Ed Choate

When Ed Choate arrived at Delta Dental of Arkansas in Sherwood in 2000, the company had a 50 percent turnover rate and the senior management team had left.

The next year the turnover rate fell to 42 percent, and now it is in the neighborhood of 12 percent a year.

Ed Choate, the president and CEO of Delta Dental, said he changed the culture of the dental insurance and dental benefits administration company.

“We have to treat our people well,” Choate said.

He said the culture of the 150-employee company became one of employee enrichment, empowerment and appreciation.

The move has paid off for Delta Dental. Its revenue jumped from $128 million in 2000 to $246 million in 2005. This year it is projecting revenue of about $270 million.

Choate also has helped more than double Delta Dental’s assets from $14 million in 2000 to $40 million in 2005.

Choate almost didn’t get into the insurance industry. He had been a high school teacher. But when took a job at Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield in 1980, Choate found the insurance industry challenging and rewarding.

One of his biggest victories at Delta Dental was landing the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville account when it went up for bid in 2005.

Delta Dental was going up against some of the largest insurance companies in the country, but it came away with the Wal-Mart contract.

In Arkansas, Delta Dental is the state’s largest provider of dental insurance and administration services. It covers about 900,000 employees and about 1.5 million lives.

Choate said he will continue to grow market share in Arkansas by starting new products and using technology to improve service. Also he plans on expanding the business outside of Arkansas by having joint ventures with companies that need its dental administration services.

Previous Honorees