New Face, Same Mission
When one distributorship passed from father to daughter, apart from a change of hands, the mission stayed the same.
By Laura Thill
Jennifer Chilton may be new to running a business, but her values run as deep as those of her predecessors, and she remains committed to the same mission that has helped Carolina Dental Supply Inc. (High Point, N.C.) succeed for 75 years. "We are in business for our doctors," she says. "We want to be a true, local company that really cares about our customers and provides fast, reliable service."
A local presence
Carolina Dental Supply Inc. first opened its doors in 1932, in Winston-Salem, N.C., when local entrepreneur, R. H. Payne, and his daughter decided there was a need for a local dental products distributor. In the mid-1970s, Payne sold his business and retired. Around that time, William "Butch" Routh (Chilton’s father) was starting a dental equipment service company in nearby High Point. With future planning in mind, Routh called his company Carolina Dental Service.
Routh had returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1969, and in 1971 joined Columbia, S.C.-based Thompson Dental Company (acquired by Patterson Dental Company, St. Paul, Minn., in 2002), as a service technician. By 1975, he was ready to try his hand as an independent service dealer and started the first independent service company in the state of North Carolina. Five years later, in 1980, Routh realized that in order to gain greater access to equipment lines, he had to become a full-service dealership. The current owner of Carolina Dental Supply was ready to sell and Routh was ready for the next challenge. He decided to maintain each side of his business (equipment service and products) under separate names. Few customers ever realized that Carolina Dental encompassed two businesses, and Routh’s transition to a full-service distributor was seamless. In fact, it wasn’t until last year that the company combined both businesses into one.
"In the beginning, it was just my dad," notes Chilton. "He added a couple of service technicians and office employees after a while, and by 1990, he had two or three sales reps." The reps have since left for larger companies. "We small businesses all face the same challenges," she quips. "Today, we have seven employees, but I like it that way. It feels like family."
Chilton never imagined she would step into her father’s business, much less run it. "After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1997 with an industrial relations degree, I worked for Allstate Insurance," she says. But, in 1998, when Routh invited her to join his company, she couldn’t resist. "I started out answering phones," she says. Gradually, she "learned the business," and eventually became a field rep. Father and daughter made a solid, "pragmatic" team, and Carolina Dental prospered. "Our mission has been, and continues to be, to bring value to our dental customers," she says. "We’ve always maintained a strong local presence, and the Piedmont, N.C., area is our primary equipment service territory," she says. "But, we ship products all over the nation."
In spite of its steady growth and focused mission, there were a few changes along the way. In 2004, Chilton’s son, Jake, was born. "He came to work with me every day for his first 10 months!" she points out. Then came Routh’s retirement. "When my dad retired at the end of 2007, we celebrated both his years at the company and our 75th year of business," she says. "We invited some [long-term] customers, had a big lunch and re-told old stories. It was a lot of fun and a great way to let everyone know that my dad was [passing the business on to me]."
Value and expertise
In the years preceding her father’s departure, as he spent fewer hours in the field, Chilton acquired more and more responsibility. "In the beginning, I was fired up and excited, and [saw an opportunity to] bring a new level of energy to our customers. But, I was pretty naïve as well," she admits. Nevertheless, she quickly found her footing and moved forward with increasing confidence.
In her 10 years at Carolina Dental Supply, Chilton has seen some definite changes in the way her customers like to do business, as well as their expectations of their dental reps. "Today, dentists don’t take advantage of one-stop-shopping as much as they once did," she says. "They look for value, but more avenues have opened, such as online shopping. This makes it that much harder for smaller distributors to compete."
It helps to join a buying group, such as ADC, she points out. But, even more important, "dealers must be extremely knowledgeable about products and provide [consultation] and value. Especially as some larger manufacturers have limited dentists’ choice in suppliers, our job is to show our customers that we can offer an alternative. There are many good products out there. Providing dentists choice and personal service is key."
No pretending
In retrospect, Chilton doesn’t believe her father would change much given an opportunity to turn back the hands of time. "He worked hard to get this company up and running, and then grow it, and it paid off for him," she says. "Today, Carolina Dental Supply is a well-respected, family business.
"As for me, I’d like to learn more about [my dental customers’] procedures," she continues. "It’s difficult to find enough time to read through every magazine and new piece of literature that comes through the door." Indeed, although Routh may be just a phone call away, Chilton has had to step up to the plate, so to speak, and the pace is hectic. "Running the business is a new type of pressure, but I enjoy it and always try to be myself," she says. "I don’t pretend we are a bigger company than we are, and I treat our customers the way I would like to be treated." With that approach, "everything works out," she adds.
"My dad did a nice job of establishing Carolina Dental Supply, and I look forward to continued growth [in years to come]," Chilton continues. "In the next five years, I expect our presence on the Internet to grow." She also believes dentists will come to understand more and more the value small independent distributors can bring to them. "We provide that personalized service," she points out. "Sometimes, it’s as simple as a return phone call. That means a lot to our customers."
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