Business Chief USA April 2019

GLIDEWELL DENTAL
Glidewell Dental, on the cusp
of its 50th anniversary, has
transformed its business
model to become a technology
company that acts as a virtual
extension of the dental
practices it serves
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J
ust how did Glidewell Dental become the
largest privately owned dental laboratory
in the world? In 1970, spurred by a desire to
make rehabilitative dentistry accessible to all, Jim
Glidewell, CDT, applied a unique blend of technical
knowledge, business principles and marketing
philosophies to expand his one-man kitchen table
operation into a multifaceted technology company
among those at the forefront of the oral health
industry today. His focus from day one has been on
developing new equipment and techniques with the
objective of keeping dentistry affordable for both
clinician and patient. He has consistently reinvested
the profits of the business into its industry-leading
R&D department (in which Glidewell himself remains
heavily engaged) which has given dental practices
access to many award-winning products, such as
BruxZir Solid Zirconia restorations. There can’t be
that many founders and CEOs still leading their
company half a century on, yet preparations are
underway for a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration
in 2020.
APRIL 2019