Finally, I’d like to acknowledge a friend of mine who is retiring from the industry. Jiro Masuda, a consultant for the J. Morita Corporation, will retire on Feb. 20 after 50 years of service. In October of 1964, Morita opened an overseas liaison office, the first for a Japanese dental company, in Los Angeles for promotion of the Spaceline Chair-Unit concept, and Mr. Masuda was appointed the first manager there at the age of 26. The man has an amazing history in the dental industry, and I am fortunate to call him a friend and colleague. I have chatted with him many times about the dental industry and life in general. In 2007, I was lucky enough to fly to Japan to tour the offices and facilities of Morita and Shofu. Mr. Masuda was right there with me, and some of my best memories of the trip are the times we were able to relax and chat. He also holds another special place to me … he’s the only person I’ve ever sung John Denver songs with karaoke-style.Mr. Masuda, my heartfelt thanks for all you’ve done for me and for the dental industry. You will be missed.May each of you have a blessed holiday season, and may 2010 be a great year for all of us.Read on, this is your e-newsletter…
By Kevin Henry, Editor[email protected]It’s hard to believe we’re looking at the last few days of 2009. It’s been a year that few of us would want to relive with the economic situation, but it’s also been a year of good memories as well. Each of us will reflect upon the year that was when midnight turns 2009 into 2010, and each of us will be thinking about what the upcoming year might hold. New Year’s is always an interesting time filled with thoughts and hopes for a better tomorrow. Here’s hoping your 2010 is better than your 2009, even if last year was the best year of your life.The year that was is a big theme of this newsletter. Inside, you’ll see the top 10 stories (in my humble opinion) that were published in Proofs in 2009. There were a lot of stories from which to choose, and I think these 10 represent a good cross-section of articles. I hope you enjoy reading them and find them as useful today as when they were first published.One of the stories from our November issue (by our friend, The Dental Insider, on the gray market) was certainly timely. Shortly after our November e-newsletter came out, GC America and Trademark Holdings of Illinois announced they were taking steps in court to battle the gray market. You can read more about it by clicking here. My hat is off to them for this bold move, and I hope other companies will follow their lead.
