Adriane Alfonso, 37

Adriane Alfonso spent his summers working as a model technician at his uncle’s lab in Honolulu, HI. In 2009, he bought the business and set out to create his vision for a cutting-edge digital operation. Today, five-person Esthetic Dental Designs  has five mills, two 3D printers and receives nearly three-quarters of its cases via an intraoral workflow.

Alfonso is also a KOL for multiple digital dental companies, which has helped him establish a reputation as an expert and create strong connections with his dentists-clients. “I’ve been able to help our dentists navigate digital dentistry and many relationships have blossomed by being an educator and advocate for CAD/CAM technology,” he says.

Another key to his success: his relationships with his employees and his efforts to provide a good work-life balance. For instance, Alfonso recently analyzed their production and recognized they could do the same amount of work in four days rather than five....