Position: Co-President, Payroll Accounts Receivable
How did you get into this field?
I married into it
How long have you been at McTech?
Since our founding in 1993
What have you learned while working at McTech?
I have learned how to pour model work, wax, contour 3D Print, training others, contour and shade crowns. I have learned how important it is to work as part of a team. I have also learned that once a person loves their job and work environment, the more you want to be part of an amazing team.
What about family and hobbies?
Mark and I have been married Since 1981. When Mark first came to me about branching out on his own, I was there to support that dream and I think he has done wonderfully.
We have 5 children & 12 grandkids. We love spending as much time with them as we can. We enjoy traveling, especially when it’s seeing our grandkids. We love mother nature and all her beauty. I also enjoy reading, sewing, and crafting.
How have you learned to blend artistry with technology?
I love technology. I am always excited by new rollouts of hardware, devices, and software. One of my roles at McTech has been to help introduce these new advances to the business. Such as providing Mark and each of our other technicians their own iPad to look up cases and view pictures in the Adobe Lightroom app. I have learned that each new piece of technology represents a potential new art tool.
Position: Lab Manager, Marketer, Photographer, Blogger, Accounting, R&D
How did you get into this field?
I was always around this line of work well before I held my first job, which was at McTech delivering cases and helping in the model room. At 19 I briefly attempted college but at 21, decided to serve my country by joining the Army. The plan was always to get some discipline and a GI bill and then make another attempt at school. I served 5 years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division, where I was deployed twice to Afghanistan and achieved the rank of sergeant.
After honorably discharging from the military, I went back to school as planned. I attended Montana State University in Billings where I earned my double bachelor’s in management and marketing – achieving Magna Cum Lauda and the College of Business Outstanding Graduate of 2017 award.
I vividly remember the moment I decided I wanted to operate McTech Dental Lab. It was the first day of my last semester and my Capstone professor asked everyone in the class to stand and introduce themselves. We were also told to name the one thing we would love to make a living doing more than anything. It could be anything, even science fiction or fantasy was allowed. Because of my experiences in Afghanistan, I was always taking things like this a little too seriously. After several lighthearted responses from other students, I stood and said I want to make perfect prosthetics. As I sat, I drew the parallel between what I had just said and what my dad has done for a living my whole life. I knew then I wanted to be a part of it. I very much have a military-style, mission orientation, when it comes to restoring quality of life and function for patients.
How long have you been at McTech?
I came into McTech officially in the beginning of 2017. I have since facilitated our move to a new state of the art location, designing every wall, outlet and space to meet the demands for a modern dental lab. I've incorporated Dental lab management software into our workflow. I am also our accountant and marketer and blogger. But my real strength and passion is in R & D. I have been the research and development head for dozens of projects that included bringing in 3D Printing, photography, anodizing just to name a few.
What have you learned while working at McTech?
I love what I am a part of doing – restoring teeth, yes, but also restoring people’s standard of living and their dignity. Since working here, I have learned a ton from our doctors about dentistry, and even more from my father (Mark McKee) about the impact our field has on people’s lives. Though I’m not a technician, I love learning about new materials and technology in dental restorations. I cannot properly count for all that I have learned to be honest.
What about family and hobbies?
I’m Mark’s son, so I still remember the family talk when I was 7 about how dad was going to be his own boss. Now I am the father of an amazing son, Chance, who is a cancer survivor. My boy and I fish and camp a lot and have recently started giving back to other children with cancer by participating in Davids Toy Project, a fundraiser started by my sister and her son David, who is also a cancer survivor. I’m a very armature and unpublished musician (guitarist and learning piano and cello). I am a hunter and love being in the mountains with my fiancé. She and I are both lovers of art in many forms. I love an intelligent conversation and have been accused more than once of being very eager to engage in rigorous conversation if intellectually provoked. A jack of many trades and a master of none.
How have you learned to blend artistry with technology?
I hope that the many photographs on our website and marketing materials is showing how Photography is a perfect analogy for how we bridge artistry with technology at McTech. There are at this point also several blogs that outline how I have learned to blend artistry with technology in our workflow. Click here to see a list of these.
