Dakota Family Dental Celebrates 15 Years in Rapid City

15 Years of Smiles: The Story of Dakota Family Dental

A local practice built on relationships, consistency and a team that has grown together

Article by Local Black Hills Contributing Writer

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Jennifer Friedman made a pretty big decision: the Black Hills was going to be home.

After being stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, she decided she wanted to stay in the area. In 2011, she purchased a dental office and started Dakota Family Dental.

A lot has changed since then. The practice has moved, the team has grown and plenty of kids who once came through the doors as young patients are now adults. But the approach to caring for patients has stayed remarkably consistent.

Finding a Home and Room to Grow

Dakota Family Dental started at 1600 Mountain View Road, where Dr. Friedman practiced until 2015. The next stop was 2800 Jackson Boulevard, where she shared space with Dr. Laura Davies.

By January 2021, another move was in order. Dakota Family Dental relocated to its current home at 705 Columbus Street, giving the growing practice more room.

Looking back, those moves into larger spaces stand out as some of the biggest turning points in the practice’s history.

But perhaps a better measure of Dakota Family Dental’s growth is the people who have been along for much of the journey.

A Team That Stuck Around

Fifteen years is a long time in business. It’s also a long time to work alongside the same people.

Linda has been with Dr. Friedman from the beginning, joining her in 2011. Marin came aboard in 2015, Holly in 2016 and Syreeta in 2018.

Amy originally joined Dr. Friedman in 2015. After spending several years away from the practice, she learned Dr. Friedman was hiring in 2024 and decided she wanted to return to dentistry and to the team.

That kind of longevity doesn’t happen everywhere.

When asked what she believes helps a business last, Dr. Friedman points to taking care of your team, working from the heart and being honest. Her advice to someone starting a business is even simpler: find good people to work for you.

After 15 years together, it seems she’s taken her own advice.

Keeping the Focus on Patients

Technology and dentistry may continue to change, but Dr. Friedman says the foundation of the practice hasn’t. Dakota Family Dental continues to focus on science-based dental care with an emphasis on prevention.

The patient relationships haven’t changed much either.

Some patients have been coming to Dakota Family Dental for years, allowing the team to watch young kids grow into young adults and get to know families over time.

When you look at a 15-year business milestone, it’s easy to focus on dates, buildings and growth. But sometimes the better measure is the number of people who have chosen to keep coming back.

Keeping the Focus on Patients

Of course, no 15-year business story happens exactly according to plan.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought shutdowns, mandates and uncertainty to dental practices everywhere. At the same time, Dr. Friedman was experiencing a pretty major life event of her own: having a baby.

During challenging periods, she relied on her team and guidance from professional dental organizations to keep moving forward.

Through it all, the goal remained the same: be patient, work through the challenges and continue doing what’s best for patients.

Keeping the Focus on Patients

Over the years, Dakota Family Dental has also found ways to give back to the community that supported the practice.

Dr. Friedman has been involved with organizations and causes including Love INC, the Performing Arts Center and local sports. The Dakota Family Dental team also has a Christmas tradition of collecting gifts for children.

For Dr. Friedman, one of the most rewarding parts of the past 15 years has been watching young patients grow up and developing relationships with families along the way.

That’s one of the things we love about longtime local businesses. Eventually, their history becomes intertwined with the people and community around them.

Keeping the Focus on Patients

Dakota Family Dental is celebrating its 15th anniversary with some new perks for patients, but Dr. Friedman isn’t looking to reinvent the practice that got them here.

She hopes to continue growing and, most importantly, continue doing dentistry because she still loves what she does.

And there’s one more thing 15 years in business has taught her: you need to try to laugh together every day and have fun.

That’s probably not a bad formula for longevity.

Fifteen years, three locations, longtime employees and a whole lot of patients later, Dakota Family Dental has plenty to celebrate. And for Dr. Friedman and her team, there’s still plenty of reason to smile about what’s ahead.