When I graduated in 2010 with a degree in Business and Economics, I had no intention of joining the family company, Nakanishi Dental Lab, started by my grandfather, Ray, in Seattle in 1953 and now owned by my father, David.
But when my dad asked me to take on a six-to-nine-month project to get the lab DAMAS certified, I agreed to help and, immediately, I was hooked. I loved the new technology and materials, the uniqueness of custom manufacturing and, most of all, the people who make it all happen.
Now, nine years later, I’m the lab’s Director of Operations, running the 60-person business alongside my dad and my sister, Kaila, who recently earned her CDT in ceramics.
A few years ago, we made a philosophical shift in our hiring efforts. Five highly trained technicians retired in the same year—yikes!—and we knew it would be nearly impossible to replace them with equally experienced technicians. Instead, we began to look for tech-savvy,...
