by Laura Thill
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Three Generations Strong
Core values carry one distributor through 75 years of business.
When Italian immigrant Noche Cacciatore started Iowa Dental Supply (Grimes, Iowa) in the early 1930s, running a business
was not quite the same as it is today. Nevertheless, the same principles that guided the elder Cacciatore carried it through three generations of success.
"I don’t want to change the core values my grandfather operated on," says Rick Cacciatore, who presently owns Iowa Dental Supply with his brother, Mike. "My grandfather’s reputation and following was based on [his ability to] treat his customers fairly and to treat them as family. It was based on going that extra mile and giving customers the best service he could offer."
Starting out
While the company’s longevity may be attributed largely to its quality customer service, its roots lie in one man’s resourcefulness and solid business resolve. The elder Cacciatore came to America with his family when he was 3 years old. Ten years later, when his father was killed at his job as a railroad worker, Cacciatore left school to work for a dental distributorship. After several years, he decided to branch out
on his own. With the help of his brother and future partner, Carl, two sisters and several cousins and other relatives, Cacciatore founded Iowa Dental Supply.
"My grandfather would ride a
train throughout the state of Iowa," explains the younger Cacciatore. "When they ran out of supplies,
they would come home for more." Cacciatore’s grandfather grew the family business for more than 40 years, at which point he handed the baton to the next generation. "My dad, Lou, and his brother, Dick, and their cousin, Mary, ran the business from 1975 until 2000," says Cacciatore. "My brother, Mike, and I took over in 2001." While Mike had worked at Iowa Dental Supply since he was 13 years old, Rick had taken an alternate route, working on the manufacturer side of the dental industry. When his dad became ill in 2001, he stepped in and, together with Mike, purchased the family business.
A new world
Today, Iowa Dental Supply continues to service predominantly the state of Iowa, but the company’s territory has grown to include part of Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri. Although its staff has more than doubled in size over the years, and people have come and gone, some employees have remained with Iowa Dental Supply for more than 40 years. "We have three people who have worked here for more than 40 years and another six or seven who have been with us for over 25 years," says Cacciatore.
As much as the company values continuity among its staff, Iowa Dental Supply is keenly aware of the ever-changing face of the dental industry. Reaching out to customers is definitely different today compared with, say, 10 years ago, according to Cacciatore. New technology and a restructuring of decision-making responsibilities in dental offices are two of the biggest changes he has seen.
"Technology today is a prevalent tool and resource in the dental office," he says. Rapid advances in diagnostic equipment and computer-automated offices have motivated distributors to stay up-to-date on new technology. "The dental industry is not unlike other industries," he adds. "Dentists use computers for diagnoses today. So, it’s very important that we understand this technology and how it impacts the dental [industry]."
Even the manner in which customers place orders is changing: More and more, dentists rely on the Internet to place orders online. "Online ordering hasn’t completely taken over the supply side of the business, but we are seeing more of it today than we did five years ago," says Cacciatore. "The Internet must be available to any company that wants to do business today."
Products and technology do not reflect the only change taking place in the dental industry. As dentists grow busier, they have less time to make purchasing decisions. This responsibility often is delegated to other staff members. "For this reason, it’s very important to maintain a strong relationship with the dental staff," says Cacciatore.
Nevertheless, the company’s status as an independent distributor allows it to be flexible enough to fill orders quickly and meet customers’ needs efficiently. "I’d like to be known as the company that’s easy to do business with and always has the doctor’s best interest in mind," says Cacciatore. "As my grandfather and father believed, the customer is always right."
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