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The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School names Smile Brands CEO, Steven C. Bilt, a Notable Alumni

The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School announced that Smile Brands Inc. CEO, Steven C. Bilt, has been named a 2019-2020 Notable Alumni. Pepperdine recognizes alumni who have achieved success in business and personally represent the hallmarks of a Best for the World Leader.

Chosen from among more than 45,000 alumni, Pepperdine Graziadio identified roughly 50 professionals who make an impact that extends beyond business. Notable Alumni use skills honed at the Graziadio Business School to address society’s great needs – poverty, the environment, technology, health care, gender equity, and education to help individuals whose lives they touch understand better how to initiate positive change. Notable Alumni have also achieved a high level of self-awareness and have learned and practiced taking care of others.

Steve Bilt co-founded Smile Brands, one of the nation’s leading dental support organizations with 445 affiliated practices across the U.S, in 1998. The organization has received a multitude of accolades for its award-winning culture, including being named to Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list three years running and receiving the 2019 Gold Stevie Award for Large Healthcare Employer of the Year. In addition, Bilt launched the Smiles for Everyone® Foundation, a 501(c)(3) focused on providing free dental care to those in need in the U.S. and around the world. The Foundation has delivered over $20 million in care since its inception in 2011.

“I am humbled to have been named a Pepperdine Graziadio Notable Alumni,” explains Bilt. “I fully support the school’s mission of creating Best for the World Leaders, and have built Smile Brands on the philosophy of delivering Smiles for Everyone® with that mission in mind. Our Smiles for Everyone® Foundation, supported by our employees and affiliated provider volunteers and vendors extends our impact well beyond paying patients and in 2019, delivered $5M in free dental care. Each of the last three years, we have been named a Glassdoor Best Place to Work. When my career is over, these will be the accomplishments that have the most meaning.”

“Pepperdine Graziadio Notable Alumni are successful business leaders demonstrating integrity, honesty, and transparency,” said Deryck van Rensburg, Dean of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. “We are proud of these great leaders who are committed to making a difference in the world.”

About Smile Brands Inc.
Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. The organization’s award-winning culture has made it the only dental support organization on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work for the past three years. Smile Brands’ affiliated dentists benefit from industry-leading business support services, so they can spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. The organization supports 445 affiliated practices and 60 brands across 18 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit https://www.smilebrands.com.

About the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
For more than 50 years, the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School has challenged individuals to think boldly and drive meaningful change within their industries and communities. Dedicated to developing Best for the World Leaders, the Graziadio School offers a comprehensive range of MBA, MS, executive, and doctoral degree programs grounded in integrity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The Graziadio School advances experiential learning through small classes with distinguished faculty that stimulate critical thinking and meaningful connection, inspiring students and working professionals to realize their greatest potential as values-centered leaders. Follow Pepperdine Graziadio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.