John Hodgkins: 'His Motivation is Contagious'

At first, you wouldn't know John Hodgkins considers himself an introvert. He's friendly and outgoing during a conversation, but admits he changes when there's a crown in front of him. "I love immersing myself. I'll have my headphones on and get totally lost in the work, only to look up and see that hours have gone by," he says.

Since 1993, Hodgkins has been working at six-person Bolton Dental Laboratory, where he's valued for his well-honed waxing and metal finishing skills as well as his work ethic. "Ever since I was a little girl coming in to my father's lab to play with the wax pots, John has always been such a hard worker," says McKenzie Holly Bolton, daughter of Owner Jeffrey Bolton. "Now that I've joined the lab, John has taught me so much. He really cares about the work that we do; his motivation is contagious."

Having had previous experience in a larger lab environment, Hodgkins says six-person Bolton Dental Laboratory is just the right fit. "In a smaller laboratory,...