September 6 Proofs Note from the Editor

By Kevin Henry
Editor, Proofs
[email protected]

Make no mistake about it ... 3M ESPE takes great pride in being dubbed "the most innovative dental company" in the industry on a seemingly annual basis by The Anaheim Group. Innovation is at the core of 3M's corporate philosophy, so it makes sense that the dental arm of the Minnesota giant would follow suit.

During a recent media tour to the Twin Cities, I visited 3M ESPE (along with my colleagues from RDH magazine and Dental Economics) and heard about some of the innovative products the company will be bringing to market before the end of the year (and into 2012). I also had the chance to visit with Keith Haig, who serves as 3M ESPE's director of marketing (as well as a member of the Proofs editorial board). I always enjoy talking to people in the industry about their views of the current "state of the union" as we head into the fall trade show season.

While 3M ESPE certainly has its claims as dental's most innovative company, I thought quite a bit during my visit about some of the creative minds that have been and still are part of our industry. I recently spoke with Andrew Wright, the great-great grandson of Edwin L. Edwards, the founder of Edwards X-Ray Corporation. He was doing some research on his ancestor for a book and came across an interesting lesson in marketing and public relations.

After talking with him, I learned that he had a fascinating story about innovation to share. It was one of the more popular articles from a recent edition of the Proofs e-newsletter so if you missed it, please click here to read it.

Innovation has been at the core of our industry since the Egyptians tried to devise a way to make the Pharaoh’s toothache go away. It will continue for years to come. My question to you is ... what are you doing to be innovative? I recently to Henry Schein’s Christy Conway about how she is using social media to connect with her customers. You can read my interview with her by clicking here. She is proving the old adage of "doing something the same old way is old" to be very true.

I encourage you to be innovative and think of how you can use social media to move forward in your business. I promise you that your competitors are thinking about it right now.

Read on, this is your e-newsletter...