Rochester dentist's $2.75 million investment means his clinic will have more space in 2023

Dec. 12—ROCHESTER — Following a $2.75 million investment, a growing Med City dental clinic plans to move less than 2,000 feet to open even wider in a much larger space in 2023.

Six years ago, Dr. Matt Penz, with his wife, Kate Penz, took a leap and

opened Penz Dental Care

in his hometown. They

moved into Suite 110 in the Uptown Square building

at 2001 Second St. SW. The office was previously occupied by Southwest Family Dental Center.

"When we first started this office, it was a blank slate. I had no idea if it was going to make it," said Dr. Penz.

After starting with just two staffers to support Dr. Penz,

Penz Dental Care has grown to 10 employees, including three dentists

. While adding more employees to care for a growing number of patients is a positive, it also means packing more people into a 2,000-square-foot office.

"We're bumping shoulders more than a little bit now," he said. "Now we have the providers, but we don't have enough space."

That spurred the Penzes to look for a new spot. That led to their $2.75 million purchase of the three-year-old commercial complex called Uptown on Second at 2560 Second St. SW on Dec. 2, 2022. Besides being close to the current Penz Dental office, the building is next to the

Primrose School of Rochester daycare

center and across the street from a Mayo Clinic employee parking lot.

The commercial center, which features a rooftop parking lot, was built in 2019 by a pair of investors that included Rochester business leader Jay Maier. Construction required

extensive earth moving and the installation of a large retaining wall.

They sold the property under the corporate name of JR 2nd Street LLC.

Olmsted County estimated the total market value of the property at $1.54 million for 2022-2023.

The plan is to move Penz Dental into a 3,500-square-foot spot on the east side of the complex by next summer. They hope to start construction in February. Dr. Penz plans to have nine exam rooms in the new space compared to four in the current spot.

Interventional Orthopedic Solutions will remain as a tenant. In addition to IOS and the future Penz Dental office, there is 1,500 square feet available for a third tenant.

"We're going to be able to tailor how patients perceive the appointments and their experience within the office. We're going to be able to curate the sights, the sounds, the smells by designing what the exam rooms look like and the patient flow," Penz said. "It will be very patient-focused. Not only are we trying to provide the best dental care, but also the best customer service and experience, because not everyone loves coming to the dentist."

Once Penz Dental transitions into the new location, he expects to add more employees to the team.