Just seven years out of dental school, the doctor has two established practices where she splits her time – her original office in Clayton, N.C., and her new office in Rocky Mount. She purchased her Rocky Mount practice, called Rocky Mount Smile Makers, several years ago, but its facility was dated and small. In 2009, Dr. Zombek decided to break ground on a new building for that location.

Dr. Zombek's older daughter, a local realtor, helped select the new practice location, while Dr. Zombek's husband, Tony, oversaw the construction process. Dr. Zombek, meanwhile, focused her attention on her patients, the new office's architectural design and incorporating LEED design elements into the building plans.

Dr. Zombek chose a stacked-stone exterior, lightly tinted windows, an extensive high-energy HVAC system that compensates for the heat generated by the practice's equipment, as well as solar panels for the roof. The energy from the solar panels is not immediately absorbed by the practice, but rather is bought back by the local power company. "I think she was one of the first people to use solar in that market," McKee said.

She also was focused on the aesthetics of the property itself. When Dr. Zombek realized that a pond was required in the property design to collect rainwater run-off, it became a focal point of the office's hygiene area with large windows facing the outside. "The patients love it. They say it's so relaxing and they can sit in hygiene and watch the birds and the frogs and the butterflies out in the pond," Dr. Zombek said. "Another doctor came to my open house and he said, ‘It's like a Monet [painting] out there.'"

Dr. Zombek admits that she would have liked to make the office even more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, however, the cost and time required were more prohibitive than beneficial. Her focus on her patients has also put pursuing LEED certification for the building on the back burner.

The interior of this environmentally friendly office is just as inviting as its unique exterior. The reception area features a stacked stone desk, large windows and curved walls that reach into the rest of the practice. Numerous windows allow considerable amounts of natural light into the building.