Displaying items 1-10 of 385 in total of Voices from The Bench with the tag "voices from the bench".
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415: Lab Day Chicago 2026 (& Cal-Lab) Part 1 with Jeff Stronk, April Newell, & Joey Hunter
March 9th, 2026 | 1 hr 16 mins
additive manufacturing, analog dentistry, april newell, cal-lab, cal-lab 100, chrome cobalt, dental, dental 3d printing, dental business growth, dental career paths, dental craftsmanship, dental frameworks, dental industry trends, dental innovation, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab owners, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental meetings, dental technician, dental technology, denture finishing, denture waxing, dentures, digital dentistry, implant bars, industry networking, jeff strock, joey hunter, lab day chicago, lab education, lab workflow, laboratory, metal printing, night guards, orthodontic appliances, partial dentures, peer-to-peer learning, removable prosthetics, resin printing, technician, technician skills, titanium printing, tooth setup, voices from the bench, wire bending
At the 100th anniversary meeting of the Cal-Lab Association, Elvis talks with Jeff Stronk about a successful first day filled with great speakers, strong attendance, and meaningful peer-to-peer conversations between lab owners. He also chats with April Newell about the rapid growth of dental 3D printing and how metal and resin printing are expanding what labs can produce. Finally, longtime technician Joey Hunter shares her 30-year journey in removables and her experience attending LMT Lab Day Chicago 2026 for the first time.
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414: Richard Rosas Sr: From Salsa Dancing to Parking Lot Prosthetics
March 2nd, 2026 | 1 hr 10 mins
all-on-four, art background, boutique lab, chairside, clearchoice, dental, dental technician, dentures, digital dentures, entrepreneur, expedited service, faith-driven, family business, faster turnaround, google reviews, harrisburg, impression evaluation, innovation, lab manager, laboratory, lancaster pennsylvania, marketing, mobile lab, on-site laboratory, patient experience, private practice dentistry, ptc training, relationship building, removables, salsa dancer, social media, sprinter van, technician, two-week dentures, voices from the bench, workflow efficiency, york pa
This week we talk with Richard Rosas Sr, an artist-turned-removable specialist whose journey took him from salsa studios and computer programming to managing a lab and mastering high-volume implant workflows at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers. After seeing firsthand the power of chairside collaboration and in-house efficiency, Richard built a boutique removable lab — and then took it a step further by creating a fully functional mobile dental lab inside a Sprinter van. Now he’s redefining how dentures are delivered, combining speed, aesthetics, and patient connection while sharing his workflow through education and content creation.
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413: Jay Collins: The Art of Aggressive Calming Sales for a Dental Lab
February 23rd, 2026 | 1 hr 11 mins
1099, 2008 crash, abundance mindset, accountability, acquisitions, aggressive calm, branding, china, cold calling, commission, consistency, construction, crown and bridge, customer service, deal fatigue, decision maker, dental, dental lab, door-to-door, entrepreneurship, family business, firing clients, front desk, gatekeeper, growth, implants, irish catholic, laboratory, leadership, legacy, margins, mergers, mindset, multi-location, office dynamics, outsourcing, persistence, philadelphia, pricing, private equity, prospecting, prosthodontics, psychology, quality, recession, relationship building, removable, retention, sales, sandler system, solution selling, steamfitters, technician, thedentalab.net, turnaround time, voices from the bench
Jay Collins shares his journey from a split Philadelphia family of steamfitters and dental technicians to becoming the bold, growth-driven leader behind thedentalab.net. After the 2008 crash forced him out of construction, he dove into dental lab sales with relentless cold-calling, developing his “aggressively calm” approach that challenges traditional lab-owner mindsets. This episode is a fast-paced, hilarious deep dive into sales psychology, growth through mergers, and why labs must treat sales as seriously as production if they want to survive and scale.
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412: Matthew Douglas: The Fastest Hands in Texas and the story of the DLAT show
February 16th, 2026 | 1 hr 9 mins
affordable dentures, all-on-4, ambidextrous technician, analog workflows, barksdale dental lab, business systems, crown and bridge, dental, dental lab management, dental laboratory association of texas, dental meetings, denture setup, dentures, digital dentistry, dlat, full-arch, full-service lab, high-volume production, implant dentistry, industry networking, lab efficiency, lab growth, lab leadership, lab ownership, laboratory, live ce, outsourcing, regional manager, removables, state association, technician, technician training, voices from the bench, zirconia
Matthew Douglas shares his journey from a career-ending baseball injury to becoming a powerhouse denture technician, lab owner, and industry leader. From high-volume production at Affordable Dentures to pioneering All-on-4 workflows and revitalizing the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas, Matt’s story is all about speed, systems, and servant leadership. It’s a conversation about hustle, innovation, and building something bigger than yourself in the dental lab industry.
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411: Michael Joseph: No Wax, No Fear and One Lab’s All-In Leap to Digital Dentistry
February 9th, 2026 | 1 hr 14 mins
3d printing, brexit impact, business resilience, cad design, consistency, covid recovery, dental, dental education, dental laboratory, dental marketing, dental sales, dental scanners, dental technology, digital dentistry, exocad, full arch restorations, greatlab lms, immediate load, instagram marketing, itero, lab growth, lab management software, lab ownership, lab systems, laboratory, lithium disilicate, medit, milling machines, peer referrals, photogrammetry, pmma, primescan, quality control, reliability, remote designers, study clubs, technician, technician training, vertical integration, voices from the bench, workflow automation, zirconia
Elvis and Barb sit down with London lab owner Michael Joseph, who shares his journey from scooter courier to fully digital lab owner, including the hard lessons learned through COVID, Brexit, and rebuilding from the brink. Michael breaks down how committing to digital workflows, automation, photogrammetry, and rock-solid protocols transformed his lab into a scalable, referral-driven business. This episode is a powerful reminder that reinvention, consistency, and smart systems—not shortcuts—are what drive long-term success in today’s dental lab world.
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409: John Wilson: Margins, Meaning, and Knowing When to Say No
January 26th, 2026 | 1 hr 6 mins
adaptability, burnout prevention, business alignment, craftsmanship, dental, dental lab ownership, digital dentistry, education, fundamentals, integrity, laboratory, lab–doctor relationships, leadership, legacy, margins, margins and meaning, mentorship, podcasting, pricing pressure, saying no, storytelling, sustainable growth, team culture, technician, trust, voices from the bench
Barb and Elvis welcome back John Wilson of Sunrise Dental Lab for a candid, reflective conversation about purpose, integrity, and longevity in the dental lab industry. John shares why he chose alignment over growth, how protecting his team and values reshaped his business, and why strong lab–doctor partnerships are built on trust, not price. The episode also dives into the inspiration behind his new podcast Margins & Meaning, focused on storytelling, connection, and reminding technicians they’re not alone.
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408: Rob Nazzal & Mike Alessio: From the Bench to the (icortica) Dashboard
January 19th, 2026 | 1 hr 7 mins
change management, customer retention, data visibility, data-driven decisions, dental, dental laboratory management, digital workflows, dsos, employee engagement, family-owned lab, icortica, lab culture, lab software integration, laboratory, leadership, magic touch, productivity metrics, quality control, quality metrics, real-time reporting, remakes, sales effectiveness, share of wallet, team alignment, technician, technician retention, transparency, voices from the bench
Rob Nazzal returns to Voices From the Bench with Mike Alessio of Bonadent to talk about leadership, culture, and using data the right way in dental laboratories. They discuss transparency around productivity metrics, the challenge of measuring quality, and how open communication builds trust and stronger teams. The conversation also highlights how icortica helps labs and sales teams use real-time data to improve retention, grow existing accounts, and have smarter, better-timed conversations with doctors.
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Episode 407: Dr. Miles Cone From Dinosaurs to Dentures & Finding the Art in Prosthodontics
January 12th, 2026 | 1 hr 6 mins
aesthetics, analog workflows, career journey, cdt, collaboration, craftsmanship, critique, dental, dental photography, dental technicians, dentures, digital dentistry, documentation, growth, ivoclar, lab artistry, lab day chicago, laboratory, mentorship, military dentistry, patient connection, prosthodontics, removables, storytelling, teamwork, technician, voices from the bench
In this episode, we talk with prosthodontist Dr. Miles Cone about his unconventional journey into dentistry, from studying dinosaurs and living out of his car to serving in the Army and earning his CDT. Dr. Cone shares how photography, lab work, and collaboration with skilled technicians transformed his approach to dentistry into a true blend of science and art. The conversation highlights respect for the lab, embracing critique to grow, and previews his upcoming Ivoclar Lab Day Chicago lecture on elevating removable prosthetics through intention and teamwork.
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406: Stuart Steinbock: Lean, Keen, and Milling Machines
January 5th, 2026 | 1 hr 2 mins
3d printing, additive manufacturing, aligners, articulators, cad/cam, carbon, casting investment, continuous improvement, crystal ultra, dental, dental equipment, dental manufacturing, dental mills, dental stones, digital dental, digital dentistry, direct-to-consumer dentistry, entrepreneurship, family business, full-arch workflows, industry evolution, international sales, iso compliance, lab efficiency, lab management, laboratory, leadership, lean manufacturing, milling systems, ortho appliances, orthodontic labs, process innovation, product development, quality systems, resilience, startup culture, technician, voices from the bench, whip mix, workflow optimization
Barb and Elvis talk with Stuart Steinbock about his deep family roots in dental manufacturing, the evolution of Whip Mix, and how lean thinking and product development helped shape modern lab workflows. Stuart also shares his journey beyond the family business into startups, 3D printing, orthodontic labs, and ultimately leading Digital Dental. It’s an honest conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and navigating change in both the dental industry and life
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404: Rik Jacobs & Jess Gray: Gradient Dentures and Grit: Two Conversations from Lab Fest 2025
December 22nd, 2025 | 1 hr 12 mins
3d printing, all-on-x, analog workflow, dental, dentures, digital dentures, digital workflow, exocad, facial scanning, hard-soft appliances, in-house lab, instarisa, lab growth, lab ownership, laboratory, multi-color, multi-material, night guards, pmma, production dentistry, technician, technician education, voices from the bench, voxel printing, zirconia
Live from NOLA Lab Fest, we talk with Rik Jacobs of Novenda Technologies about a game-changing, production-scale 3D printer that can print full dentures and hard/soft appliances in true multi-material, multi-color—without supports and with massive throughput. Then we catch up with Jess Gray, who shares her journey from front desk to running a fast-growing, digitally driven in-house lab, blending analog and digital workflows, facial scanning, All-on-X, and leadership lessons from the bench up.