Doug Brown ‘78, MBA ‘84 has shown that the smallest of lessons can stick around for a lifetime. On the last day of class in 1983, Dr. Ken Davis shared his top ten list of things that make a good manager.

For Doug, this information was foundational in his career journey.

Ability to integrate, to see relationships

Doug graduated from Duke University in 1978 with a B.S. in Management Science and started a position in Charlotte, NC as a CPA. Two years later, he entered the Evening Executive program at Fuqua while living in Raleigh, working in Oxford, and taking two classes a week in Durham.  

“I loved it. I loved working with students that had more experience and wisdom than me,” said Brown. “I think we had a guy in our class who might have been close to 60 years old at the time. We also had a lot of engineers bringing their wonderful problem-solving and analytical skills. I was very impressed by how well they did.”

Quick and continuous response to change

Doug’s class was one of the first classes at Fuqua to experience the program with the integration of computer skills. Signaling a change in the winds of business management, the skills he acquired were a set-up for success.

“Having computer skills in financial management was a real advantage to me early on,” said Brown. “Today it is commonplace and everyone has these skills, but back then they were progressive. I don't think other business schools at that time had gone that far.”

De-emphasis on techniques - management is often an art

For Doug, the lessons he learned from his classmates at Fuqua shaped how he views his different roles, whether advisory board member or CEO.

“The interaction with so many varied people in terms of their careers and their backgrounds and experience, I think we learned as much from each other as we learn from our professors,” said Brown.

Respect for conventional wisdom

Learning from classmates can manifest is different ways, and knowing when to look back to those before you is critical.

“So often, you really want to be the creator of a new idea and innovate with your own mind,” said Brown. “But it’s important to look back at people that have come before you in a business or initiative and observe what they've done or what was successful for them.”

Keep informed

The Research Triangle has become a hub for dental innovation, which can be partially attributed to Doug’s commitment to care. Seeing the need, Doug created Local Start Dental, a nonprofit that provides reduced and free dental implements for members of the community.

“I really enjoy the working with the young entrepreneurs,” said Brown. “Especially having worked with big organizations, which has its own benefits, but it has its challenges too. This is a lot of fun.”

Key issue orientation - concentrating on important matters

Commitment to affordable dental care has been at the forefront of Brown’s career. This concentration helped shape his focus after retirement. Brown now serves on a myriad of dental boards, and advisory boards for dental schools, and mentors dental students looking to grow in the entrepreneurial realm.  

 Sensitivity of organization's capacity - you can’t always “run a tight ship”

Knowing the ins and outs of the industry and having the capability of viewing things from many different angles has allowed Doug to assist emerging talent across different organizations.

“There are a lot of choices when it comes to running an organization,” said Brown. “Depending upon how entrepreneurial someone is or how much energy they have, it can be hard to be both a business person and a clinician. But sometimes you’ll see a business person and a dentist team up in one practice, and the practice naturally grows to ten people and continues from there. It can be in exciting development.”

Sense of direction

Having a sense of direction and strong concentration and passion for dental innovation has been pivotal for Doug, and that began early on in his post-grad career.  

“I had the opportunity to work for another Fuqua alumnus, who was also an undergraduate friend and fraternity brother and had started a business called Dental One Partners,” said Brown. “That was a small group of practices, and I came in as chief operating officer and later became CEO. I've been in that business for 30 years.”

Future-oriented - eye for new products, markets and services

The relationships grown from being inside and outside of a classroom setting are critical, and the ability to cultivate these relationships has changed in ways that required forward thinking.

“These days you can be anywhere in the world and be a student at Fuqua—I wouldn't have thought that could be possible back in the day,” said Brown. “When we were all together at Fuqua, it was obviously great, but now the diversity and the power to have people around the world to participate is really cool.” 
 

Ability to identify, develop and hold “top flight” people

Much like his early days working with peers to grow in the dental industry, cultivating and developing other entrepreneurs is something that is extremely important to Doug, and he has demonstrated this time and time again.

“There are really talented people out there, and I'm seeing more and more what young people know, learn, and can provide at an early age,” said Brown. “It's just amazing to me. Give them an opportunity to thrive and prosper, and keep close to them to determine their needs. Amazing things can happen.”