Hello to our WSDLA Members and Affiliates!
I looked at the calendar and realized the 1st quarter of 2023 is over, and the Northwest Forum is a wrap—as the saying goes, "Time flies!"
The year 2023, is shaping up to be a year of change for our WSDLA. My presidency is the first part of that change. I want to thank Gary Smothermon, who was President for the last two years, for all of his hard work! Our board officers moved up in chairs and that put me in the President’s position. I hope to serve you as well as my predecessors served.
This year has also ushered in another major change and that is the transition of Executive Directorship for our association. We are no longer managed by Partners from Florida. We have contracted with “Association Management, Inc.,” (AMI) of Gig Harbor, WA. Megan Schoenfelder is our new Executive Director and she has done an amazing job taking care of our daily business. AMI handles many other associations and they are well prepared to meet our needs. The transition has been lengthy but we are close to the end. Please be patient as we move forward in the process; however, should you need anything, reach out to me and I will steer you in the right direction.
I've been a member of our association for many years—this is my third term serving on the Board of Directors for WSDLA and I've made this commitment because I see great value in being a member of the WSDLA. One of my goals for 2023, is to have my passion for the industry and association become a passion for you as well. I would like to see our membership grow and provide increased opportunities for networking! If you aren't a member of our association, please consider joining! If you are a current member, thank you!
We had a great spring Forum, and our Board thanks you for attending. Our fall Roundtable will be held in October. Please see our, "Save the Date," in this newsletter and mark your calendars so you don’t miss out. We have a lot of exciting plans for our association and we want you to be a part of it.
We are looking for a few more volunteers to join our Board of Directors. The time commitment is minimal but the opportunities to discuss what matters to you and to network with other like-minded people are limitless. If you are interested, please contact me or any of our other board members and we will make sure to include you at our next meeting.
Sherill Aumiller, CDT
WSDLA President
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The WSDLA would like to join NBC in recognizing and celebrating the various milestones in 2023, for CDT’s in Washington state. Congratulations!
Mr. Douglas Wolfe, CDT — 25 Years
Ms. Sherill Aumiller, CDT — 30 Years
Mr. Kang Choe, CDT — 30 Years
Mr. Dennis Hanlon, CDT, TE — 30 Years
Mr. William Disantis, Master CDT, TE — 40 Years
Mr. David Nakanishi, CDT — 45 Years
Mr. Stephen Strong, CDT, TE — 45 Years
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2023 WSDLA NW Lab Forum
Thanks For Attending!
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Thank you to everyone who attended the NW Laboratory Forum at the
Bellevue Embassy Suites on March 10-11, 2023!
As most of you know, WSDLA changed association partners beginning in 2023, and yet, our new Executive Director, Megan Schoenfelder, from AM Inc., stepped up in a miraculous way and with her help, we had approximately 80 attendees along with 18 different vendors and sponsors show up to this years event. The venue looked amazing, the layout was easy to maneuver, lunch was delicious, and the added ease of scanning our badges made tracking CE much more efficient!
Friday turned out to be a very informative day covering topics ranging from DOR Use Tax to Standard Operating Procedures—not the most pleasant topics but topics our owners and teams really need to get a handle on! Bryan Reynolds, owner of Anthem Coffee, was our keynote speaker and he talked about being an adaptive, responsive, and resilient leader. His conversation was honest, open, and encouraging!
Our Saturday speakers were great as well. Dr. Brad McPhee spoke about intra-oral photography; Jean Chiah from Kuraray gave us step by step instructions for zirconia design, nesting, milling, and sintering; Kristi Neff from DENTSPLY Sirona covered digital dentures and gave tips and tricks to improve our final product; Dr. Daniel Swamy from Adite talked about the science behind the zirconia we use along with other helpful information and finally, Gary Morgan from Safelink, expertly went over regulatory standards.
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Thank you to the following Exhibitors and Sponsors! |
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Adite USA
Rep. Daniel Swamy 1-800-772-2400
Argen Corporation
Rep. Tanya Oshatz 1-800-645-6110
Bates Technical College
Instructor, Robert Hayes 1-253-680-7000
DENTSPLY Sirona
Rep. Mark Gosney 1-360-561-1648
GC America
Rep. Tyler Grinbergs 1-800-323-7063
Henry Schein (Zahn Dental)
Rep. Holly Freeman 1-971-930-3704
Humble Insurance Group
Bruce Ford 206-795-1323 Mark Hermiller 425-528-7800
iTero
Rep. Daniel Johnson 1-509-939-8995
Ivoclar
Rep. Dan DeMers 1-716-264-2415
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Kuraray America
Rep. Theresa Carver 1-971-268-4199
Nobel Biocare
Rep. Dakota Williamson 1-206-552-5271
Precision Dental
Rep. Matt Lennehan 1-971-404-1530
Results Driven
John Marshall 1-206-743-4327
Safelink
Gary Morgan 1-800-330-6003
TruAbutment
Rep. Sarah Jang 1-714-956-1488
VH Technologies
Rep. Roland 1-888-628-8300
Whipmix
Rep. Tom Houle 1-707-470-9849
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Lab Trends
Printers — The greatest technological evolution in the lab industry over the past five years has been in print technologies. Additive manufacturing over subtractive manufacturing will continue to play a large role in the future of dental laboratories due to far less waste and lower material and labor costs per unit. Additionally, resin technology is constantly improving and its use is expanding often allowing labs to add digital items at a lower cost than traditional methods. This is especially relevant with regard to denture bases and teeth. We are also seeing significant improvement in "Tooth Library" options.
Removeables — Over the past seven years I’ve seen a number of fixed crown and bridge labs begin to offer removable appliances as a way to help scale their revenue stream. As an industry, we are finding it more and more difficult to replace retiring porcelain technicians so adding digital offerings can help fill the gap. We're told it's easier to teach a new technician how to set teeth on the computer than in wax.
Zirconia — Many labs are converting to multilayer zirconia in order to minimize labor costs. It's simple—mill, sinter, glaze, and go! The initial cost to mill and sinter can be unaffordable for smaller labs but the opportunities to outsource this process is almost limitless and the cost savings for both labor and materials is significant.
Mark Gosney
Executive Region Business Specialist, Lab
WSDLA Board of Directors Manufacturing Representative
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Celebrating 70 Years of Nakanishi Dental Lab! |
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Nakanishi Dental Laboratory, Inc. is celebrating 70 years in business! Founded in 1953 by our grandfather, Ray, he had a vision to join in the footsteps of the many premier laboratories in the pacific northwest. Dave grew the lab to where it is today, and my sister and I are proud to carry on both their legacies.
We are so grateful for this amazing community that has helped support us, and cheer along side with us. Cheers to another 70!
Thank you!
Kaila Nakanishi, CDT
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Executive Director Update
Meet Megan Schoenfelder
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Recently, WSDLA underwent a management transition to Association Management, Inc. located in Gig Harbor, WA. If you attended the WSDLA Forum, you got the opportunity to meet our new Executive Director, Megan Schoenfelder.
Megan Schoenfelder is an Executive Director to multiple professional associations, now including the WSDLA. Megan's role is to support the board and members of the association, including responding to member inquiries, planning conferences in support with the Board, run the Board meetings, and more.
In her free time, Megan enjoys time with her family in Gig Harbor, which includes her husband Nick, her 5-year old daughter Quinn, and 3-year old twin daughters Reese and Jordan.
Feel free to reach out to Megan if she can assist you with anything:
Megan Schoenfelder
1-800-652-2212
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Save the Date!
WSDLA Roundtable Retreat
"Unlocking Your Lab's Potential"
Date: Friday, October 6th, 2023
Location:
10200 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip, WA 98271
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10200 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip, WA 98271
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Washington State Dental Laboratory Association
Follow Us on Social Media for News and Updates!
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