Edward Peay, 36

One Friday night about 10 years ago, Edward Peay got a call from the general manager of Utah Valley Dental Lab—where he had been doing ceramics for a few years—asking if he would lead the lab’s new digital department. Starting Monday.

Since the lab had only been doing some zirconia copings on a desktop mill, Peay was essentially charged with building a comprehensive digital department from the ground up. “Initially I was nervous, especially with only a few days’ notice,” says Peay, Digital Manager of the Lindon, UT lab. “But I jumped in and researched what we needed to purchase and learned to design full contour. Knowing the struggles of stacking porcelain and understanding occlusion and contour really gave me an advantage in digital design.”

That experience kicked off his ongoing passion for exploring new technology. “I love the challenge of learning a new system and troubleshooting issues, whether it’s new printers...