Roy’s style was unassuming. He started his first sales job, riding the street cars in Toronto, selling burs to dentists. This hard graft, bottom-up trajectory into the business of dentistry instilled in him a humility that allowed him to be hugely successful.
In 1948, at 18 years old, Roy started at the Associated Dentists Co-operative (ADC). After 25 years with the firm, he saw an inequity in how successful dentists would wind down their practice. Most dentists terminated their staff, abandoned the equipment, and left patients adrift. In 1974, Roy pivoted away from the ADC and founded ROI Management, later renamed ROI Corporation.
As a competitive, fair, and accomplished figure in the business, Roy Brown bravely backed dental practice owners. He championed the then-radical idea that the worth of their life’s work was, in fact, an asset and something that they could sell to supplement a well-earned retirement. Roy staked his reputation and the security of his young family on the idea that dentists could sell their business and retire with dignity.
Roy made an immediate impact on the lives of those closest to him. His bravery in seeing the now-evident succession planning and practice sale dynamic has had an untold impact on launching the careers of thousands of dentists and creating a comfortable retirement for many more.
This legacy continues in the company that bears his name, and he can rest in peace knowing that his business philosophy is at the heart of how the business continues to conduct itself.
Roy lived a long, prosperous life and gave so much back to all of those that his magic touched. A large community of people will dearly remember him.
