental in 2018 and operates the Lapointe Dental Centres, a 100% Quebec banner of the Lapointe Group, with over 35 dental practices.
The Simpson Thacher team included Mark Pflug, Jihyun Chung, Eduard Popov and Daniel Lee (M&A); Jackie Song, Callie Robins and Paige Brinton (Credit); Joe Kaufman and Sunny Cheong (Capital Markets); Marcy Geller, Bill Smolinski and Mathew Lester (Tax); David Rubinsky, Megan Arrowsmith and Joshua Stephens (ECEB); and Peter Guryan and James Goldfeier (Antitrust).