My Mentor

By Lynnette WhalenTechnical Advisor at NDX Lumident, Inc., Indianapolis, IN

I started working at NDX Lumident over 11 years ago and I’ve had the pleasure of being mentored by our Business Development Manager, Cam Cheetham.

The lab was originally owned by his father, Dean Cheetham, who is now retired....

By Zach Farmer, CDTManager, Hall Brothers Dental Lab, Inc., Gastonia, NC

I’m extremely thankful to Jim and Ricky Hall, Co-Owners, Hall Brothers Dental Lab, Inc., Gastonia, NC. I joined their lab in 1981, right out of high school and, over the years, they’ve given me valuable knowledge and...

By Gerry Mariacher, Retired from National Dentex

One of a kind isn’t much of a poker hand but if you have such an individual as your mentor, you’re truly fortunate. My mentor was Bill Mullahy, (pictured at left) Founder of National Dentex, who graduated from Boston College, had an MBA from...

By Ashley DiSantis, Supervisor of CAD/CAM Department, Finesse Dental Lab, Cherry Hill, NJ

There are people in our lives who live in the moment and react on the spot; then there are people who pause to see the larger picture, taking into account how those moments will impact the future.

Rocky Farahmand,...

By Carrie-Ann Cokely, General Manager, Concord Dental Laboratory, Westford, MA

While many people have helped me during my career, the one who has made the biggest impact is Apollon Bouzerdan, CDT, Director of the Dental Laboratory Technology Program at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA.

As a...

By Greg Minzenmayer, COO, Glidewell Dental, Newport Beach, CA

During my tenure in the dental industry, I’ve had many mentors who have influenced me and my career, but the most significant one has been Jim Glidewell.

As the President and CEO of Glidewell Dental, Jim has more than 50 years of industry...

By Tony DeAngelis, Owner, Depot Dental Laboratory, Wood Dale, IL

My father, Nicola Vincenso DeAngelis, had his start in Italy, attending a dental technology school before getting a job at a local laboratory. In 1959, he moved to Chicago and quickly accepted a position at Standard Dental Laboratory as...

By Ralph Larro, National Sales Manager, Yamahachi Dental

In 1976, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed at a dental clinic in New London, CT, where I learned the ins and outs of removable prosthetics. My commanding officer was Captain Richard Whitlock, the best prosthodontist I ever had the pleasure...

By Mark Williamson, CDT, DTG, Senior Technical Manager, Ottawa Dental Lab, Ottawa, IL

In 2015, Ralph Larro was my technical rep at Yamahachi Dental. We developed a working relationship and friendship, meeting in person for the first time a few months later at LAB DAY Chicago. 

I had always been...

By the Baluke Dental Studios team

Duane Baluke is a second-generation* dental technologist whose father co-founded Shaw Dental Laboratory, at one time the largest laboratory in Canada. After his father passed and the laboratory changed hands, Duane and his brother Walter (aka “Skip”)...