Ignite: Healthcare Marketing Podcast

Ignite: Healthcare Marketing Podcast

#220 - One brand strategy powers 40 dental locations

Aug 18, 2026 · 27 min · 9 segments

Most DSOs think scale requires complexity. But what if one brand could actually make growth simpler? On this episode of Ignite, host Ashley Petrochenko, VP of Brand Marketing at Cardinal, sits down…

Most DSOs think scale requires complexity. But what if one brand could actually make growth simpler? On this episode of Ignite, host Ashley Petrochenko, VP of Brand Marketing at Cardinal, sits down with April Sharry, VP of Marketing at Dental Depot. April shares how she has spent 10 years helping scale the organization to 40 general dentistry locations and five orthodontic practices across four states, while keeping one recognizable brand at the center. She breaks down how that approach simplifies campaigns, budget allocation, and marketing operations while preserving the founder-led culture and community roots that make Dental Depot stand out. You'll walk away with: - How one brand architecture simplifies marketing across dozens of locations - Why founder-led culture protects brand integrity through expansion - How fixing review management helped Dental Depot reach 4.7 stars - Why community marketing can build recognition beyond traditional ROI If you're navigating multi-location growth or weighing a move toward one unified brand, this episode offers a practical blueprint for scaling without sacrificing what makes the brand memorable. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with April - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilsharry/ DSO marketing: Branded house vs. house of brands - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/dso-marketing-branded-house-vs-house-of-brands/ Why healthcare groups shouldn't fear website consolidation - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/multi-site-healthcare-groups-website-consolidation/ 4 essential steps for marketing your de novo office - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/dso-de-novo-digital-marketing-strategy/ Dykema DSO 2026 takeaways: What dental marketers need to know for a strong EOY - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/dykema-dso-2026-takeaways-what-dental-marketers-need-to-know-for-a-strong-year-end/

Most DSOs think scale requires complexity. But what if one brand could actually make growth simpler? On this episode of Ignite, host Ashley Petrochenko, VP of Brand Marketing at Cardinal, sits down…

The Power of One Brand8:14 – 12:10

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:14

Has it been helpful to have that mission, that figure head in terms of recruitment? Healthcare and dentistry recruitment is hard.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:20

There's a lot of competition.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:21

Has that been an advantage, you think?

April SharryGuest

8:23

Uh, yeah, I think it's been a huge advantage.

April SharryGuest

8:25

We started out family-owned, independent.

April SharryGuest

8:27

We have officially moved into a DSO kind of a category, and we started actually taking on partner doctors.

April SharryGuest

8:35

'Cause before it was just Dr. Glenn, and everybody was just an associate.

April SharryGuest

8:39

So giving them some buy-in and really vetting them for their personalities and how they wanna work and getting them to spend time with Glenn has really been a great thing for us.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:49

Has there been any awkward, like, moments where a doctor wanted to maintain if they had already had a practice identity? Has that ever come up? And, you know, or is really they are buying into the whole, like, this is part of becoming part of Dental Depot?

April SharryGuest

9:00

Yeah.

April SharryGuest

9:01

Re- really, they're buying into the business part of Dental Depot.

April SharryGuest

9:04

They, they like the way we do things.

April SharryGuest

9:06

They wanna just keep doing dentistry and helping people.

April SharryGuest

9:09

You guys have this figured out.

April SharryGuest

9:11

So it's people that wanna buy into the whole system.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:13

Let's talk about the power of one brand.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:15

Our listeners, so many of them are coming from a fragmented house of brand architecture where through acquisitions over time you are bringing on all these different identities, and they keep them separate because there is local brand equity-

April SharryGuest

9:29

Right

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:29

... that has been generated.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:31

So thinking about this as a balancing act of pros and cons-

April SharryGuest

9:35

Yeah

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:35

... let's talk a little bit about the pros.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:37

Where do you think actually having this brand has been the most advantageous for you? Where do you think it has been, like, the biggest strength for Dental Depot?

April SharryGuest

9:44

Obviously, it's Dr. Glenn built it here.

April SharryGuest

9:47

Everybody knows what Dental Depot is.

The Power of One Brand8:14 – 12:10

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:14

Has it been helpful to have that mission, that figure head in terms of recruitment? Healthcare and dentistry recruitment is hard.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:20

There's a lot of competition.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:21

Has that been an advantage, you think?

April SharryGuest

8:23

Uh, yeah, I think it's been a huge advantage.

April SharryGuest

8:25

We started out family-owned, independent.

April SharryGuest

8:27

We have officially moved into a DSO kind of a category, and we started actually taking on partner doctors.

April SharryGuest

8:35

'Cause before it was just Dr. Glenn, and everybody was just an associate.

April SharryGuest

8:39

So giving them some buy-in and really vetting them for their personalities and how they wanna work and getting them to spend time with Glenn has really been a great thing for us.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

8:49

Has there been any awkward, like, moments where a doctor wanted to maintain if they had already had a practice identity? Has that ever come up? And, you know, or is really they are buying into the whole, like, this is part of becoming part of Dental Depot?

April SharryGuest

9:00

Yeah.

April SharryGuest

9:01

Re- really, they're buying into the business part of Dental Depot.

April SharryGuest

9:04

They, they like the way we do things.

April SharryGuest

9:06

They wanna just keep doing dentistry and helping people.

April SharryGuest

9:09

You guys have this figured out.

April SharryGuest

9:11

So it's people that wanna buy into the whole system.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:13

Let's talk about the power of one brand.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:15

Our listeners, so many of them are coming from a fragmented house of brand architecture where through acquisitions over time you are bringing on all these different identities, and they keep them separate because there is local brand equity-

April SharryGuest

9:29

Right

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:29

... that has been generated.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:31

So thinking about this as a balancing act of pros and cons-

April SharryGuest

9:35

Yeah

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:35

... let's talk a little bit about the pros.

Ashley PetrochenkoHost

9:37

Where do you think actually having this brand has been the most advantageous for you? Where do you think it has been, like, the biggest strength for Dental Depot?

April SharryGuest

9:44

Obviously, it's Dr. Glenn built it here.

April SharryGuest

9:47

Everybody knows what Dental Depot is.