Patterson acquires Leventhal
Patterson Companies, Inc. recently acquired Leventhal & Sons, Inc., which has annual sales of approximately $18 million. Headquartered in Scranton, Pa., the company serves customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland.
“In addition to strengthening Patterson&rquo;s current position in the northeastern U.S., this acquisition expands the range of products and services available to Leventhal&rquo;s customers, while creating additional opportunities for the employees of this third-generation distributor,” said Scott P. Anderson, president of Patterson Dental Supply. Leventhal also represents an excellent strategic fit with Patterson, since both companies share a strong commitment to a value-added, full-service approach to the dental marketplace.”
Medicom presents annual awards at North American sales meeting
Medicom Inc., celebrating its 20th year as a leader in infection control and disposable products for the North American dental market, recently held its annual sales meeting in Montreal. At the meeting, Ouriel Levy (pictured in all photos), vice president of sales, presented 1 Carole Rich, based in Long Island, with the Salesperson of the Year Award for the United States and 2 Dean Rusland, based in Ontario, with Salesperson of the Year for the Canada. 3 Lourdes Solorzano was awarded the International Salesperson of the Year for her hard work and achievement in growing Medicom sales outside of the United States and Canada. In addition, 4 Annick Charbonneau, U.S. National Account Manager, was presented with the Stewart Gardner Award which recognizes achievement, initiative, effort, and commitment.
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Burkhart holds sales meeting
Burkhart Dental Supply recently held its annual sales and recognition meeting at the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel in San Diego. Each year the Burkhart Family brings the management and sales team along with their spouses to review the sales and financial performance of the company along with a thank you to all for a job well done.
For the first time, Burkhart invited 24 vendors to participate at their sales meeting. The vendor participants were 3M ESPE, Adec, Air Techniques, Crest Oral-B, DentalEZ, GC America, Gendex, Heraeus Kulzer, Hu-Friedy, Instrumentarium, Ivoclar Vivadent, Kavo, Kerr, Midmark, Pelton & Crane, Planmeca, Premier, Royal, SciCan, Septodont, Sirona, Sunstar Butler, and Zenith. The vendor partners developed a limited focused group of product to educate account managers. Burkhart received end-user customer promotions and account manager incentives from the vendor partners, then Burkhart published a custom booklet to showcase these specials.
“I left the meeting very excited about the training I received, especially on the new products introduced by our manufacturers” said Burkhart&rquo;s Equipment Specialist Dan O&rquo;Brien.
Other highlights of the meeting included an appreciation luncheon to pay special tribute to each manufacturer for their support and commitment to Burkhart and an awards banquet ceremony for to honor individual accomplishments.
Carousel Capital invests in Brasseler
Carousel Capital is investing in Brasseler USA, a company founded in 1976. Charlotte-based Carousel is teaming with the chief executive of Brasseler USA in the acquisition of the company. Chief Executive Officer Don Waters will have significant ownership in the business, as will certain members of his management team.
“This transaction represents an exciting new chapter in the history of Brasseler USA,” Waters said. “Carousel was the right choice of a partner for us, given the resources that they bring to our company and the cultural fit with our management team.”
Carousel Capital funded the transaction with equity from its third investment fund, Carousel Capital Partners III.
The private firm invests in companies in the Southeast. Carousel Capital&rquo;s investor base includes institutional investors and more than 100 current and former CEOs. The firms has invested in 25 companies in three targeted growth sectors — business services, healthcare services, and consumer products and services.
Benco holds advanced training session
Benco Dental recently held the first of two advanced training sessions it will conduct during 2008 for regional sales managers.
The session, conducted at the company&rquo;s Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania headquarters, is built around Integrity Selling, a needs-based sales education program for which all Benco Dental sales professionals attend ongoing training. Attendees are also updated on company strategy, sales trends and analysis, new products, and industry news.
In addition, regional managers hear talks from division heads at Insite (dental office design), BencoNET (the company&rquo;s digital integration arm), BCI (Benco Continuous Improvement — an internal systems analysis initiative based on the Japanese concept of “Kaizen”), and others.
Training continues after attendees depart Benco Dental headquarters. Back in their sales territories, they attend remote follow-up sessions via telephone and video conferences and informal Web chat sessions.
“We are very excited about this program,” said Lanie Jordan, director of training, education, and sales support. “Our hope is to continue expanding this training offering so that additional personnel such as equipment sales specialists and service techs can benefit as well.”
A-dec opens new education center
A-dec recently opened the A-dec Education Center, a state-of-the-art showroom and training facility located on the campus of A-dec corporate headquarters in Newberg, Ore. The new 25,000-square-foot center is home to A-dec&rquo;s professional sales and technical training programs and includes a large conference space, dining and business areas, as well as 20 rooms of the latest in quality A-dec dental equipment. The center also serves as the starting point for doctors, dealers, and other guests who visit the A-dec campus.
A-dec officially opened the new center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for employees and the local community. Recent A-dec retiree Ardith Burnett performed the ribbon cutting — a fitting appointment since her mother (A-dec&rquo;s second employee) had cut the ribbon for the opening of A-dec&rquo;s main employee lounge 29 years earlier.
“This center continues what Ken and Joan Austin began in 1965 when they started A-dec,” said A-dec president Scott Parrish. “Not only does it show off the quality and breadth of our equipment — it also demonstrates our commitment to education and the dental industry. And we plan on continuing this spirit of learning and engagement with our customers for many years to come.”
Boyd partners with PSA
Boyd Industries, Inc., recently announced an agreement with PSA (Professional Sales Associates) of Louisville, Colo., to represent its products for oral surgery, pediatric dental, gaming systems, and related cabinetry to dental distribution.
PSA will train and help detail orders for Boyd equipment as well as serve as a liaison between Boyd and the dealers. Boyd has, up to this point, distributed its products both direct and through dealers. With the agreement with PSA, Boyd will only sell its above mentioned products through authorized dealers.
“Needless to say, we are extremely excited and proud to be working with PSA and dealers on an exclusive basis,” said Bruce Livingston, president of Boyd Industries, Inc.
“Since 1969, PSA has been committed to the dealer distribution channel. This move by Boyd sends a powerful message about our mutual belief in this model for Boyd&rquo;s future growth,” said Jim McGonigal, president of PSA.
ACTEON holds national sales meeting
ACTEON North America (Satelec & Sopro companies) recently held its national sales meeting at the Summerfield Suites in Mount Laurel, N.J.
This was an opportunity for all of the North America management and sales force to convene and discuss sales topics and product information. During this one-week period, the sales force was trained on the entire Satelec and Sopro product lines, including the new Implant Center, P Max Newtron XS and Sopro 617 Intra-Oral Cameras.
Global Practice Solutions, LLC announces agreement with OroScience, Inc.
Global Practice Solutions, LLC announces an agreement with OroScience, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., to launch the Curative 980 Diode Laser in the United States. The Curative 980 will be sold through the GPS sales force to authorized dental dealers.
“The Curative 980 offers a lightweight, valued-priced option to the dental professional interested in soft-tissue management,” said Jack Miller, president of GPS. “It fits perfectly with the capabilities of the GPS sales force and allows GPS to present OroScience to the dealer community.”
“We are very optimistic about our partnership with GPS,” said Chuck Scarano, executive vice president of OroScience, Inc. “The overwhelmingly positive response we have received from the current users of our diode laser system in a short period of time required us to involve a larger and more cohesive distribution channel.”
Church & Dwight acquires Del Pharmaceuticals
Church & Dwight Co., Inc., makers of Arm & Hammer® products, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc. business for $380 million in cash from Coty Inc. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions, is expected to close in July 2008.
Church & Dwight&rquo;s 2007 net sales of $2.2 billion include a premium oral care business led by the Arm & Hammer toothpaste and SpinBrush brands. Adding the Orajel brand from Del Pharmaceuticals will immediately increase the gross margin for the company and will complement the strategy of building scale in core categories. The brand will be integrated into the company&rquo;s existing oral care business.
“Orajel is a great addition to our existing portfolio and provides access to a fast-growing segment of the attractive premium oral care category,” said James R. Craigie, chairman and chief executive officer. “Orajel also brings to our company a powerful franchise that has developed great consumer loyalty. This transaction is consistent with our growth strategy of strengthening our businesses by adding number-one or number-two brands in areas of high growth potential with gross margins that are accretive to the overall company,” Craigie added.
Sofident announces agreement
SofiDent Dental Supply, a major abrasive importer and supplier, has reached a distribution agreement for a American-made line of rubber wheels, clasps, and discs.
According to Joseph Tsiyoni, president of SofiDent, this is a significant development that will affect dental abrasive sales in the U.S. because of the significant decrease in prices proposed by SofiDent. “This is crucial for many labs today, when the economy is unstable, and expenditures of labs are increasing,” Tsiyoni said.
The new line of abrasives includes more than 30 types of high-quality rubber wheels, clasps (points), and cutting discs. These products are extremely essential for every dental lab performing work of porcelain, non-precious and precious metal, dentures, and partials. These items, along with SofiDent&rquo;s Via-Grind mounted grinding stones, can be seen at www.SofiDent.com.
Schein group trains at KaVo
A Henry Schein Dental sales group led by Joe Cavaretta recently attended a custom training event at KaVo Dental&rquo;s Lake Zurich facility to learn about KaVo products. Product focus included KaVo air-driven handpieces, electric handpieces, maintenance units, DIAGNOdent laser caries detection device, and the new GENTLEray 980 soft tissue diode laser.
KaVo instructors Scott Hammond, Darlene Kober, and Dan Carmody led an intense training curriculum that included PowerPoint presentations and hands-on product training with the support of KaVo Dental sales representative Anthony Saranczak.
Schein ranked among Fortune&rquo;s best
Henry Schein, Inc., has been ranked number one in the “Wholesalers: Health Care” industry in the Fortune 2008 list of America&rquo;s Most Admired Companies. The findings of the survey, which included 622 companies in 64 industries, are posted on Fortune&rquo;s Web site and were published in the March 17 issue of Fortune.
Contributing to Henry Schein&rquo;s top overall ranking in its industry were number-one rankings in seven of the eight key attributes of reputation — innovation, use of corporate assets, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of products/services, and social responsibility. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Henry Schein has been named number-one in its industry for social responsibility.
“It is very gratifying to be admired for our business practices and the qualities of our company, and we are honored to be recognized along with some of the most respected companies in this country,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Schein. “This is particularly special because we were selected by the people who know us best — senior executives, outside directors and industry analysts who are familiar with Henry Schein and our competitors within the industry. This designation is a source of great pride for over 12,000 Team Schein Members around the world, whose collective commitment to customer service and giving back to society has made this achievement possible.”
Zenith achieves ISO 13485 certification
Zenith Dental has achieved International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 13485 certification.
“This certification applies specifically to medical devices, but I think it is another example of how seriously Zenith Dental considers our business and our dedication to clients,” remarked George Wolfe, president of Zenith Dental. “We are committed to quality within our organization and meeting all requirements applicable to the healthcare industry.”
Zenith donates sodium fluoride varnish
Zenith Dental, the exclusive distributor of Kolorz and DMG-manufactured products, recently donated more than 100,000 units of Clearshield™ 5% Sodium Fluoride Varnish to Friend Ships Unlimited and Operation Smile, two charitable organizations dedicated to providing large-scale humanitarian and/or disaster aid to adults and children.
Specifically, Zenith Dental has donated 50,000 Clearshield single dose packages to Friend Ships Unlimited, an international relief organization providing disaster response and the distribution of relief supplies. Friend Ships used the fluoride varnish on a medical mission in early May on the Island of Nevis, located in the West Indies.
“We are so excited to have the support of companies such as Zenith Dental who provide our organization with preventative oral healthcare products,” remarked Debbie Maas, director of resource development for Friend Ships Unlimited. “Too many children each year have unnecessary tooth extractions that could easily be prevented with the right supplies and proper oral healthcare education. The impact is tremendous when companies such as Zenith contribute oral health supplies to people who really need them.”
In addition, more than 50,000 single dose packages of Clearshield were provided to Operation Smile for its recent dental mission in Vietnam.
“The fluoride varnish donated by Zenith Dental was used in treatment of thousands of Vietnamese children and adults,” remarked Dena Liston, Operation Smile&rquo;s Manager of Development and Gifts in Kind. “Operation Smile relies on individuals, medical volunteers, and companies such as Zenith to further our successes, and more importantly, they help us give more children the chance to smile. We are grateful to Zenith for their generous contribution.”
IDM names new board of officers
During the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, the IDM General Assembly, the voice of the dental industry to all constituencies on matters of global concern, elected the following to the board of officers for the tenure February 2008 through February 2010:
- President — Haruo Morita, JDTA, Japan
- Immediate Past President — Milly Goldstein, DTA
- President-Elect — Pam Clark, ADIA, Australia
- 1st Vice President — Dr. Juergen Eberlein, FIDE, Europe
- 2nd Vice President — to be nominated by DTA
- Executive Director — Friedrich A. Herbst
IDM was founded in 1988 in Washington D.C., as a communication forum. IDM has since developed into an autonomous, independent umbrella organization to globally represent as an association the common interests of member associations and through them support the interests of the global dental industry.
AR Dental continues to build
In late 2007, Brooklyn-based AR Dental purchased Metropolitan Dental Supply. AR Dental plans to make 2008 a year of growth as well by opening an additional location in Florida.
“Having a base on the north and south end of the East Coast will allow us to service every need of every dentist on the East Coast more efficiently,” said owner Avi Lehrer.
Schein, OraPharma ink ARESTIN pact
Henry Schein Dental and OraPharma, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company, have entered into a relationship that will extend the offering of ARESTIN®, the first locally administered, time-released antibiotic encapsulated in microspheres that effectively kills the germs that cause periodontal disease or periodontitis. Through this agreement, Henry Schein Dental will serve as sales agent and exclusive distributor of ARESTIN® in the United States.
“This is an exciting alliance that provides Henry Schein Dental with a significant offering in an important new market for our Company,” said Tim Sullivan, President of Henry Schein Dental. “Our goal is to provide ‘everything dental&rquo; to our customers, and the addition of ARESTIN to our offering certainly furthers that mission. ARESTIN provides unique benefits for treating a condition that affects millions of Americans. We see great potential for the adoption of ARESTIN by our U.S. Dental customers, in addition to periodontists, and we look forward to collaborating with OraPharma&rquo;s field representatives as we grow ARESTIN&rquo;s market share in this country.”
Schein hosts “March Madness”
More than 400 dental industry attendees recently gathered in Long Island for a day full of seminars and continuing education credits. Attendees enjoyed a hands-on look at the latest dental technologies and speaking one-on-one with more than 50 Henry Schein Dental supplier partners.
Henry Schein France helps in Africa
Henry Schein, Inc., through its global social responsibility program Henry Schein Cares, supported Henry Schein France employees in their fifth annual humanitarian mission to West Africa. Henry Schein Team Members, along with dentists from the Le Pelican Association, provided people in Burkina Faso and Mali with needed preventative dental care and oral health education, and performed maintenance on all dental equipment, which was previously donated.
Schein acquires UK-based Minerva
Henry Schein, Inc. has acquired Minerva Dental Limited, a supplier of dental consumables and equipment in the U.K. Minerva recorded revenue of approximately $40 million in 2007.
“The acquisition of Minerva strengthens Henry Schein&rquo;s full-service dental business in the U.K., particularly in the South and Southwest regions,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Schein. “The company has an outstanding reputation and the Minerva brand is well known throughout the U.K. As we focus on expanding our Pan-European equipment sales and service presence, the addition of Minerva, with its experienced team and solid presence in the U.K. equipment market, certainly advances this goal.”
Minerva is a full-service dental distributor based in Cardiff, Wales. The Company was founded in 1919 and has operations in five locations throughout the U.K.
Schein booth earns award Down Under
Henry Schein® Halas recently won the Australian Dental Exhibition Award for best large booth at the Australian Dental Industry Association&rquo;s bi-annual convention, held in Sydney.
Heraeus Kulzer relocating to Indiana
Heraeus Kulzer, Inc. has announced the relocation of the North American headquarters to its current manufacturing and distribution facility in South Bend, Ind. The move will take place in stages with completion of the relocation scheduled for December 2008. The company expects approximately one-third of its workforce to migrate from its current location in Armonk, N.Y., or continue working remotely on behalf of the company.
All business functions including sales, customer service, finance, accounting, technical services, and marketing will be centralized at the South Bend facility to better serve customers and accommodate the company&rquo;s growing workforce.
“This is a time of unprecedented innovation in esthetic dentistry ... and in the history of Heraeus. Just as we relentlessly improve our products and materials, we want to continually evolve our company to be in the best position to accelerate new technologies and to better serve our customers,” explains Bernie Bolka, Heraeus Kulzer&rquo;s chief financial officer.
An existing 25,000 square foot building in South Bend is being completely modernized and will include a new state-of-the-art educational training center with seating capacity of more than 100.
During the transition, Heraeus will run parallel operations in Armonk as well as in South Bend.
Medtronic, Scil to combine forces on bone regeneration
Medtronic, Inc. and Scil Technology GmbH recently announced a development, licensing, and supply agreement between Medtronic and Scil Technology. The agreement focuses on development of Scil&rquo;s biologic rhGDF-5 (recombinant human Growth and Differentiating Factor 5) dental regenerative technology for use in bone regeneration for dental implant placement and treatment of periodontal disease. Under this agreement, Scil Technology is primarily responsible for all research and development activities with Medtronic responsible for clinical trials, regulatory approvals and commercialization.
These regenerative biologics may offer new approaches to saving teeth in patients who are at risk for tooth loss due to periodontal disease and provide new options for other dental procedures for the placement of dental implants. These therapies would be alternative treatments to the traditional bridging procedures performed by dentists.
The therapies derived from this partnership could enable Medtronic to impact the million or more patients each year who are being treated for periodontal disease or seeking dental restoration.
Carl Parker passes away
Carl Parker, 85, died Wednesday at Hospice of the Sea, Boca Raton, Fla., with his family by his side after a battle with cancer.
Parker founded Parkell Products in 1947 with his former partner, Alex Mitchell, primarily to market hand-instruments imported from post-war Europe. Later in his dental career, he established Carl Parker Associates, which was a pioneer in private label products, especially impression material systems. He also consulted for many dental manufacturers.
He is the former Industry Representative to the FDA Panel on Dental Devices and Past President of the DTA (formerly DMA). He has served on numerous dental industry panels and was a driving force for positive change in the dental industry.
National Dentex to keep making NTI-tss
National Dentex Corporation has extended an agreement for exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights to fabricate and market the lab version of the NTI-tss. The contract runs through 2023 and also grants exclusive use of the trademarked name.
The NTI-tss, a small, custom-made dental mouthpiece is FDA approved for the prevention and treatment of migraine pain. The product name refers to nighttime tension suppression system.
National Dentex owned Keller Laboratory has been the exclusive U.S. manufacturer of the NTI-tss for the past six years. During that time unit sales of the appliance have grown at an average annual rate of more than 30 percent.
Schein&rquo;s Foti wins drawing
Rich Foti from Henry Schein Dental in Connecticut is the lucky winner of the Dental Trade Alliance&rquo;s 4th annual DentaCheques sales-rep drawing held during the California Dental Association&rquo;s spring session in Anaheim.
At press time, Foti had sold seven DentaCheques books, thereby facilitating more than $11,550 in dental care provided to vulnerable individuals though the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program. For his efforts, Foti won a trip to the Dental Trade Alliance&rquo;s annual meeting in July in Carlsbad, Calif.
Since inception, the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped has coordinated more than $120 million in care for more than 80,000 needy elderly, disabled and medically compromised individuals through DDS and other programs. DentaCheques revenue has fueled expansion of DDS to 38 states and directly underpins “safety-net” operations in the remaining 12 states and the District of Columbia.
Other notable sellers as of press time included:
- Jerry Magee Henry Schein Dental 96
- Tom Brophy Henry Schein Dental 88
- Matt McDonald Patterson Dental 83
- Steve Sullivan Henry Schein Dental 81
- Julie Salerno Henry Schein Dental 69
- Randy Talaski Henry Schein Dental 65
- Scott Cook Henry Schein Dental 54
- Dave Giordano Patterson Dental 49
- Evan Harris Henry Schein Dental 48
- Edward Paulter Henry Schein Dental 46
- Todd Herb Henry Schein Dental 45
- Eric Shaw Henry Schein Dental 42
- Connie Beavers Patterson Dental 36
- Mark Warren Patterson Dental 36
- Michael Wich Benco Dental 34
- Tom Peterson Benco Dental 32
Bahamas trip up for grabs
The Dental Trade Alliance (DTA) has renewed support of sale representatives selling the DentaCheques book on behalf of the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped (NFDH) in the form of a drawing for a trip for two.
This year, however, entries were tabulated starting May 2, meaning sales reps will not have to wait for the introduction of DentaCheques 2009 to make qualifying sales of DentaCheques 2008 starting today.
Each DentaCheques 2008 or 2009 sale from May 2, 2008, forward will grant one entry into the drawing for an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the DTA&rquo;s annual meeting in 2009 in the Bahamas.
For more information, log on to dentacheques.org.
Hinman on track for record attendance before twister strikes, closes show
In its 96-year history, the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting has never closed its doors early. But, Hinman was forced to close early this year when on Friday, March 14, a tornado not only surprised Atlanta, but damaged extensively the Georgia World Congress Center and Omni Hotel at CNN Center, among other downtown buildings.
Up to that point, the meeting was on track to boast of another record-breaking attendance. By Friday evening, the meeting had 22,676 dental professionals registered for the first two days of Hinman.
“It&rquo;s unfortunate that we had to close the meeting one day early, but with the damage to the facilities and the safety of our attendees and exhibitors our primary concern, we were left with no alternative,” said Dr. Dan Dunwody, III, General Chairman of the 2008 Hinman Dental Meeting. “We are just relieved that there were apparently no serious injuries to our attendees and exhibitors. Given the damage to the infrastructure downtown, it was nothing short of miracle that there were so few injuries to the thousands and thousands of people in Atlanta.”
