When Michael Jones started thinking seriously about retirement, he knew stepping away from his Russell dental practice in the central Kansas town of 4,400 wouldn’t be as simple as handing over the keys. Russell Dental Care is the only dental provider in the county; without it, patients would have to drive at least 30 minutes for care—a logistical headache and an economic loss.
Fortunately, Jones wasn’t alone.
Enter RedTire, the School of Business’ “Redefine Your Retirement” program. A clever blend of community service, economic development and real-world education, RedTire connects retiring small-business owners with qualified buyers through a meticulous, no-fee process that includes professional valuation and student analyst support.
Since launching in 2012, the program has guided more than 100 transitions, preserving jobs, local services and community institutions that might otherwise vanish. Among those transitions: 34 dental practices, including Russell’s, with three more dental deals in the pipeline.
“This program serves as an economic development mechanism,” says RedTire director Denton
Zeeman, g’12, who has led the effort since day one. “It helps keep essential services local and allows retiring owners to leave their businesses with peace of mind. It’s also a co-curricular opportunity for our students to gain practical experience in valuation, analysis and negotiations.”
RedTire’s reach is wide: From Kansas’ iconic rural locales such as Russell County to both sides of the state line in Kansas City—including Prairie Village, where dentist John Faerber, j’78, recently sold his practice to Cody Welding.
Faerber, a Creighton dental graduate and former KU football player, spent decades building his practice, specializing in implants and restorative dentistry. But as he approached 70, Faerber knew it was time to move on—carefully.
“I was very close with my patients, and my staff too,” Faerber says. “And I didn’t want to go through a broker. That often turns into a fire sale, or, worse, a bad fit. RedTire gave me confidence. Their valuation was thorough, objective and completely transparent.”
The process, Faerber says, took months of preparation—including combing through years of financial records and practice data—but resulted in a smooth handoff in March. Faerber still pops in regularly to consult with Welding, whose transition into ownership has been equally smooth.
“I knew from the start that I wanted to own my own practice,” says Welding, a Dallas native who attended Iowa State University before dental school at NYU, and moved to Kansas City in 2020. “But the brokerage model is messy. There are incentives, kickbacks and a real pressure to sell to big corporations. With RedTire, I knew exactly what I was getting into.”
When Faerber’s son married Welding’s wife’s cousin, the two dentists met at the wedding and quickly discovered their mutual interest: Welding, who had been working for a large group in west Lawrence since 2021, was eager to go into private practice, preferably in Johnson County, and Faerber, who had already been working for months with RedTire, was equally eager to sell his. RedTire’s involvement—providing a deep-dive financial analysis through student analysts and faculty oversight—helped seal the deal.
“Denton Zeeman was very good at mediating and explaining everything: good points, bad points, all those things, just very up-front and not taking sides with the buyer or the seller,” Faerber says. “That’s what I wanted, and it gave me good peace of mind. And I think Dr. Welding had very good peace of mind when he decided to buy the practice.”
That blend of academic muscle and community mission has become RedTire’s hallmark. Students gain hands-on experience in small-business transitions while helping preserve the state’s economic and health care fabrics.
Zeeman, a native South African, completed his undergraduate studies in the U.K. A visit to his sister in Olathe became permanent when he enrolled at KU to earn his MBA, then accepted an invitation to launch RedTire by joining the business school’s faculty. The program, he says, has grown more complex over time, but also more helpful.
“Originally, we thought it would be more plug-and-play,” he says. “But these are people’s lives, their life’s work. The process is often emotional and unpredictable. We’re not brokers; we don’t close deals. But we do help both sides navigate toward a successful transition.”
In Russell, that meant thinking creatively. After two potential buyers for Jones’ practice fell through, the community rallied. A local banker—and longtime patient—suggested Russell Regional Hospital. With support from the Russell County Area Community Foundation and a $100,000 grant, the hospital agreed to acquire the practice.
“This is about people coming together to do good,” says Angela Muller, executive director of the Russell foundation. “That’s one of the strengths of rural communities.”
For Zeeman, such stories validate RedTire’s role in public service.
“We’re helping Kansas,” he says. “We’re keeping providers in business, jobs in towns, and giving our students a deeper understanding of how businesses really work.”
Chris Lazzarino, j’86, is associate editor of Crimson & Blue.
