Jacob Akers and Mercedes Foss with Goose (Photo by Matthew J. Mowry)
Husband and wife team Jacob Akers and Mercedes Foss both worked in dentistry—he as a dentist, she as an office manager—but they had hesitations about working together until they installed decorative window trim at their home.
Akers tried and gave up. So did Foss. But when they tackled the project together, they got it done. “Her strengths complimented my weaknesses and vice versa,” Akers says. “We realized we could segue that into business together.”
They planned to open a new practice and were drawn to NH, in part because Akers has been a dentist with the state’s National Guard since 2017. When they heard about another husband-and-wife team looking to retire and sell their small practice, their interest was piqued.
They visited Great Falls Dental in Somersworth and were immediately impressed by the prior owners’ close relationships with clients. For their part, the previous owners were excited to sell to another family.
“They wanted to keep it family-based, independent, and privately owned,” Foss says.
That was about three and a half years ago. Since then, Foss and Akers have realized that—as with home renovation projects—they’re quite good at working together. They’ve even brought their two-year-old golden retriever, Goose, into the practice with the goal of becoming a therapy dog.
The couple ride to work together each day, and as soon as they pull into the parking lot, they’re doctor and office manager. But after work, “we go home as family,” Akers says. They often care for family and friends, including Akers’ father, who needed dental implants. Sharing those experiences with other clients helps build trust. “It gives them a real perspective, that this is what we did for our family members or friends,” Akers said.
Whether caring for their family and friends, soldiers, or community members, Foss and Akers aim to create a welcoming atmosphere. “If you have to be here, we’re going to make the best of it,” Foss says. “That’s one of the family aspects that’s great for the patients.”
Akers adds, “We call it the work family.”
