Across Amy McCarthy’s professional journey, her passion for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit have been driving forces behind her success. They have defined her career and are now shaping the future of Envista. As the newly appointed leader of Envista’s DSO initiative, she is spearheading a transformation designed to elevate how DSOs operate, scale, and deliver exceptional patient care.
Building a Foundation
Amy’s entrepreneurial journey began early. At 17 years old, she founded a mail courier service in Everett, Washington, which served over half of the local medical community. Her innovative service cut delivery times for medical records in half, streamlining workflows for countless healthcare providers.
“I was creating solutions that added value. I didn’t realize it then, but that experience taught me the importance of identifying pain points,” Amy shares. Over the next decade, she grew this business while pursuing a college degree, a career, and later an MBA. This hands-on experience laid the foundation for professional work in the pharmaceutical industry where she quickly made her mark. At 25 years old, Amy became one of the youngest district sales managers in the company’s history.
“I focused on understanding my customers’ goals and needs. By aligning my efforts with their objectives, I was able to build trust and long-lasting relationships. That approach has been a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy,” she explains.
But Amy’s career trajectory shifted when she chose to leave her high-pressure role to focus on raising her two young children.
“On my youngest child’s first birthday, I quit my role as Regional Sales Manager at Sanofi-Aventis Oncology. I was traveling constantly and felt like I wasn’t doing anything well — being a mom or a manager. No matter what adjustments I tried, I couldn’t find balance or happiness. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I loved my career, but I felt a lot of pressure—and pull—to be with my kids. My family always valued stay-at-home parenting, so I decided to give it a try,” Amy recalls.
Yet even during this work hiatus, Amy’s entrepreneurial drive could not be stopped. She soon launched a photography business, a passion project that allowed her to balance motherhood with work through a creative outlet.
“It filled my constant need to learn and improve. I built a custom website, grew a thriving client base, and enjoyed the flexibility. But after a few years, I found myself wanting more,” Amy reflects.
That desire led her to consulting, where she advised small businesses on strategic planning, operations, and marketing. Consulting ultimately connected her to Premier Periodontics, a Seattle-based DSO who brought Amy on to scale operations. Amy was pivotal to the organization’s success.
“I started as Director of Operations and moved into marketing, and eventually I became COO. During my time there, we expanded Premier to eight locations and helped launch Evident Alliance, a 25-location multi-specialty DSO,” Amy explains.
She credits much of her success to the trust her colleagues placed in her.
“They let me make decisions and run with them, which is how I work best. Dr. Will Fernyhough and Dr. Issa Dkeidek remain great friends to this day,” she adds.
Joining Envista
In 2021, Amy joined Envista, drawn by the opportunity to combine her expertise in innovation and healthcare.
“Envista’s portfolio is unmatched. I knew that it would be an opportunity to grow personally and offer endless opportunity to innovate and create value for customers,” Amy says.
Amy shared her vision for the future of Envista’s place with DSOs last spring with CEO Paul Keel. Paul saw the importance, shared Amy’s excitement for the opportunity and added DSO to the strategic planning process. As a result, extensive voice of customer interviews were completed, new resources allocated, and restructuring occurred to suit the needs of these very important customers. All focused on leveraging Envista’s vast customer-centric solutions and portfolio.”
The Secret Sauce
Envista’s success with DSOs boils down to three key elements: solutions, simplicity, and scale.
Envista’s portfolio includes best-in-class solutions, products and technologies across categories: diagnostics/imaging, implants, consumables, and ortho. What sets the company apart, however, is its ability to integrate these offerings into tailored solutions for DSOs.
“We’re not just selling products. We’re partnering with DSOs to help them operationalize and scale their businesses. This means creating training programs, offering fleet management tools, and collaborating on innovations that improve efficiency and patient care,” Amy explains.
Envista offers simplicity for DSO partners. The advantages of working with one manufacturing partner for multiple solutions / across multiple categories is enormous. Having a single point of contact, one contract, a partner who knows your goals and paint points and who is proactively working on your behalf to help you grow, across initiatives, is invaluable. The time savings and peace of mind are invaluable. Envista has the resources, expertise and experience to help our DSO partners and scale.
“Amy has a deep understanding of market dynamics, coupled with an innovative approach to partnership development. Her ability to identify new opportunities, negotiate mutually beneficial agreements, and align partnerships with the company’s broader objectives has directly resulted in significant achievements for Heartland. Her leadership has had a profound impact on DSOs,” adds Dr. Anna Singh, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Heartland Dental.
A Vision for the Future
Amy envisions continued growth and innovation for Envista. A significant focus is on advanced training and education, with customized programs for partners like Heartland Dental and Smile Brands to help providers grow their implant practices.
“Envista has been a great partner to Smile Brands for many years and has evolved with our changing needs, always with long-term success in mind for our providers, their patients, and us as an organization. We look forward to continuing this journey together,” shares Steve Bilt, CEO of Smile Brands.
Fleet management technology is another area of focus. Envista’s suite of tools helps DSOs track and optimize equipment usage, improving efficiency and effectiveness. The DTX Studio Imaging Suite is also revolutionizing workflows by integrating diagnostics, imaging, and treatment planning into a seamless experience.
“It’s changing the way dental offices operate. The best part is, it’s an open platform that works with any existing technology, making DSOs more agile and effective,” Amy says.
For Amy, Envista’s success is about more than business — it’s about solving problems and growing relationships.
“I’m never satisfied with the status quo. There’s always room to grow, innovate, and improve. That’s what keeps me going,” she says.
Under Amy’s leadership, Envista is setting a new standard for partnership in the dental industry — offering DSOs not just the tools
to succeed but a vision for growth, innovation, and meaningful collaboration that drives long- term impact.
