Two Common Myths About Alaska
Dr. Nizich is eager to dispel two myths about Alaska. First of all, he says, Juneau is not located in “The Bush” – a slang term for a remote, rural town disconnected from the road system. And secondly, “There is a definite demand for aesthetic dentistry here.”
While Dr. Nizich admits that not every patient requests full-mouth veneers and crowns, citizens of the third largest city in Alaska still want great smiles. “At first, Alaska’s demand for aesthetic dentistry blew me away,” he said. “This isn’t Orange County or Beverly Hills, but everybody still wants to look good. To succeed, you still have to offer and expect patients to appreciate aesthetic dentistry.”
A 660,000-square-mile Challenge
ARTICLE TOOLS
 PRINT
 SHARE
The Patterson Dental Seattle Branch has a big job to do. Besides serving Seattle-area practices, this team serves dentists in North America’s biggest state: Alaska.
To ensure coverage in this enormous state – more than twice the size of Texas – a sales office in Anchorage provides services to the inland, and a team based in Seattle serves customers along Alaska’s southeast coast. Because Alaska’s coastal cities are only accessible by air or sea, Patterson Dental staff must fly from Seattle to practices on the southeast coast. Shipments to these customers are delivered via barge, which take at least three days to reach their destination.
Setting up a dental practice in Alaska presents unique logistical challenges and intricacies for both the Patterson staff and the doctor. Long barge rides mean equipment may arrive damaged, face-to-face meetings are made difficult due to the expense of flying, timing can change at a moment’s notice due to a multitude of factors and much more.
When Dr. Tony Nizich contacted Patterson for help setting up his two-operatory practice, Office Designer Bob Pattillo was quick to accept the challenge. Located on the southeast coast in Juneau, Pattillo and Dr. Nizich spoke on the phone for nearly four hours while completing the first equipment order for the practice.
Pattillo hired a moving company to meet the barges and deliver the equipment to Dr. Nizich’s practice when it arrived. He also coordinated a team of Patterson service technicians to set up the equipment when it arrived. When the time came, the entire team flew to Juneau and set up the office in two days.
Even though there aren’t any full-time representatives onsite in Juneau, Dr. Nizich has felt supported by Patterson every step of the way. “They facilitated things wonderfully,” he said. “It’s amazing, there are no reps up here, but between the maintenance checkups and the visits with Bob, they really support us.”
|
|
| |
|
|
© 2024 Patterson Dental. All rights reserved.
