Eric Burgio, 33

“As a younger tech right out of school, I was probably annoying because I pushed to learn every possible thing,” says Eric Burgio, who graduated from a high school dental technology program and started at a small lab doing pickups and model work.

He eventually found his calling at a larger operation in Connecticut heavy into CAD/CAM. Although he had “book knowledge” but not a lot of bench experience, he found the transition to digital an easy one and he excelled, having the opportunity to work on complex implant cases for dental schools at Tufts, Boston University and the University of Connecticut.

Within a few years, the manufacturing community took notice and, at 24, he had three different offers, ultimately choosing a position with Biomet (now Zimmer Biomet) and earning the accolade of Global Customer Service Rep of the Year during his first year. That position was one of a few during his career that got him to step away from the bench, but the...