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Designing for a Cause

James — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:05:27 +0000

Well, today’s post doesn’t exactly deal with dental office design, but I still had to share. Each year the St Margaret’s Hospital Guild puts on the Indianapolis Decorators Show House to raise money for Wishard Hospital (the local public hospital). Even though it isn’t dental office design I decided to participate this year and design furniture for the back patio. The area was originally names the West Terrace by the ladies of The Guild, but after seeing my plans for the space last Fall, they renamed it Outdoor Dining. Cute.

Anyway, here are some quick shots of the table and chairs that I designed. My theme for the space is reclaim and reuse. I’ve made heavy use of found objects; an old door, old dining chairs, 150 year old crocks, an antique ironing board. You get the idea. I rebuilt the chair seats using outdoor foam and outdoor fabric. The chairs and the ironing board have been coated to protect them from the weather.

I don’t have a shot yet of the antique butter churn that I will be using as a centerpiece on the table. My florist is working on the flower arrangement.

The show opens on 24 April and runs through 9 May. If you’re going to be in Indy, be sure to check it out. The money supports a very worthy cause.

Long view of the table and chairs.

End detail of chairs and table legs.

Another view of the table with fountain in background.

BBQ Prep Table

Close up of prep table

Another prep table close up

Pickle crocks as flower planters

Being Thankful

James — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:48:02 +0000

Here in the US tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The quintessential American holiday. As we are all scurrying off to be with family and friends and prepare our holiday feast, I wanted to pause a moment and give thanks to all of my wonderful dental office design clients that I’ve had the pleasure to work with during the past year and before. Making your dental office practices more memorable and special in the minds of your patients and staff is the reason for our being. I am eternally grateful that I get to spend my time doing something that I so thoroughly enjoy and that I get to work with people that are incredible, talented, and a delight to be with.

In addition to my dental office design clients I’d like to pause and express thanks to Carolyn Hansen and her staff at the Indianapolis District Dental Society; the members and Executive Committee of the Indiana Dental Education & Resource Association; the Action Board members for Rainmakers on the Avenue Lunch; and the members and Directors of the Indianapolis Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. These groups help me and challenge me daily to do more, serve my dental office design clients better, and consistently strive to be better than I was the day before. Additionally, I’d like to thank the team at Bosma for the tremendous work they do on my behalf.

Of course, I cannot forget my family and friends that put up with me, inspire me, and keep me sane through all the craziness we call life.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!

Come Join Us at the November IDERA Meeting!

James — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:22:44 +0000

Join us for the November Indiana Dental Education and Resource Association (IDERA) meeting on Friday, 13 November from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. This month the meeting will be held in the offices of Midway Dental Supply at 6451 Saguaro Court, Indianapolis. Many thanks to Jeff Paden and the team at Midway Dental for being our hosts!

Our guest speakers this month will be Dr Dave Wolf, President of the IDDS Foundation and Carolyn Hansen, Executive Director of the Indianapolis District Dental Society (IDDS). They will be sharing with us the important work that the IDDS Foundation performs in helping those in need.

Come mix and mingle with other dental industry professionals, meet Dr Wolf and Carolyn, make new friends and connections, and learn why it is so important to support the IDDS Foundation.

I look forward to seeing you next week!

Don’t Miss October IDERA Meeting!

James — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:35:55 +0000

Join us for the October Indiana Dental Education and Resource Association meeting on Friday, 9 October from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Abuelo’s at Trader’s Point. While we have no guest speaker this month, we have lots to review for the upcoming CE Event on 29 October at the JA Center from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.! Be sure not to miss this important meeting!

Come mix and mingle with other dental industry professionals, make new friends and connections.

Also, mark your calendars for Friday, 13 November, when Carolyn Hansen, Executive Director of the IDDS will be joining us to share information on the important work that the Foundation performs and why it is important for all of us to get involved.

A Day in the Rain

James — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:11:53 +0000

Yesterday, my good friend Cindy, Publisher of Doctor of Dentistry magazine, and I spent the afternoon sitting at the green on Hole 9 at Hillcrest Country Club. Why, do you ask, would we spend the entire afternoon in a steady rain (sometimes pouring)? We were serving as volunteers for the Indianapolis District Dental Society Foundation Golf Outing. Our assignment: keep a close eye on the pin to see if any of the 64 golfers that were also braving the rain happened to make a hole-in-one. Since Hole 9 at Hillcrest is a 274 yard Par 4, the prize wasn’t ever really in any danger of being won.

Of course, all of the money raised for the Foundation supports their dental work for the underprivileged, and we were happy to serve as volunteers for the afternoon’s event.

Kudos go to Mike Cole from Dury Investments who probably came closest to actually hitting a hole-in-one. Of the three golfers whose ball landed on the green during the afternoon, Mike’s appeared to be closest to the pin. Too bad that wasn’t the contest we were assigned yesterday.

As Cindy and I were sitting there chatting in the rain (thanks to the golf pro that gave us a covered cart to sit in all afternoon), I thought that giving away dental office design services for anyone that makes a hole-in-one would be a great thing to do. Unfortunately, the golf tournament season is about over in Indiana, but look forward to Küster Dental Office Design offering up dental office design services during the 2010 season as a prize for anyone who hits a hole-in-one.

Know of any other dental related golf outings that Küster Dental Office Design should become involved with?

Fore!

James — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:39:13 +0000

After many days of beautiful weather, we are finally getting some rain here in the heartland just in time to usher in the official start of autumn. I’m just hopeful that the rain ends before Thursday and we return to warm, sun-drenched skies. Why? Because Thursday is the annual Indianapolis District Dental Society Foundation golf outing and I’m going to be taking a break from dental office design for an afternoon and be sitting on a green all day. Well, actually, near a green – wouldn’t want to get hit by a ball. Why? Because I’ll be watching for the players to spy the one that manages to hit a hole-in-one and win the grand prize.

I did this last year and it was great fun. We had a beautiful autumn day and I met many wonderful people that I’d not know previously. Plus, the proceeds from the tournament supports the work of the IDDS Foundation.

So, I highly recommend taking a break from your normal routine this Thursday and joining me and the other golfers and supporters of the dental community in coming out to Hillcrest to play a round of golf. To join in the fun and for more information contact Carolyn at the IDDS office at 317.471.8131. You’ll be glad you did.

Have Our Expectations of Courtesy Changed?

James — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:03:08 +0000

Since the cell phone has become such a pervasive part of our culture, has our expectations of courtesy changed? Today I was to meet a friend for lunch. This friend was 35 minutes late for our appointment. He also refuses to buy a cell phone. One of the first things I ever used my cell phone for when I purchased my first one in 1992 was to call ahead when I found myself running late for an appointment. I am one of those people who would rather be 15 minutes early than 1 minute late. Letting the party I’m meeting know I’m running behind is only common courtesy. Sometimes things happen that we cannot control that puts us behind schedule, but leaving someone waiting is just not cool.

Once, I found myself in the reverse of this situation. I was supposed to meet the same friend at my house. Ahead of our appointment I was running some errands in my father’s truck and blew a tire. My father didn’t have a spare and I had to call for roadside assistance. I called my friend’s home and left a message to indicate that I’d be late, but I feared he’d already left for Indianapolis as he lives an hour away. By the time the truck was fixed I ended up being almost two hours late to meet him. Since he has no cell phone I had no way to let him know what was going on. I felt horrible.

This same courtesy extends to our service professionals such as dentists, doctors, and hair stylists. They deserve our respect to know when we are running late for our appointments and the cell phone is the easiest and best way to make such communication.

Now, back to my question. With the advent of the cell phone, have our expectations of courteous communication changed? What did people do before cell phones when a traffic accident left them stranded on the highway making them late? Did those they were meeting just wait patiently, or was there some unwritten rule about how long to wait before leaving? I’ll admit that I honestly cannot remember.

IDERA September Membership Meeting – Learning How Hypnosis Can Change Your Business

James — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:49:07 +0000

Karl Zimmer, owner of Z-Success will be introducing us to the world of hypnosis and how it has helped countless people overcome unhealthy behaviors and habits at the September IDERA Membership meeting on Friday, 11 September. Come prepared with questions – ask about your fears or misconceptions about hypnosis and why hypnosis is so effective.

Karl works with clients to improve customer service and trains staff how to reduce client anxiety and fears. His approach dovetails neatly into the human interaction aspect of interior branding and sound dental office design.

Abuelo’s Trader’s Point
5910 W. 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN
317.876.0250

Friday, 11 September
8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Erectile Dysfunction and Gum Disease?

James — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:51:15 +0000

A recent study of 815 Israeli men has shown a possible link between erectile dysfunction and gum disease. While the percentages do not seem overly high to me, 9.8% diagnosed with mild erectile dysfunction also suffered from advanced periodontal disease while 15.8% suffering from moderate to severe erectile problems also showed advanced gum disease, there appears to be sufficient evidence to suggest a linkage between the two. To better understand how the study was conducted and what these linkages are, read more at WorldDental.org.

Credit goes to Adam Haskew and the August Issue of the Indiana Edition of Doctor of Dentistry magazine for tipping me off to this startling discovery. From Adam’s news clip I was able to learn more from the WorldDental.org site.

Does this mean when we go to our dentists in the future, in addition to Fluoride treatments, we might pick up a prescription for Cialis, too? Will we need to make sure operatories are private in the future as part of a comprehensive dental office design? One can only wonder.

July IDERA Membership Meeting

James — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:11:36 +0000

Come join us this Friday, 10 July for this month’s Indiana Dental Education and Resource Association Membership Meeting. Mix & Mingle with dental industry professionals, make new connections, and say “hello” to friends.

We’ll be meeting from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Abuelo’s Traders Point, 5910 W. 86th Street, Indianapolis. Hope to see you there!