Exits and Entrances: Keeping An Eye On Our Numbers

On the heels of saying fare-thee-well to Pat Segnere in last month's column, I learned that Gerry Mariacher, my muse in many ways, just left National Dentex after helping that group--since it was formed in 1983--achieve stardom within our community as a stellar organization. Also, last October, its former CEO, Dave Brown, officially retired. The changing of the guard continues and I am compelled to acknowledge this again because Gerry and Dave are two other people who helped shape LMT.

So here and now, I need to particularly thank Gerry for always making himself available to us and for being such an invaluable resource and friend. If we had an awards program, in my mind he would have won "Networker of the Year" for years on end. If you know him, I know you agree.

But the subject of exits and entrances preys heavily on everyone's mind these days. The mantra is "embrace change or perish," and talk about the expected decline in the number of laboratories was a topic of conversation...