On January 1, 2003, Justan Koch became president of Artisan Dental Lab, following in his father’s footsteps. Karl Koch was president for almost 30 years. Justan says, “The transition in leadership will be almost imperceptible. ”
Photo by Steven Beals,Caelestis Productions.
he most important person at Artisan Dental Laboratory is not Board Chairman Karl Koch.It’s not President Justan Koch or Marketing Manager Kristan Stark. It’s not Artisan’s Department Managers who have more than 150 years of combined technical experience, nor is it their highly skilled technicians. It’s not Artisan’s friendly, prompt drivers. At Artisan, the most important person is the customer — the dentists, their office staffs and patients. “Our number one goal is excellent customer service,” says Justan,who took over as President when his father, Karl became Chairman of the Board.
Although most companies have the goal of putting the customer first, not many succeed the way Artisan does. How many companies offer a guarantee for the lifetime of the patient? Artisan Dental Lab does, and that’s a 100 percent lifetime guarantee. If a patient or a dentist is not happy with a case, the dentist can send it back and Artisan will replace it or make a new one at no charge. The company values long-term relationships too much for trivial issues to impede excellent customer service.
Justan assures customers the transition in leadership will be imperceptible. “Dentists will continue to see Artisan improve,” he says...“We always go the extra mile to please our customers,” Justan says, “and we will continue to have the quickest turnaround of any lab we know. For example, we can deliver a PFM crown in five days or less and immediate dentures in three.” Everyone at the company is excited about the transition in leadership — especially Karl. He ’s been working in this business since he was a junior in high school in 1959. He became President of Artisan in 1974. (See sidebar for detailed history of Artisan.) “I’m still as enthusiastic about it today as I was back then,” Karl says. During the last two years he has been giving Justan increasing management responsibility, day-to-day, so he could take more time off. In January of 2003 Justan took over as President and Karl became “semiretired ” as Chairman of the Board where he serves in an advisory capacity. In this position he plans to evaluate the more long-range possibilities for company growth, as well as take some well-earned time off. “I want to be able to talk with the doctors, find out directly from them how we can help them, what ’s important to them. I want to do things that I enjoy and will bring value to the business.”
Justan has wanted to work in the business since he was five years old, but his dad wanted him to finish college and work at other jobs first. When Justan joined Artisan in 1997 he started out doing menial tasks, learning about the business from the “roots up” as Karl says, and building understanding about how the company functions. Justan appreciates his dad’s experience and advice. He’s also eager to learn more about all the new innovations in the dental lab industry. “I’m very excited about the prospects for our business,” he says...One of the reasons the transition is working so well, according to Karl, is that over the years they have hired an exceptional management team that works really well together.
Artisan gives their department managers responsibility for making sure every case that leaves their department is worthy of the company's lifetime guarantee. They implement the company's Quality Assurance Program by following each case through the laboratory, checking for critical elements at each phase of production. The case is shipped with its lifetime guarantee only after it meets all Artisan standards for fit and workmanship. "We want our customers to be customers for life." explains Kristan, who is Karl's daughter. (Kristan is in the lab Tuesdays and Thursdays, splitting her time between the business and raising her family.) In nearly 30 years of serving the dental community, Artisan has learned that each dentist has his or her own particular likes and dislikes. “The best way to learn these preferences is to meet in person and determine what services Artisan offers that best fit the needs of each dentist,” said Kristan. “Dentists appreciate being able to talk directly with a department manager,” Justan explains. “It’s the department managers who have the direct responsibility for making that dentist happy.” Each department manager gets to know the dentists they work with, to be familiar with their preferences and specifications. “Over time, department managers gain the ability to bring clarity to prescriptions for the lab technicians to assure excellent case outcomes. This detailed communication pays off in saving the dentist chair time and eliminating extra patient trips.”
Artisan is one of the largest labs in the Pacific Northwest with more than 80 employees.
Photo by Steven Beals, Caelestis productions.
Being one of the largest labs in the Pacific Northwest, with more than 80 employees, is one of the reasons Artisan can provide quick turnaround time. Another reason is that they have one of the largest fleets of drivers in the Pacific
The “Faces of Artisan,” from left to right: Kenny Baker, Ray Schnibbe, Pat McMackin, Eddie Bertelson, Don Channel and Jim Borden. Chuck Wilson, Ray Brewer, Susan Anthony and Sandie Stewart were not present for the photo because they were working!
Photo by Steven Beals,Caelestis Productions.
Northwest as well. Seven drivers hop into attractive company cars every morning around 8:00 A.M. to begin the first of four free daily pickup and delivery trips. If a customer’s office is outside the drivers’ delivery area, Artisan provides prepaid shipping. The lab operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, to ensure even quicker service. The night shift technicians prepare all the cases that come in during the day, getting them ready for the technicians to start on when they arrive the next morning. “This is a great advantage to our clients,” Karl states, “because otherwise a lot of the work would have to wait an extra day to get done.” In addition to delivering a PFM crown in five days and immediate dentures in three, Artisan provides same-day service for repairs and relines. If a dentist ’s office calls by 9:30 A.M ., Artisan will have the repair back to them by 4:00 P.M. To make sure everything they do is of the highest quality, every technician goes through the PTC (Productivity Training Corporation) classes.
The company has a full-time trainer, Anita Neal, who conducts concentrated classes for all the managers and technicians. “In the past,most technicians have learned by watching somebody, who learned by watching somebody, who learned by watching somebody,” Karl laughs. The PTC training consistently teaches correct terminology, anatomy, tooth designations, techniques for waxing up a crown and everything else related to dental lab work.The dedication to excellence and training is also quite apparent in the education Artisan offers dentists. Artisan understands the pressure dentists feel to stay current and how challenging that is with a busy practice.
If the drivers are the “faces of Artisan, ”then the customer service staff is the heart. “We ’re the hub, we do all the coordinating, ”says Rebecca Pendergrass. “Billing, pickups, deliveries, checking cases, phones, two-way radios with the drivers; "that ’s why I like it so much —there ’s always something new, something to work out, something different to do.” Customer service includes from left: Alana Cantrell, Rebecca Pendergrass and Rachel Muir.
Photo by Steven Beals,Caelestis Productions.
Artisan offers to be their customers’ dental technology partner, to interpret and evaluate the latest technology, products and materials. Dental product manufacturers often participate with Artisan to support educational opportunities for their customers. With large and small seminars, presentations and classes, Artisan updates dentists on the latest materials and technologies, as well as how to best serve their patients. One dentist brings his study group to Artisan every month to compare notes and see new products firsthand. One of the ways Artisan stays current is through Karl and Justan’s participation in the TEREC Group, a strategic alliance of 14 dental laboratories, mostly from the central and eastern sections of the U.S. This group of very successful laboratories gathers once every four months to compare product information, and exchange experiences on what ’s working and what isn’t. Manufacturers present new products and technologies at their meetings and ask member labs to test products and give advice on their effectiveness. “Being a testing ground for new products gives us a little bit of lead time on the product,” Karl says. "Plus we form good working relationships with manufacturers.” If a patient needs cost-effective alternatives, Kristan says, Artisan discusses all the different options with the dentist. “The dentist can send in the impression and we can pour it up, look at the model and then phone the dentist to discuss what we think are the best alternatives. If dentists want to, they can come in and talk with a technician directly about any case.” The technicians at Artisan are very proud of the high-quality work they do. “We have many, many long-term employees here,” says Kristan, who joined the company in 1997.
…and the staff agrees — it truly IS a fun place to work and eat, especially when the company sponsors the monthly staff luncheon get-togethers.
Photo by Steven Beals, Caelestis Productions.
Throughout his career one of the things Karl has enjoyed most is interacting with people, and this is especially true for his employees. “Early on in this business, as I began to know the employees, they became my family,” he says. He began having monthly lunches with the employees. Some of the potluck lunches are Koch-offs (Koch is pronounced Cook). There might be a chili-cooking contest, or a contest for the best flank steak or salmon barbecue recipe. Each department might choose one volunteer judge who votes for the best recipe that day. (Justan was one of the judges at the February Chili Cook Off, and unbeknownst to him, he chose his father’s chili as his favorite. However, other judges had different ideas; Karl’s didn ’t win.) The monthly lunches often have themes related to the diversity of the employees, such as Asian, Hispanic and Russian, or to the holidays, such as Halloween costume contests and a special Christmas Eve lunch. “I want people to work here because it ’s a fun place to work,” Karl says.
The company offers excellent health and dental benefits in addition to flex time (one couple passes their children to one another as they change shifts from night to day). Employees canalso take English classes afterwork once a week for an hour-and-a-half. Artisan contributes considerable resources to the local community. Every Christmas they sponsor two families, giving food and presents. They donate services and supplies to Northwest Medical Teams and to Donated Dental Services. Every June they hold a golf tournament toraise money for the Terry Monetti Scholarship Fund for a dental student at OHSU. “I feel it’s important we give back to the community in any way we can,” Karl says.Even though he’s “semiretired,” Karl’s purpose continues to be to make a difference in people’s lives, whether it’s his employees, the doctors or their patients. “I really enjoy dealing with people,” he says.“Every business makes a product, but tome the relationship we have with our employees and our customers is what really makes this business what it’s supposed to be. I love that interaction with people and making sure that what we do is something that will enhance their lives.”
All the people at Artisan know that their hard work and dedication make a difference in many lives. They help Artisan live up to its motto. They truly do “Make Your Patients Smile.”
History of
Artisan Dental Laboratory
1959—Karl Koch delivers dentures after school and during summers for Dahlin Dental Laboratory. He accepts a job with Dahlin after graduating from the University of Oregonin 1965.
1973—Luciano Monetti founds Artisan Dental Laboratory with two other technicians. Dahlin Dental Laboratory moves to 25th and Hawthorne; Artisan is located at 102nd and Washington.
1974—Koch joins Artisan Dental Lab as President. He grows the company at a rate of 20 percent per year.
1976—Artisan moves to 41st and Hawthorne.
1986—Monetti begins a teaching relationship with OHSU. Artisan provides most of the prosthetic work. Koch and Monetti build a strong lab with good technicians. They buy out their other two partners.
1979—Artisan buys the building at 41st and Hawthorne.
1986—Denticon offers to buy Artisan; Koch and Monetti sell 80 percent of the company to Denticon, which also owns Dahlin. Artisan and Dahlin merge to form Artisan-Dahlin Dental Laboratory at 25th and Hawthorne.
1990—Denticon files for bankruptcy. Koch and Monetti buy Artisan-Dahlin back from Denticon.
1996—Koch and Monetti decide to take the company back to its roots. It once again becomes Artisan Dental Laboratory. Monetti retires; Koch becomes sole owner.
1997—Koch’s children, Justan Koch and Kristan Stark, join Artisan.
2003—Justan Koch becomes President of Artisan. Karl Koch becomes Chairman of the Board.
Artisan
Dental Laboratory
2532 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97214
1-800-222-6721 (503) 238-6006 (503) 231-3684 FAX
