40 Under Forty - 2012

Like many young artists, Rebecca Wade found joy in expressing herself on canvas. Now that canvas is a crown.

An aspiring painter and sculptor who was working toward a degree in computer graphics in 1997, Wade responded to an ad for a part-time position at a dental laboratory only because it mentioned...

Paul Simpson turned his life around after he discovered dental technology at age 20. Still trying to shake off the consequences of growing up in a bad neighborhood and dropping out of school a few years earlier, he applied for a job at a local laboratory. "I had no car, no high school diploma and was...

As a kid, James Grady never envisioned working at his father's laboratory; he wanted to "do his own thing." But then he grew up.

"It was when I was in college that I realized the opportunity I'd be passing up. How many people can graduate and get involved in an established business at the level I would...

Tommy Zhu had laid out a detailed plan for becoming a dentist. First, to gain a background in the profession, he enrolled in the Restorative Dentistry program at the New York City College of Technology. After graduation in 2003, the next step was to work as a denture technician to save money for dental...

"Most of the other students were taken by the 'glamour' of ceramics, but I was drawn to dentures," says Krista Hartley, CDT, referring to her experience at Indian River State College's dental technology program. "I love the challenges of the denture specialty, setting the teeth and establishing...

Joshua Polansky hasn't had just any mentors. Although initially intending to become a dentist like his father, he worked in several laboratories during college and 'fell in love' with dental technology. However, it was in 2003 when he had a one-on-one apprenticeship with Master Technician Olivier...

Confident and passionate, Jessica Birrell believes there's no limit to what she can accomplish in the dental technology field. Since starting her laboratory three years ago, she's developed a successful niche for high-end smile design cases and now she's eager to branch out as an educator and...

Reed Nunnally spent five years building his own highly successful construction and real estate business buying, renovating and flipping properties in Louisville, Kentucky's historic Highlands area. But after a couple of years nursing a bad back, he knew he needed to switch gears.

His father,...

Heather Pear grew up with a lab in her home and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a technician. At age 15 she worked with her mother—Carol Ruset, CDT, MDT—helping with model and die work and learning every aspect of the lab. "I remember watching her build up a crown and longing...

When Lee Culp, CDT—one of the most respected technicians in the world—wants to recognize you for excellence, it would be easy to let it go to your head. But Jack Marrano, CDT, is as modest as he is accomplished.

For instance, ask Marrano about his success—at age 34 he runs the multi-million-dollar...

In 1988 when the Soviet Union collapsed, eight-year-old Alexander Mouradov was forced to flee his home in Baku, Soviet Union to the Northern part of the country. Today, the 32-year-old has overcome his turbulent childhood to become a successful laboratory owner in Connecticut.

Mouradov moved...

When 15-year-old Adam Mieleszko moved to New York from Poland in 1990, he didn't speak any English and never dreamed that, 20 years later, he'd publish a book in his new language. But that's exactly what happened.

After graduating from an intensive English as a Second Language high school in...

In 2004, New Image/Laboratory Solutions became the first 3M ESPE Lava Milling Center on the East Coast. Victor Harp, an up-and-coming waxer/finisher, learned the system and wowed everyone with how quickly he picked up the digital process. "He was like a kid in a candy store playing with the machine...

Age: 32

Production Manager at My Dentist, Inc.

Oklahoma City, OK

Lauri Steffen has something to prove. While she's had plenty of opportunities to branch out from removable prosthetics during her 12-year career, she's opted not to. Why? "With so much emphasis being put on fixed restorations,...

Billy Goddard once met a man and helped change his life. The man&mdas;who drove from western Tennessee to a Mission of Mercy (MOM) event in Virginia—had lost his job and, with several decaying and missing teeth, knew his prospects for getting a job interview were slim.

When he left that event,...

Working at her parents' lab was the last thing Megan Gardner thought she'd be doing when she graduated with a graphic design degree. But when the company she worked for went under and she needed a job, her parents had an opening in the model room. It was when she moved into waxing, though, that...

Every CAD/CAM department needs a Brin Vogel.

Throughout the past five years, Vogel has been instrumental in implementing Knight Dental Group's CAD/CAM and advanced technology initiatives. But he's also proven to be a dynamo in computer networking, troubleshooting, material evaluation, process...

There are technicians attracted to the artistic side of dental technology, and then there's Mike Wandling. "I love the math, science and biology that's involved," he says. "This field has a little bit of all of those things and I enjoy using them to enhance a person's look and function."

Since joining...

Josef Kolbeck has accomplished a lot in his 12 years in the industry. He received his dental technology degree from the Universidad Latina of Costa Rica, served as Academic Coordinator in dental technology at that same university, owned his own lab and is currently the managing director of a five-person...

You might say his brother's loss was his gain. When someone at church offered Jose Martinez's brother a job at a local laboratory, his brother wasn't interested. But Martinez was.

"It was supposed to be in the model room, but when I got to the lab, I was told I'd be in the finishing department....

When you're a ceramist at a lab known as the "Lab to the Stars" in Beverly Hills, CA, you know you're going to have some exacting clients. But Martin Martinez's painstaking attention to detail and artistic talents—he's also a painter and illustrator—make him the man for the job.

"Our...

Brandon Dickerman never planned to join the family business, Dickerman Dental Prosthetics which was started by his grandfather, Myron Dickerman, CDT, nearly 50 years ago. "Everyone outside my family always assumed that's what I was going to do so, naturally, I decided to go the other way," he...

From a family of educators, Julian Infante, CDT, has both a love of learning and a gift for teaching.

He earned his Associate's degree from Bates Technical College and eventually joined Modern Dental Lab—then called Northwest Labs—in Bellevue, WA in 2006. Since then, he has earned his CDT...

Many in our community have been inspired by Christian Scull and his remarkable combination of technical, teaching and business skills. For example, NaRae Free, Model Technician and Stain and Glaze Specialist, who worked with him at Esthetic Alliance in Las Vegas for two years, says "Besides fabricating...

If the staff members at Renstrom Dental Studio need something done, they call Brian Nagle.

While Nagle mainly focuses on the lab's CAD/CAM restorations, he can pitch in wherever he's needed in the laboratory. "I'm able to do a lot of different things—trim dies, waxups, technical troubleshooting,"...