On June 30, marking 10 years since he acquired Dr. James Molitor’s former practice, Dr. Gabriel Holdwick announced the purchase of another dental office. This move aims to increase patient capacity, reduce wait times, and improve resources for the community.
Holdwick has acquired the dental practice of Dr. James Hirn. He will keep the entire staff from Hirn’s office and integrate the practice into his own operations. Dr. Hirn will continue working as an employee for two more years before retiring.
A Harbor Beach native, Holdwick expressed pride in the growth of his State Street practice over the past decade. “People have been referred by their friends, and new patient appointments are booking out into next spring,” he said. “They’re waiting because they want to see me. Professionally, that is a great achievement. I have a wonderful staff who enjoys coming to work every day. I feel good about the dentistry we provide, and people are recognizing that. For Dr. Hirn and me, dentistry is a relationship business, and that’s the medium we practice in.”
He added, “What makes me most proud and thankful is that we had to make this move because of the loyalty of all our patients.”
Holdwick plans to merge the patient bases of both practices while transitioning to the newly acquired office at 227 North Fourth Street. He will sell his current location on State Street, though no exact moving date has been set yet, as logistical details like integrating IT systems are still being worked out.
“I have a few more patients than Dr. Hirn, but both our patient families are relatively large,” Holdwick explained. “We will need all our staff to make this work. We’re still in the building now, and I haven’t determined the exact move date because we are sorting out some IT issues.”
The decision to expand came from concerns about rising patient wait times. Holdwick considered expanding his current building but ultimately chose to buy Hirn’s practice, which offers a newer and larger facility.
Dr. Hirn’s daughter recently graduated from dental school but chose to stay in Minnesota, where she trained. Knowing that Hirn was close to retirement, Holdwick proposed a plan to ensure continuity of care for the Harbor Beach community.
“We wanted to avoid a situation where Dr. Hirn couldn’t find someone to take over his practice,” Holdwick said. “It’s challenging to attract dentists and other professionals to rural areas. Right now, patients are booking out to March. Without a successor, Dr. Hirn’s retirement would leave a gap. Together, we agreed this plan is the best path forward—for our patients, our staff, the community, and ourselves.”
Holdwick emphasized the importance of keeping both teams employed and providing uninterrupted service during the transition.
While merging the practices will come with challenges such as adjusting procedures and integrating IT systems, the priority remains delivering high-quality care.
“Dr. Hirn will stay on and work fewer days as his schedule changes. Eventually, he will retire, which will be a change for his patients,” Holdwick said. “We are still planning the move carefully, but in the meantime, we will continue providing compassionate, courteous, and thoughtful care.”
He asked for patients’ patience during the transition. “This is a big change. Some patients have told me they’ve never seen a dentist anywhere but the State Street office, which was built in 1963. Things will be different, and I ask for everyone’s understanding as we adjust. We are doing this to keep dental care access in the community as stable as ever. There may be some bumps along the way, but we will do our best to maintain the high level of care our patients expect.”
Holdwick’s current practice is located at 415 State Street in Harbor Beach. Over time, operations will move to the new building at 227 North Fourth Street, Harbor Beach.
