In Memory of Roy Lanning - by Steve Dearien, CDT
This spring, esthetic dentistry lost one of its most promising young proponents. Roy Lanning, CDT lost his life earlier this month during the AACD meeting in Vancouver when the taxi in which he was a passenger was struck by another vehicle. My friend, colleague, and partner in Sundance Dental Laboratory was only 33 years old, and he will be terribly missed.
A wonderful husband to his wife Jill, and a devoted father to his two daughters, Madison and Reghan, Roy embodied vibrance, commitment to excellence, and a passion for all things positive and meaningful. Those of you fortunate enough to have had the honor of knowing him share our sense of tremendous loss.
Roy Lanning and I founded Sundance Dental Laboratory in Scottsdale, Arizona because we both wanted to provide state-of-the-art laboratory restorations using the finest materials and craftsmanship. Roy was a friend to many of our customers and colleagues in the industry and among their favorite people in profession. He was known widely for his talent and dedicated professionalism. Roy's commitment was renowned by our employees and our clientele. He never compromised on patient satisfaction, and he always stood by his word, no matter what. I've said it before, but it's worth mentioning again: Roy truly was a man worth standing in line to do business with. In his memory, we will continue to follow his legacy.
Generous of spirit and industry knowledge, Roy shared his passion for the power of quality dentistry with as many individuals � professionals and patients alike � as he could. Long before 'Extreme Makeover' became popular, Roy was finding ways to reach out to dentists and patients and share his contagious enthusiasm for the fine crown and bridge restorations we produce. Giving people a new reason to smile empowered him to do his best work.
The DefiningSmile.com Web site was something of which he was particularly proud. By enticing folks to visit the site using our delivery car wrapped in our logo, Roy demonstrated an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit that helped us grow by more than 300 percent in just over 5 years. As you can imagine, all of us at Sundance are still grieving over the loss of Roy, who always motivated us to think beyond the here and now.
Roy's energy and drive overflowed into all aspects of his life, and he really did take the time to savor his precious free moments with his family and friends. Perhaps that's how he managed to maintain a 6 handicap in golf.
All of us at Sundance Dental Laboratory will miss our dear friend Roy. But in his style of pleasant persistence, we will continue to live up to the reputation for high-quality restorations and superior customer service for which Roy made us famous. I don't think he would have it any other way.
