As the CEO of Avista Capital Partners, Thompson Dean draws on experience gained in leadership positions at Goldman Sachs and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners. At Avista, Thompson Dean and his partners employ a middle-market control buyout strategy of creating value through management enhancements, regulatory understanding, and greater financing options.
Since its inception more than a decade ago, Avista Capital Partners has focused on investing in companies in the health care sector with substantial potential for added value. One of these companies is Zest Dental Solutions, a Carlsbad, California-based company in which Avista invested in 2013. During its partnership with Avista, Zest emerged as one of the premier international providers of innovative dental restoration products and full-arch treatment solutions.
In February 2018, Avista Capital Partners announced that it would sell Zest to funds controlled by the private-equity firm BC Partners for undisclosed terms. Avista was represented in the transaction by the global legal firm Ropes & Gray, which was led by a team that included finance partner Sunil Savkar, private equity partners David Blittner and Bob Rivollier, tax partner Leo Arnaboldi, and benefits partner Alexandra Alperovich.
