This year, we asked some leaders in the company to nominate employees who had embodied our Core Values during 2020. We had so many submissions that we couldn’t fit all of them onto an email (or even multiple emails!) So we are spotlighting some of them here. They will also all be featured on Ultradent TV. If you see them, offer some congratulations!
We cannot thank these employees enough. Their actions have inspired all of us to work harder, work better, and work together. Thank you for all you have done for Ultradent.
Molding Process Technician
Chase is an excellent employee who goes above and beyond to cover the grave shift when needed and never complains of the extra work.
Administrative Assistant III
Patty Paulsen demonstrates the Core Value of Care in all her work here at Ultradent. She is consistently happy, positive, and upbeat. Her cheerful demeanor is infectious and creates a sense of community with those she interacts with. Patty tackles the hardships of work and life with grace and poise. It is clear that she faces each day with a helpful attitude where she is constantly thinking of the needs of others. Patty gets things done. When she is asked to complete a task or project, there is no question that it will get done.
Costing Business Intelligence and Analytics Manager
Jean is always willing to help out and listen to needs. Then she finds a solution to provide meaningful tools and useful information to run their business.
Molding Production Worker
Molding can always count on Ana to run multiple machines with a smile on her face. She works well with all employees and is a true example of Care.
OLM Packaging Line Lead
Jamey has done a great job looking after the night shift during the challenges of losing leads. She has single-handedly run shifts at times, trained new line leads as they have come on board, and ensured safety, quality, and production has not suffered during this time.
Opal Go! Production Worker
She cares about what she does and cares about the people she works with. She is willing to help do whatever it takes to get the job done. She has always cared about all of her coworkers and is a great team player. She has recently offered to fill in as a Line Leader and became certified to perform these functions. Thank you Tamra for all you do.
Business Intelligence Developer
From the moment Jessa joined Ultradent, she has exemplified the Core Values of Care and Hard Work. She offers to help out wherever needed and takes great care and responsibility to those she works with. She has taken on new and exciting tasks and is accountable to her work and the people she serves.
International Customer Service Team Leader
Phyllis is one of the behind-the-scenes heroes for Ultradent. She is a tireless, hard-working, selfless, company-first thinker with an amazing attention to detail. She consistently goes the extra mile to ensure the satisfaction of our international customers and works in concert with her coworkers to make things happen. Phyllis always puts our customers first! No doubt she lives, eats, and breathes UPI Core Values!
Senior Social Media Coordinator
At the onset of the pandemic, Hartley hosted daily (sometimes multiple times a day) Facebook Live interviews with industry leaders who offered advice to our customers. At a time when many of us were struggling with the implications of the virus and were living in a state of worry, Hartley showed up on our screens with a cheerful, positive outlook. This isn’t because she wasn’t stressed herself—but she was there to roll up her sleeves and bring hope to our audience at a time they really needed it.
Quality Engineer III
Clint knows what needs to be completed, takes the steps to get there, and accomplishes his goals. He approaches people equally as one. He is flexible when working with a variety of personalities in different departments.
Accounts Payable Specialist II
Lori works hard in her Accounts Payable (AP) role. She does AP for both UPI and OLM and understands the difference between the two organizations’ AP processes. She is always willing to lend a hand when needed and is also willing to learn new processes.
Level II Service Desk Analyst
Joe “Kingpin” King always goes about providing high-quality, caring service to everyone he interacts with, but you will never hear him speak to this because he is the quietest, most humble person I know. He never talks about the good that he does, but I hear from a lot of people that just rave about their service desk experiences with Joe. Everyone loves him because he treats them with respect, his personality and sense of humor is disarming, and he goes the extra mile to make sure they get the care that they need. I’ve never had a complaint come my way when it comes to the level of service that Joe provides.
Tips Machine Operator
Jose Sandrea is a very hard worker; he is always wanting to learn new machines and new processes. He is very caring and ALWAYS happy! He is always able to brighten the room with his positivity and encouraging words. He is a team player and gets along with everyone. Throughout this year he always remained positive and happy and would always cheer on the team to keep going and tell everyone they are doing a great job. He is very funny and great person to be around!
Senior IT Project Manager
Eric is a seasoned Project Manager and brings expertise and clarity to every project he works on. He’s trusted with the most complex projects and plays a key role in their success. His thoroughness and attention to detail ensures that these extremely complex projects are completed successfully.
1.2 Area Production Worker
She cares about what she does and cares about the people she works with. She offers to help everyone on the team and is a great example of care and concern for everyone.
Senior CAD CAM Programmer
Ryan has a really unique job. All of VALO machining depends on his skill to program our machining equipment. Ryan has shown tremendous knowledge and Hard Work in reducing cycle times of components as well as ensuring that we are able to run without interruption for multiple shifts at a time.
Senior Sales & Marketing Manager - Asia
Josephine is a key part of Ultradent’s success in Southeast Asia over the largest part of the decade, leading her incredible team through times of change in a challenging region.
Equipment, Maintenance Mechanic
Allen exemplifies the UPI Core Value of Hard Work. Allen has some unappealing responsibilities, including dealing with acrid waste water and repairing oil-coated equipment. Yet, these tasks are required to keep our business running. He performs these tasks diligently, timely, and without need of recognition.
1.2 Area Machine Operator
He is always helping everyone no matter where he is working. He is willing to teach anyone what he knows about each machine and is usually seen offering help to other lines to keep production running.
Senior Territory Account Manager
Jaynie has an extensive professional and sales background. She constantly strives to make all of her goals and is consistent in performance. She is a hard-working mom and family is important to her. She also supports her team and Ultradent family by sharing all of her expertise. She brings great ideas to the table for her customers and is always putting them, and everyone else, first. We are so grateful for Jaynie’s knowledge, creativity, and work ethic! She’s an amazing core value representative for Ultradent!
Product Development Manager
Ryan is constantly driving innovation by challenging the status quo, asking the hard questions, and offering creative solutions that help drive efficiency throughout the company.
Print Shop Team Leader
Paul Reynolds was paramount in the success of the domestic shipping area. He worked the line for a couple months until we could get people in positions to ship product. He was a life saver.
Territory Manager VIC - Australia
Fiona has continued to offer top-level customer service despite being under Melbourne’s very strict lockdown rules for about 1/3 of the year. She did her best to support her customers from other states and other countries, train new colleagues, and was always proactive in suggesting ways Ultradent could improve before and during the COVID-19 crisis. On top of that, she sold 14 Gemini lasers in June alone!!
OLM Packaging Team Leader
With the turnover of people in packaging, especially leads, Tyler has not only stepped up and covered shift team leads on both 12-hour nights and days for around 4 months, but has continued to maintain some of his daily duties around managing the safety reports and presenting the data.
OLM QC Chemist I
Hashim normally works on the OLM QC Lab Weekday shift. He worked about seven weeks on the OLM QC Lab Weekend Shift during June and July. He volunteered to work during the weekend shift to keep the amount of employees in the QC Laboratory at 10 or less. This act helped make the laboratory a safer place for all of the laboratory employees.
International Regional Manager - Italy
He managed the crisis in the “lost” Turkey, joining all the result forecasted and he fully supported our dealer by helping them manage their people.
Senior Territory Account Manager
Kay Kusumoto is a highly respected TAM based out of Honolulu, Hawaii, and is a valuable part of our West Coast Region. It is such a pleasure to work with Kay. It is clear when you see her with customers why they have been loyal to Ultradent for 20 plus years. Everyone knows Kay by name and they greet her with open arms. Kay has built trust and respect with a high understanding of the dental communities needs and solutions with her product knowledge. Kay always does the right thing even when nobody is watching. This was a very hard year with a lot of uncertainty due to the pandemic. Kay wanted to continue to take care of her customers and found a way to stay connected as well as with her team and other Ultradent family members. Kay shared her gift as an instructor and taught stress- and anxiety-reducing techniques through yoga and meditation. Words to describe Kay are: loyal, kind, caring, compassionate, respectful, hard working, honest, and that’s just a few.
OLM Warehouse Material Handler
Salome is committed to our OLM success and continually demonstrates the Core Value: Hard Work as our “point person” in planning and executing OLM outbound finished goods shipments. Over the course of the year (Sept ‘19 to Aug ’20), she successfully planned the shipments of 19,913 pallets, representing of 67,768,482 units, to three different customer distribution centers with an over 90% SOTIF (Shipments On Time In Full) result. Salome keeps great communication with our OLM WHS Material handlers to ensure all loads are moved properly, and, if last minute Holds are announced on Finished Goods, she is able to adjust loads accordingly to ensure products get to the customer locations. She is a very reliable and knowledgeable resource for our OLM Warehouse Material Handlers assisting in the training of our personnel to ensure each individual is successful.
Accounts Receivable Clerk
During COVID-19 Kelly immediately offered to cut her hours, volunteered to be furloughed so others could keep their hours, had her schedule and hours changed multiple times, agreed to work in the office, and never complained about it.
OLM Maintenance Supervisor
Ron is easy to get along with and has a passion for doing his job to the best of his ability and always thinks about what is best for the company and its employees. Ron is driven to have his employees be engaged and be part of a team that cares about each other and their responsibilities. It can be difficult getting four different shifts to communicate well and treat each other with respect at all times and I think Ron has accomplished this with his crew of PMMTs.
Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Coordinator I
MacKenzie commits all of her education, experience, and energy behind each project or tasks she encounters and she works diligently and efficiently to completion every time. This approach is driven by her deep-seated value of care for other employees and teammates.
MarCom Manager/Art Director
Mitch is always willing to jump in and help anyone with anything. He goes above and beyond to do excellent work and he treats every request as if it’s from his most important client. Anyone who works with Mitch knows how hard he works and how much energy he puts into producing amazing results.