Singing River Dental Partners × Liminal Solutions

A Shared Set of Values

Some partnerships begin with a pitch deck. This one began with a conversation.

In February 2018, Dr. Jimmy Gardiner and Dave Salciccioli met at a DEO conference in Philadelphia. There was no formal engagement on the table—just two people who recognized in each other a shared conviction about how organizations should treat people.

Dr. Gardiner was running four dental practices across Northern Alabama under what would eventually become Singing River Dental Partners. He had built something real, but he knew the way he had built it couldn’t carry him where he wanted to go.

That initial conversation became a coaching relationship, and the relationship became a five-year strategic partnership that would reshape the entire organization.

“We shared a set of values around taking care of people. That’s what made this different from hiring a consultant.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

Dr. Jimmy Gardiner
CEO & Founder, Singing River Dental Partners

The Reality at the Starting Line

A successful practice. A founder doing everything.

In 2019, Singing River Dental Partners was a $7 million organization operating four locations. On paper, it was successful. Behind the scenes, it was a founder doing everything.

Hard conversations were avoided. Roles and responsibilities were undefined. Whenever there was a disagreement among senior leaders, the decision would stall—and everyone would look to Dr. Gardiner.

“I was the bottleneck, and I knew it.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

What Success Looked Like

The question wasn’t just how do we grow—it was how do we grow without everything breaking.

Dr. Gardiner didn’t just want more locations. He wanted leverage—on the problems that consumed his time, on the decisions that shouldn’t require a CEO, and on the leadership gaps that kept the organization tethered to a single person’s capacity.

“Although we intentionally named the organization Singing River Dentistry to try and avoid it being founder-centric, we were still operating like James T. Gardiner Dentistry.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

How the Partnership Evolved

Three phases. One transformation.

Phase 1 · 2018–2019 Leader First

The work began not with the organization, but with its founder. Before systems could be built or teams restructured, Dr. Gardiner needed to look inward—developing self-awareness and building the courage to have hard conversations through intentional training, coaching, and practice.

“This started with looking inward to level up my own leadership so that I could be my best.”

Phase 2 · 2019–2021 Building the Bench

As Dr. Gardiner’s leadership evolved, coaching expanded to include key team members. One of the most counterintuitive moves: reducing the leadership team. Fewer leaders, but more capable ones. The result was better culture, sharper decision-making, and an organization that no longer needed its CEO in every room.

“Once the team saw the change he was able to make in my skillset, it was an easy sell to have him engage with my leadership team.”

Phase 3 · 2021–2024 Fractional Chief Strategy Officer

As trust deepened, Dave’s role evolved from coach to strategic operator. The engagement expanded to include systems architecture, acquisition integration strategy, and operational infrastructure—the frameworks that would allow Singing River to scale with confidence.

Helton

First acquisition integrated

Madison & TH Madison

Multi-location expansion

Athens (De Novo)

Built from the ground up

TH Killen

Fifth integration completed

Treehouse Launch

Pediatric brand created

SRDP Entity

Associate partnerships enabled

Decisions That Changed the Trajectory

Courageous decisions, compounding over time.

Right People, Right Seats

Difficult conversations about who was equipped to grow with the organization. Hiring experts instead of generalists. Creating a culture where poor cultural fit is no longer tolerated, regardless of clinical skill.

“We don’t put up with anyone who is not a good cultural fit. That’s not something we could have said five years ago.”

Systems for Everything

Comprehensive SOPs and playbooks for every workflow. Monday.com as the backbone for task management. Morning huddles, standardized insurance processes, financial systems, and digital dentistry models. The infrastructure that made growth absorbable.

KPI Visibility

From limited financial insight to real-time dashboards and daily reporting. Leaders at every level gained the data—and the confidence—to make informed decisions without escalating to the CEO.

“We are very proud of the fact that we went from well above our spend on labs and supplies to well below the national average.”

Five Acquisitions, Integrated

Between 2019 and 2024, five acquisitions and integrations—Helton, Madison, TH Madison, Athens (de novo), and TH Killen. Each proving the model could absorb growth without breaking.

“With each acquisition we were able to improve our systems and more quickly integrate the existing team into our Singing River Dentistry family.”

The Treehouse Brand

State-of-the-art dental care for every member of the community.

A defining strategic moment was the creation and launch of the Treehouse brand—a pediatric-focused network born from Dr. Gardiner’s vision to provide high-quality dental care to children across the region. Two additional practices were added to create a regional network of children’s dental care.

“One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that we have provided access to care for countless thousands of children who otherwise would not have it.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

The Shift

When the organization stopped depending on one person.

The leadership team that emerged bears no resemblance to the one that existed in 2019. Leaders are more proactive, more intentional, and more willing to engage in the hard conversations that used to be avoided. Every member has stepped into bigger ownership as the structure became clearer.

“It shifted from me pulling everyone along to all of us pushing together. Decision-making, strategy, execution—all of it.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

What's Fundamentally Stronger Today

The numbers tell part of the story. Trust tells the rest.

Now the largest privately held Dental Support Organization in Alabama, Singing River Dental Partners is faster, more resilient, and more courageous than it was five years ago.

“We can now make decisions confidently because I trust that the team we have is aligned, and has the ability and capacity to execute.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

Grew from 4 locations to 10 across Northern Alabama
Revenue scaled from $7M to $17M
Expanded from a solo founder to a team of 20 doctors
Completed 5 acquisitions and launched a de novo practice
Reduced fixed costs while improving operational efficiency
Lab and supply spend driven well below the national average
Evolved entity structure enabling associate dentist partnerships
Quicker to pivot and make the right decisions for business health

In His Own Words

A three-part progression.

First

Look Inward

Leveling up his own leadership so he could be his best for the people counting on him.

Second

Develop People

Creating systems and processes to develop the right people and talent who could level up the business.

Third

Build Operations

Building the operational systems to create a more effective and efficient model of operations.

“There is a reason why so few people ever get to the next level or grow to their fullest potential. It’s very difficult. You need a coach. I will forever be grateful to have found one of the best in Dave.”Dr. Jimmy Gardiner

From Founder Bottleneck to Scalable DSO