The Ratava Group (RG) is excited to announce that we have welcomed another new team member, Codi Patinella! Codi is currently earning a Bachelors Degree at the University of South Florida and has interned for RG for the past three academic semesters. Codi is responsible for social media management, tradeshow planning, product research and analytics, and customer service. “I look forward to combining a customer-focused approach with strong product knowledge, to deliver the best possible solutions to our clients!”—Codi Patinella. It is RG’s philosophy that providing customers with above-and-beyond service is essential to company growth and to satisfied, life-long customers. This growth in our team will undoubtedly add a new level to the personal, hands-on element of our existing customer service initiatives. Allison Raver, President of RG, is excited to have Codi officially on board and stated “Codi is a valuable addition to the RG Team. Her expertise in social media, unparalleled energy, and ability to work with people make her a fabulous addition! RG is a distributor of German-Made Dental CAD/CAM products to dental laboratories in U.S. and Canada.

Last month, RG journeyed from sunny Florida to sunnier California for LMT’s Annual LabDay West in Garden Grove. Although LabDay West only has one day of exhibits, it is one of the most fun, productive shows of the year! The day before the exhibition hall opens to west-coast dental laboratory owners, technicians, milling centers, and vendors, the show hosts several workshops and classes throughout the day. These are great for learning more about the latest technologies manufacturers have to offer, for dental technicians to collaborate, and for networking!

RG attended the Datron classroom to learn more about what makes the Datron machine so different from other machines in terms of efficiency, restoration quality, and material (i.e. milling tool) preservation. The team also discussed their ROI calculator and analyzed what type of usage is required to justify purchasing such a machine. This was particularly interesting to those who have been outsourcing a lot of custom abutments and titanium implant bars.

RG also attended the Core3d Centres aCADemy classroom where Mr. Mark Ferguson discussed 3Shape and the fundamentals of scanning and design, as well as implant and implant bar design. He threw in several shortcuts and tricks of the trade, which seemed to be much appreciated by the technicians in attendance.

In the evening, RG attended the Anaheim Ducks vs. L.A. Kings NHL Playoff Game seven at the Honda Center with clients. It is our philosophy that fun must always be mixed with business!

The following day, the exhibition hall was flooded with LabDay attendees from all over the west coast who are searching for the right materials and tools for their CAD/CAM laboratories or are looking for the right vendors to help them set up CAD/CAM. RG loves exhibit day at LabDay West, as it gives us a chance to have face-to-face meetings with our west coast customers whom we don’t always get to see. We also have a chance to meet new customers. It is one of RG’s passions to not just sell products, but to work with customers to help find the right solutions to fit their needs, goals, and growth.

Since RG goes to California only a few times per year and the team members crave In-N-Out burgers, the company’s President, Allison Raver, decided to order 100 cheeseburgers and fries (held the Animal style, as we didn’t think the Hyatt would be too pleased with the mess!) and served them to tradeshow attendees who shared the same California In-N-Out craving! We think they were a hit…we certainly enjoyed them!

RG jetsetted back to headquarters in Tampa, Florida after the show, but not before taking a scenic detour up the California coast and getting dinner at Captain Jack’s in Sunset Beach with our friends and colleagues at Core3d Centres.

The trip to Cali was fun, fast, and really productive. RG is very excited about the old and new connections that were made at the show and hope that it is not too long before we head back to the west coast!