_MG_2872By Denise Mann

It has been said that family and business don’t mix, but the Pierini family begs to differ. They make it work and then some.

Angel Pierini and his sister, Angelica, serve as co-practice managers for Pierini Esthetic Surgery in Doral, Fla. Established in 2010, the facility is run by their father, Alberto L. Pierini, SA-C, who was a plastic surgeon in Caracas, Venezuela, and now serves as a surgical assistant.

And things are going well. So well that the family just opened a second facility. Pierini: A Solution for Beauty and Pierini Surgery Center of Broward, located in Tamarac, opened its doors in May 2015. There are a total of 15 employees at both Centers, and they are looking to hire another plastic surgeon for the Tamarac office.

Angelica manages the day-to-day business at the Doral center, and Angel is in charge of operations. “I am the fixer,” he says. “I am the problem-solver of the team. If a machine or stapler breaks or there is a business deal to be sorted out, that’s my job.”

Growing the practice also falls on Angel’s plate. And while it was always part of the plan, he admits that they weren’t 100% ready when opportunity came knocking.

Growing Pains

“When our practice started, it was rather small and grew very quickly in size from 2,600 to 14,000 square feet,” he says. “We were at the point where our first facility was running smoothly when we were presented with the opportunity to open another office,” he says. “The timing wasn’t exactly right. It was a little too soon, but we could not afford to miss the opportunity,” he says.

Expanding too quickly can be risky, but the Pierini family knew that their services were in demand and that a second facility would be able to stand on its own in due time. To help stay liquid while the new Center takes root, the team rents out their operating suite at their Doral facility to other local surgeons.

“We feel confident knowing that this new facility is located in an office which was previously a hugely successful practice,” he says. “We know that the people in the area are the type of target market we are looking for.”

Angelica is charged with marketing both practices. She is not worried about building a new clientele in Tamarac, either. Many patients from Weston, Coral Springs, and Aventura were already coming to Doral, so the new location is much more convenient for this crowd, she explains.

While there are similarities between the patient populations, there are also important differences. “Doral is a Spanish-speaking community, and Tamarac is more American-oriented,” she says. This means publications, e-blasts, and other web-based marketing materials must be bilingual in Doral, but largely English for Tamarac.

The common denominator? “Everyone loves to feel good,” she says. Angelica attributes part of the group’s overall success to an enhanced patient experience. “We are into holistic therapy,” she says. “All of our patients are offered hypnosis and Reiki, so they come into surgery feeling more relaxed. It makes a big difference.”

All Work and No Play?

When this family gets together for holidays or meals, they do talk shop. “It follows us, and we bring it everywhere we go,” Angel says.

But none of them would change a thing. “We started from scratch here and are humbled by our success.”

Denise Mann is the editor of Plastic Surgery Practice. She can be reached at [email protected].

 

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