That's Life: Unlikely Scenarios
That's Life: Unlikely Scenarios
As I type this column for JDT Unbound (late as usual) it is just days before the start of the Vision 21 meeting in Las Vegas. As much as I hate to admit it, this will be my very first time in attendance. For years I have sat on the board of directors of Safari Club International (SCI), and our annual convention has always been the exact same dates as Vision 21. The SCI meeting is a worldwide event with more than 27,000 guests and brings $34 million dollars in revenue to the Reno area. It’s a really big deal.
I always felt as though I was really doing a good thing by being involved. SCI has a tremendous humanitarian and conservation network with a team of lobbyists in Washington and abroad who do a lot of good works all over the world.
This year when my term ran out, it was time to consider whether or not I was going to pursue another position within the organization. I thought about the amount of time and effort it took in that role, the thankless jobs worked late at night. Days spent in sweltering heat putting on fundraisers and events, and time spent away from my family.
And I also thought about my laboratory business.
I’ve really been blessed with some great opportunities and God has put some truly great people in my professional life. I was an unlikely candidate for the job when I first applied to metal finish for Arrowhead Dental Laboratory back in the late 1970s. After a couple years there, I was an unlikely candidate to own my own dental laboratory. Likewise, it was unlikely guys like Jim Glidewell, CDT, or Josh Green, CDT, would welcome me into their laboratories, take my calls and answer my questions when I needed advice. Yet, they did.
I can rattle off a thousand unlikely scenarios that seemed to come to pass, all of which combined to help us develop and grow into a successful, progressive dental laboratory. It was the selfless acts of mentors like these that gave me the courage to take some chances, make some mistakes and most importantly to learn from them, so I didn’t make them again. And I also listened to them when they told me what didn’t work, so that I didn’t have to make the same mistakes myself.
So this brings me back to Vision 21. I decided to not take a role in SCI this year and, instead, to turn my attention back to the industry that has given me so much. I’m looking forward to hearing the great speakers the NADL has assembled this year, and I’m looking forward to spending time with other laboratory owners, technicians, manufacturers and educators. I’ll be presenting on Saturday and sharing some experiences we had that led to our quality management program. I’ll be sharing some things we did right, and some things we did wrong - just like my mentors did for me, so many years ago.
It’s no secret our industry faces some significant challenges, but also some significant opportunities. Being part of a strong national trade association will be increasingly important in the years that lie ahead, and this will help us all make the most of those opportunities. I can’t think of a better place to make new friends, catch up with some old ones and maybe find a mentor or two.
Please, take a moment and thank the people who worked so hard to put this program together for us. Like the meetings I worked on with SCI, there are many people behind the scenes that make sure the facility is ready and that everything is working like a well oiled machine. While there won’t be 27,000 guests, I can assure you that the people who put this meeting together are working as if twice that number is coming!
