Ben Alderson

VP of Real Estate

About

Ben Alderson joined DECA Dental Group in June 2023 as the Vice President of Real Estate. In his role, Ben is responsible for developing and cultivating the company’s real estate strategy, including market development, site selection, and lease negotiations for all new offices and renewals. He acts as the primary liaison for all vendors in the real estate industry and represents DECA at networking events and conferences. In addition to refining DECA’s current growth plan, Ben aims to create a new growth model for JV partnerships. 

Ben brings extensive experience from his previous role as the head of real estate for Scooter’s Coffee, where he created a nationwide growth plan to assist franchisees with market penetration, site selection, and lease negotiations. He built a department of real estate managers, specialists, and analysts that oversaw 176 new store openings and over 400 real estate transactions. Before Scooter’s Coffee, Ben held leadership positions in the real estate departments for CiCi’s Pizza, Firehouse Subs, and Tuesday Morning. 

Ben graduated from James Madison University with a BA in Economics and a minor in History. His concentration in economics prepared him for critical thinking and analysis of macro and microeconomic variables. 

Ben’s leadership philosophy is to foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that promotes streamlined interdepartmental communication and a collective sense that “no question is a bad question.” He is particularly proud of leading 46 site approvals in the past ten months, introducing a tracking methodology for office delivery that yielded approximately $185,000 in rent credits, and negotiating lease renewals that saved the company around $85,000. 

An active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Ben looks forward to building a department that will play an integral role in DECA’s success, driving top-line revenue, enhancing EBITDA, and securing long-term investments. His unique skills include an outside-the-box thought process and approach to deal-making that support DECA’s long-term growth. 

Ben’s core values of discipline, integrity, and humility are essential for success in his position and company. Outside of his professional life, Ben enjoys lifting weights, yoga, golf, reading, cooking, and all sports-related activities, as well as spending time with his wife Emily and their two dogs, Camden and Wrigley. 

Meet the rest of
leadership

Dr. Sulman Ahmed

Founder, Chairman and CEO Read Bio

Dr. Shalin Patel

Partner & Chief Medical Officer Read Bio

Scott Wasikowski

Chief Operating Officer Read Bio

Lyndsay Lord

Chief Human Resources Officer Read Bio

Sean Gantley

Chief Financial Officer Read Bio

Robert Boone

Chief Information Officer Read Bio

Dr. Matthew Doan

Owner Doctor & Managing Clinical Director Read Bio

Chad Luhn

Chief Development Officer Read Bio

Sean Thompson

Chief Revenue Officer Read Bio

Cassie Jenkins

SVP of Field Operations Read Bio

Steve Allred

VP of Development Read Bio

Carol Canava

VP of Revenue Cycle Read Bio

Denise Yousuf

VP of Training & Development Read Bio

Dr. Sulman Ahmed

Founder & CEO

Dr. Sulman Ahmed is the Founder and CEO of DECA Dental. He is instrumental in shaping and overseeing DECA Dental’s growth, strategy and culture. In 2008, Dr. Ahmed opened his first dental office and set out to create a truly patient centered model. His belief in putting patients first is the fundamental backbone of DECA Dental’s core values and patient care delivery model.

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