Patterson acquires AccuBite
Patterson Companies, Inc. recently announced the acquisition of Accu-Bite, Inc., a Michigan-based dental distributor with approximately 60 sales representatives working out of branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia.
Accu-Bite’s branch offices and field sales representatives, equipment sales representatives, and service technicians will be merged into existing Patterson Dental branch offices. Patterson expects to maintain Accu-Bite’s distribution center in Michigan and incorporate it into Patterson Dental’s distribution system.
“The addition of Accu-Bite’s sales force is expected to strengthen our penetration and competitive position in a variety of key markets around the nation,” said Scott R. Kabbes, president of Patterson Dental. “This acquisition also presents us with significant cross-selling opportunities by expanding the range of products and services available to Accu-Bite’s customers. We are very pleased that Accu-Bite chose to combine their operations with ours, and we are excited about the opportunities for the combined company.”
Begun in 1978 as a specialty manufacturer of dental products by Dr. William J. Costello, Accu-Bite evolved into a full-service dental distributor that has grown rapidly over the past decade. Today, Accu-Bite ranks as one of the top 10 dental distributors in the U.S.
Altor acquires Finland-based part of GE Healthcare
Nordic private equity fund Altor 2003 Fund (“Altor”) recently acquired General Electric (GE) Healthcare’s dental imaging business. With the transaction, Altor aims to grow and develop the unit as an independent Finnish company and to further strengthen the company’s position as a globally leading dental imaging equipment provider.
“Altor is a growth-orientated owner which will help grow and develop our company as a leader in the dental imaging market globally,” said Tiina Holkko, chief executive officer of the dental imaging unit. “I believe that as an independent company we have great opportunities for both the Instrumentarium and the SOREDEX brands. With the existing product portfolio, including our orthopantomograph products and the DIGORA Imaging Plate Readers, as well as new developments in the pipeline, we will continue to deliver customer satisfaction in the demanding dental market.”
“We are excited about the technology know-how and the growth opportunities for the dental imaging business unit and look forward to developing the business as an independent Finnish company. The company’s renowned imaging products combined with the employees’ proven track record in product development and customer service provide a solid platform for further growth,” said Jaakko Kivinen, investment director at Altor Equity Partners.
At its production unit in Tuusula, Finland, the dental business unit designs and manufactures intraoral and extraoral X-ray products for global markets. The dental business unit has operations worldwide, including its own sales offices in France, Germany, Italy, and the U.S. The company will assume a new name after the transaction has been completed.
Ivoclar Vivadent announces North American Clinical Sales Award winners
Ivoclar Vivadent has announced the recipients of the 2005 North American Sales Conference Awards, Clinical Division. Awarded during this year’s annual meeting held in Schaan, Liechtenstein, the top honors were presented to team members demonstrating outstanding sales achievement during the previous year. Two such honors stand out based on the hard work and perseverance needed to achieve such awards.
The Canadian Maple Leaf Award for Canadian Clinical Sales was presented to Martin Brandl. Brandl, a six-year Ivoclar Vivadent veteran, earned this honor based on a criterion of achievement of sales goals as well as producing the highest level of incremental growth. He also demonstrated strengths in the areas of product knowledge, management, and service ability. Brandl is responsible for Eastern Ontario (including Ottawa) and the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.
The Territory of the Year Award for Clinical Sales in the United States, was presented to Micky J. Stewart for sales goal achievement and service abilities. Stewart, an eight-year member of the Ivoclar Vivadent Clinical Sales team, achieved all of the criteria for this honor, including excellence in product knowledge, management skills, and achieving the highest incremental sales growth over previous year’s sales. Stewart’s territory responsibilities include Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii and is also the Western Regional Manager.
In addition to earning the top awards, Brandl and Stewart both established new Clinical Division records for incremental sales growth of a Territory.
Also presented were the 2004 100% Club Awards. To achieve this honor, sales team members must achieve 100% of a territory’s annual sales forecast goal. This year’s Clinical Division recipients include: Canada - Martin Brandl, Shelley McEachern, Kimberly Pacula, Keri Robinson, and Mark Wilson; United States - Lyn Alioto, RDA, Dale Crane, Michael Donahue, Rob Goodale, Catherine Houle, Rhonda Mueller, Ray Penton, Daniel Perkins, Israel Shalomoff, Jean Spinell, Gail Schwartz, RDH, Jane Shortridge, Michael Smith, Kathleen Spivey, Micky Stewart, Michael Ward, and Amy Zydel.
Benco, KaVo team up for training
Two sets of Benco Dental sales representatives recently spent two days at KaVo Dental’s Lake Zurich facility to learn about KaVo products. Product focuses included KaVo air handpieces, electric handpieces, light sources, tubings, the DIAGNOdent laser caries detection unit, as well as Gendex Digital Imaging products.
Instructor Doug Mayer led an intense training curriculum that included PowerPoint presentations and hands-on product training.
Above: Attendees included (KaVo) Jon Parenteau, Doug Mayer, and Bo Sutch; (Benco) Analiz Aquino, Michele DiFilippo, Kirsten Burkhart, Jamie Macelroy, Horace Evans, Roy Goldich, Christopher Gray, Jamie Konschnik, Roger Hollopeter, Steve Jackson, Cathy Neikam, Marty Pascal, Robert Smedley, Michael Wich, and Jeff Drugotch. Below: Attendees included (KaVo) Scott Hammond, Doug Mayer, Robbie Salem; (Benco) Ross Hunt, Richard Varipapa, Josh Rofrano, Nick Baker, Anne Dougherty, Craig Mayers, Jared Walling, Steve Caler, Greg Jones, Carlos Padilla, Andrew Wichmann, Alexis Morales, and Brandon Krapf.
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Groups add support for IDEM Singapore 2006
The World Dental Federation (FDI), the Singapore Dental Association, and Koelnmesse GmbH announced their cooperation for IDEM Singapore 2006 - Asia Pacific’s most authoritative exhibition and meeting for the dentistry profession. Besides providing worldwide industry endorsement for IDEM 2006, FDI will extend scientific support in presenting the IDEM 2006 Conference, to be held in conjunction with the IDEM 2006 exhibition, April 7-9 at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Singapore Dental Association (SDA) has been the co-organizer of the conference programme for IDEM since 2000. The SDA will continue to play a pivotal role in organizing the IDEM 2006 scientific conference, particularly with respect to the formulation of the topics to be addressed.
“The cooperation between the FDI and IDEM is very propitious in light of the multitude of new challenges facing the dentistry profession and industry in Asia Pacific,” remarked Oliver P. Kuhrt, executive vice president of Koelnmesse. “FDI’s role for IDEM 2006 will complement the role of the SDA, which has helped to provide the IDEM event with a strong outreach among industry practitioners in the region. We are very pleased with this new development as it signifies a high point for the exchange of scientific expertise and ideas among the most gifted professionals in the global dentistry community.”
ADD reps train at KaVo
The Associated Dental Dealers group representatives recently spent two days at KaVo Dental’s Lake Zurich facility to learn about Gendex products. Product focuses included digital panoramic, digital sensors, phosphor plate technology, software solutions, and general discussions about the future of digital imaging in the dental industry.
Instructor Lou Vodopivec led an intense training curriculum that included PowerPoint presentations and hands-on product training.
Zenith Dental recently celebrated its seventh annual sales meeting at Caesars Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The meeting was attended by Zenith’s national sales force, product development, marketing, and executive management, as well as representatives from the company’s distribution partners, DMG and Micrylium.
The emphasis of this meeting was to celebrate the successful evolution of Zenith Dental as it reaches the next level of growth and development. Larry Katz, president, and Jerry Collins, vice president of sales, opened the meeting with a special thank you to all the Zenith employees who have worked together to help make Zenith Dental known in the marketplace as a quality manufacturer and distributor. Presentations were made on new product developments, marketing strategies, technical information, sales issues, and performance tools. The four-day meeting culminated with an awards and recognition dinner honoring individuals for their outstanding performance during the 2004-05 year.
Sherry Gingg, district sales representative of the Southern California, Southern Nevada, Hawaii, and Arizona territories, was awarded Salesperson of the Year for the second year in a row. Also earning recognition for sales achievement was Bill Cyr (northwestern United States), Wayne Flavin (northern New Jersey, Metro New York, and Long Island), Tom Moore (southeastern United States), Jon Kinne (northern New York and New England), and Gloria Murphy (northern California and Nevada). Jerry Collins, vice president of sales, presented all awards.
Patterson spring trade-in promotion a home run
Midmark Corporation recently completed an extremely successful dental sterilizer trade-in promotion program with Patterson Dental. Dubbed the “Midmark Spring Training Trade-In Promotion,” Midmark and Patterson worked together to develop a promotion on Midmark’s M9 and M11 UltraClave® Automatic Sterilizers and M7 SpeedClave® Steam Sterilizer that was designed to get Patterson retail representatives talking to dentists about upgrading one of the most important pieces of equipment in a dental office - the sterilizer.
More than 850 sterilizers were sold during the promotion, which was a 41.4 percent increase in sales over the previous year, accounting for a 42.4 percent increase in retail dollars for Patterson over the previous year.
Midmark’s promotion department sent each Patterson representative a miniature baseball locker with a baseball inside along with a handy booklet called, “The Best-Case Scenario Selling Handbook” for Midmark sterilizers. Dealer branch incentives included gas grills, tailgate parties, and gift certificates. Top-selling branches also received tickets to a professional baseball game as well as a tailgate party.
Throughout the four-month promotion, Midmark dental sales representatives sent in weekly updates showing how many sterilizers each brand had sold. Those numbers were then sent to Patterson’s corporate management so that the Midmark promotion remained top of mind. In addition, Midmark’s promotion department sent monthly reminders to all Patterson representatives, including a fun personalized baseball shirt.
“It’s great when the efforts of so many all come together to produce results that exceed everyone’s expectations,” said Eric Shirley, Midmark’s vice president of dental sales and marketing. “This kind of success is a reminder to our distribution partners that Midmark is committed to success in the dental business, and that we are capable of creating the momentum and energy required to make a real impact in the industry.”
Nobel Biocare has announced that the company’s Mahwah, N.J., Procera
Some of the meeting highlights included: seminars from the company’s career development and continuing-education programs, which provide professional development tools to enable field sales consultants to provide innovative value-added solutions to customers; the Zahn Vendor Fair, which showcased a broad selection of product suites available from Zahn, Sullivan-Schein’s laboratory division; and breakout sessions for regional sales teams and sales leadership to share best practices and discuss how demographic trends, such as the aging of the population and the impact of diversity, will affect the dental industry.
The meeting also once again recognized the outstanding achievements of Sullivan-Schein’s sales team members. This year’s winners were the following:
Sales Awards
Top Achiever Awards - Phil Riley, Betty Jonson, and Frank Polhert
5% Winners - Phil Riley, Jack Shalhoop, Pat Tarrant, Mitch Cutler, Dave Little, Rich Foti, Jerry Schultz, Chris Clemson, Dan Kroeger, Todd Gregory, Mike DuVall, Kristine Hilton, Don Sternberg, Keith Killips, Betty Jonson, Butch Vannatta, Frank Polhert, Terry Jones, Rich Kofron, Tony Starnes, Kelly Rollins, Ronnie Klein, Cameron Smith, Tom Brophy, Brandan Weller, Kris Powell, Pete Ward, Dick McBride, Susan Feldner, Tom Dietzler, Randy Talaski, Angelina Tomasetti, Anne Cox, Pauline Vargo, Rodger Karwacki, Kevin Doherty, Jerry Walters, John McMullen, Patricia Westcott, Anne Hollis, Fritz Cherrington, Tim Buck, Charles Debnam
Rookies of the Year - Elaine French, Equipment Sales Specialist; Mark Haslip, Field Sales Consultant; Brooke Pugh, Field Sales Consultant
Natoli Leadership Award - Jeff Tracy
The McHugh” Telesales Partnership Award (see note below) - Valarie Sutton, Cameron Smith
About The McHugh Telesales Award
For the second straight year, Sullivan-Schein Dental honored a sales team member with its annual “McHugh Telesales Partnership Award.” This award recognizes the outstanding field and telesales representatives who best exemplifies the spirit of teamwork and collaboration between the two dental sales channels. The award is named in honor of Lynne McHugh, a dental industry veteran who joined Sullivan-Schein in 1990 as one of the company’s first field sales consultants. Among her many accomplishments, McHugh, who currently serves as vice president of North American operations and administration for Henry Schein, is credited with helping transform the division’s predominantly catalog sales operation in the early 1990s into an integrated sales network that marries field and telesales resources.
Dentrix Awards
Top Revenue $, Hi-Tech Sales - Hi-Tech Connections
Top Revenue $, Dentrix Core - Steve Morgan
Top 5 Greatest % Over Hi-Tech Quota - Paul Hawkins, Jack Gill, Mike Keefe, Ted Gruner, Scott Sucher
Ted Gruner, Steve Morgan, Rand Reinhold, Craig Sullivan, Mike Keefe
Zahn Awards
Zahn Director’s Choice - Gabi Seijo (Southern Region), Wendi Cohen (Northern Region), Robert Jones (Pentron Sales), Karen Mitchell (Tooth Department)
Zahn Outstanding Business Achievement Award - Donna Booze
Zahn Achieving Budget of the Tooth Department - Noemi Moraga
Zahn Partnership Program - Karen Flanigan, Pete Ward, Fred Bowerfind
Norman Weinstock Top Achiever Award - Paul Wagner
Category Awards
Financial Services - Mike Dukes
ProRepair - Todd Speed
SSU Champions - Paul Kasperbauer, Chris Tozzi
Nathan Cox, Julie Salerno
Dentrix Software/Digital Equipment Champion - Rick Kofron
Dentix Software/Digital Equipment Champion - Tim Buck
Dentrix Equipment Champion - Pat Tarrant
E-Business - Sherry Vines, Heath Roberts, Doreen Erdman
Most Improved ESS - Brent Davis, Steve Aaron
Most Improved FSC - Chris Tozzi, Sherry Vines, Dave Witt
Zone Service - Ken Branson, Steve Sumstad, Rich Palmieri, Frank Dees, Tom Smith, Marcus Perez, Thom Carr, Don Cannon
Center Awards
Total Solution Provider - Don Cannon, Dan Kroeger, Dick McBride
Million Dollar Club - Frank Polhert, Betty Jonson, Cameron Smith, Rodger Karwacki, Pete Ward, Susan Feldner, Brandan Weller, Jerry Walters, Mitch Cutler, Rich Kofron, Patricia Westcott, Anne Hollis, Kelly Rollins, Anne Cox, Rich Foti, Randy Talaski, Kristine Hilton, Tony Starnes, Tom Brophy, Keith Killips, Phil Riley, Pat Tarrant, Dave Little, Jerry Schultz, Dan Kroeger, Mike DuVall, Don Sternberg, David Suits, Frank Wisnewski, Brent Davis, Jerry Wilhelmi.
TDOT takes detour to help Katrina victims
Answering the request of the Mississippi Department of Health, the American Dental Association and Henry Schein Inc., recently dispatched “Tomorrow’s Dental Office - Today!” (TDOT) to Waveland, Miss., for a period of time to help treat Gulf Coast residents in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The mobile exhibit, which is a fully-functional, technology-driven dental office of the future, traveled to this devastated town of 7,100 and was set up at the Kmart that became Waveland’s new community hub.
“All of us within the dental community are proud to work together with the Mississippi Department of Health to help care for the state’s citizens in this time of need,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein. “‘Tomorrow’s Dental Office - Today!’ is a remarkable dental resource that incorporates state-of-the-art technology in every aspect of a dental practice. It has been used in community outreach before, typically in conjunction with major dental meetings where we can demonstrate to dentists the value of this technology to their practices. In these extraordinary circumstances, we are happy to see the capabilities of TDOT put to such worthwhile use.”
“As you can imagine, a facility of this type is in high demand,” said Dr. James Bramson, executive director of the ADA. “It was scheduled to leave from the Ohio Dental Association Annual Session in Columbus for the ADA’s Annual Session in Philadelphia, when the call came from Mississippi.
“We conferred with Henry Schein and together instructed the TDOT staff to make a 900-mile detour to the Gulf Coast to arrive as soon as possible. Our members would agree that Waveland and other affected communities are where dental resources are most needed at this time.”
After Hurricane Katrina hit the area on August 29, Henry Schein and the ADA immediately offered to send resources to the affected states. Because the Mississippi Department of Health was the first to follow up on that offer, Waveland was selected as the destination for TDOT. It supplemented ongoing relief efforts at Caroline 1, the North Carolina State Medical Assistance Team base in Waveland.
DIAC affirms support of DCM at annual meeting
After the address, Michael Comartin, DIAC’s director for employee development, presented Dr. Dolansky with a check for $2,500 as DIAC’s annual contribution to the fund (see photo at left).
“Those who profit from the dental industry have an obligation to support its charitable efforts,” Comartin said. “Many of our member companies are already substantial benefactors of DCF. Our annual contribution is a message that anybody involved in the dental industry, no matter how small, and everyone working together can make a difference in delivering quality oral health care and education to those in need.”
CRETE corporate officers meet in Philadelphia
The corporate board for the Center for Research and Education in Technology Evaluation (CRETE) at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine met during the recent ADA annual session in Philadelphia. The Industry Advisory Council (IAC) met to discuss CRETE’s progress in implementing biodontics, which is a unique program to promote dental school interactions with representatives of the dental industry.
Attending were (back row, from left to right): Grant Gerke (A-dec Inc.), Bill Guscott (DentalEZ Inc.), Bob Zahradnick (Oragenics Inc.), Benn Vennesland (DentalEZ Inc.), William P. Dragan (Centrix Inc.), Gordon Hagler (DentalEZ Inc.), Gary Johnson(Patterson Companies), Nancy Sakaduski (Sakaduski Marketing), Paul Wennerholm (Patterson Dental), and Milly Goldstein (Harry J. Bosworth Company Inc.). Seated from left to right are Bernard W. Janicki (CRETE), Hubert Benitez (CRETE), Carl Bretko (JEP Management), Scott Anderson (Patterson Dental), and Edward Rossomando (CRETE).
Also, Gary Johnson, vice president of operations of Patterson Companies, who is leaving active membership in the IAC, receives an Award of Merit from Carl Bretko, CRETE’s IAC chair, for his commitment to CRETE and its programs, his support of the advancement of industry-academic interactions, and his leadership on the IAC. Johnson will remain on the IAC as an advisor-at-large.
Oral Health America gala set for Navy Pier
Oral Health America, a nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to improving oral health for all Americans for 50 years, will be holding its 16th Annual Gala Dinner and Silent Auction February 23, 2006, at Navy Pier in Chicago. The event will raise funds to support educational and service programs designed to improve oral health.
The Oral Health America Gala, held each year during the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting, is one of the dental industry’s premier networking events. This year’s theme is “Network at Navy Pier.” The black tie-optional evening features dinner, dancing, and a silent auction. The auction includes jewelry, sports, and Hollywood memorabilia, and other items of value. Also up for bid are networking opportunities such as “Lunch with a VIP” and “Tour of a Dental Product Manufacturer.” The event raises money that is used to help provide dental care to those without access to treatment.
This year’s Gala Platinum Sponsors include Dentsply International, Patterson Dental, Heraeus Kulzer, Jelenko, SciCan, National Dentex Corporation, GC America, Argen, Americus Dental Labs, Inc., and Mr. and Mrs. Bernard J. Beazley.
The Oral Health America 16th Annual Gala Dinner and Silent Auction will run from 7 to 11 p.m. on February 23, 2006. Tickets are $225 each; a table for 10 can be purchased for $2,100. For tickets or information on sponsorships and donations, please contact Joe Donohue at OHA by calling (312) 836-9900 or by email at [email protected].
Butterfield wins plasma prize from Centrix
Centrix, Inc., congratulates Stanley Butterfield, Pennsylvania district representative for Sullivan-Schein, on winning the first Centrix Dealer Support Prize. Just in time for football season, he received a full-feature, 42-inch wide screen Plasma television.
Centrix kicked off its new Preferred Dealer Program by participating in Sullivan-Schein’s annual, invite-only National Sales Conference in Las Vegas in July. More than 95 percent of Schein’s reps participated in the question-and-answer sweepstakes.
Centrix plans to build on this momentum by adding up to six regional account managers whose sole responsibility will be to travel the country and support dealers in every way possible, including on-site assistance and product training.
Centrix opens European headquarters
Centrix, Inc., has announced the opening of its European headquarters, operating under the name of Centrix BV in The Netherlands. The offices of Centrix BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrix, Inc., are located at Berweg 169, 3707 AC Zeist, and will be headed up by industry veteran Pieter Versteeg.
“Providing localized support to our customers and dealers in Europe is the right way for Centrix to continue its growth pattern,” explained Bill Dragan, president of Centrix, Inc. “With Centrix BV, we will now have a dedicated corporate presence and experienced team in place that can more readily handle the increased amount of product and informational requests that come in every day.”
Pieter has a proven track record in managing growth and he will chart the course for further expansion and office locations in the appropriate geographies.”
The formation of Centrix BV reflects not only Centrix’ commitment to satisfying the immediate service needs of its local European customers and dealers, but that it will be a driving force in the development of future products that are specific to a given geographic market need.
