From Consultation to Innovation: Practicon Through the Years

Practicon has gone through a lot of changes in its 26-year history. What began as a venture into consultation and education has blossomed into a thriving and ever expanding dental supply company. With strong leadership and a desire to always be on the side of innovation, Practicon has seen exponential growth over the last two and a half decades.

The company was founded by Ann Page Griffin and Dr. Jasper L. Lewis. Ann worked with Dr. Lewis's pediatric dental practice as their Dental Health Educator and later became Marketing Coordinator and Practice Administrator. She embarked upon office tours and taught preventative dentistry to school classrooms. As demand for Ann's educational, management, and marketing services heightened, the need to expand beyond the resources of the practice arose. Thus, on September 13, 1982 Practicon, Inc. was formed.

1985 was a big year for Practicon, with its first mail order catalog! The Ideal was published that year in August and offered a whopping 50 dental products (our latest catalog contains over 2,300)! Also in that year, Practicon finally had a place to call home. The 950 square foot finished attic space above Dr. Lewis's office served as headquarters to the company's small work force.

As business continued to grow, a larger shipping facility was needed. Shipping moved to a 2,500 square foot off-site warehouse in 1988. In 1992, Practicon moved to a 9,500 square foot building and by 1993 had grown to employ 30 associates. The company also received its first product patent for the Optishield. The next 2 years saw tremendous growth as sales grew by 30%! The catalog evolved from the tabloid format to a more traditional format.

Finally, in 1997 Practicon moved to its current location. It was then a 20,000 square foot building, but has since expanded by another 12,000 feet! To support it's continued growth, the company has continued to add new positions and now employs over 50 associates! By continually adding new and innovative products (such as the Optra-Gate, Optra Dam, Denta Pak, and Angle-Ease) and offering superb customer service, Practicon has continued to grow, in spite of widespread economic hardships. With its top-notch blend of marketing, merchandising, and old-fashioned customer service, Practicon looks forward to continued growth for many years to come.