Every year, our National Sales Meeting brings together employees from across our organization to set the tone for the year ahead. The opportunity to gather together in person is something we look forward to all year—and this year did not disappoint.
In late January, our teams travelled to New Orleans for three days of collaboration, training, feedback, and team-building. Attendees arrived throughout the day on Tuesday before a welcome reception where tenured employees greeted familiar faces and new employees made in-person introductions.
A vision of the year ahead
We kicked off our first session the next morning, after breakfast, with a welcome message from Chief of Staff Jeff Pon, followed by a keynote address from CEO and Co-founder Nick Greenfield.
Nick stressed the importance of in-person moments that give our team time to focus, collaborate, strategize, and celebrate our wins. He took time to specifically call out some of our top-performing sales leaders and highlight key highlights from 2025.
Finally, Nick gave attendees a preview of the road ahead, including ambitious goals, new product launches, and more opportunities to build community among our CandidPro providers.
Voices from the field
Following Nick’s keynote address, we shifted our focus to peer learning featuring a panel of sales organization members with deep experience in the dental industry. This session, moderated by Area Sales Director Chelsie McWhorter, focused on ways our field teams can continue to deliver industry-leading service, support, and clinical efficacy to our CandidPro providers.
Panel participants like Adam Young reflected on how our transparent case fee structure and scanner-agnostic workflows give providers the flexibility they need to promote profitability.
Caity Rutty touched on our user-friendly software that’s accessible to providers of all experience levels. Shara Hamrick spoke to the power of our support and training services, and that they are readily available to all of our providers, regardless of productivity.
Treatment planning support was a key differentiator for Kate Quaka, who found that many providers in her territory felt more capable of completing cases with CandidPro thanks to our CandidConsult service. For Sam Moore, our system’s ability to complete cases predictably was a highlight, thanks to our high-precision aligners that “fit like leggings, not jeans.”
Getting deep with our orthodontists
After a break for lunch, a panel of CandidPro Orthodontists took the stage to field clinical questions from our teams, moderated by Product Marketing Director Brian Park, RN. This year, Yassmin Parsaei, DMD, MDS, Dr. Clarence Red, and Perry Stevenson DDS MS joined us for this engaging session.
Dr. Red and Dr. Parasaei started the discussion by walking the room through how they approach a CandidPro case when it enters their workflow.
Orthodontist-supported treatment plans are an important pillar of our comprehensive aligner product, and understanding what each clinician looks for when reviewing a case offered meeting attendees with additional context to share with providers.
Our orthodontists also dove deep into clinical conversations about predictable methodologies for space closures, attachment and elastic use for dentists of varying experience levels, and how they field requests for movements they feel may not be predictable in practice.
These conversations between our CandidPro Orthodontists not only train our field teams but also give our operations, marketing, and executive teams a clearer understanding of how our providers use our services day-to-day and how we might make improvements in the future.
Prospecting, practice prosperity, and bowling pins
Our final session on our first day was led by Area Sales Director Steve Richardson, focusing on effective prospecting strategies that build strong relationships with dental providers before they become providers.
The session included a few high-level thought-starters to get ideas flowing before the team split into small groups to share strategies and best practices, which were then presented to the full group.
To close out the evening, the team walked to an establishment a few blocks away for small bites, bowling, and a bit of casual conversation.
A storm of a day with weather on the horizon
Our National Sales Meeting was initially slated for three days, but historic snow and ice forecasts impacting much of the central US had other plans.
To accommodate employees flying home without weather delays, we extended our second day, starting with a product session led by Product Marketing Director Brian Park, RN, and Senior Product Manager Justin Wolfgang.
Brian and Justin previewed upcoming product launches and enhancements scheduled for later this year, equipping our field teams with the knowledge they need to communicate these changes to our providers.
Field teams also had the opportunity to share feedback on new product launches, our product roadmap, and how we communicate product information with providers.
Special guests from 3D Dentists
If you’ve been following CandidPro for the last few years, you may be familiar with our partners at 3D Dentists, specifically Tarun Agarwal, DDS and Meredith Cooper Jones.
These engaging speakers have been an integral part of how we train our providers to provide high-quality clear aligner care, and we were proud to feature them at our National Sales Meeting this year.
Dr. Agarwal, also known as T-Bone, and Meredith spoke at length about how our teams can deliver transformative partnership to our providers. He discussed the importance of understanding each provider’s needs, goals, and life in context—recognizing that different clinicians need different levels of support depending on where they are in life.
Being a trusted resource for training, marketing, and clinical support is vital to our mission at CandidPro. T-Bone and Meredith validated just how valuable that can be for dental offices.
“I didn’t do implants for eight years. A rep helped me gain confidence. I added that service to my practice, and it helped me transform my business. You can be what they’re missing.” — Dr. Agarwal
Group training breakouts
After lunch, our field teams broke into small groups for sessions that put Dr. Agarwal's and Meredith’s teachings into context. First, Area Sales Directors Scott Hemnes and Steve Richardson, who focused on how field teams can help their practices see the value in partnering with CandidPro.
Then, Director of Practice Development, Jennifer Pinder, and Practice Development Manager, Angela Gray, discussed the benefits of setting actionable goals and targets with practices as they enroll in our training pathway. Angela then led yet another session demonstrating the importance of financing options.
Finally, Sandra M. Lambert, treated attendees to a special hygiene-focused session that demonstrated the intimate connection between oral and occlusal health—and the vital role orthodontics plays in stymying issues such as gum disease, abrasions, and other problems related to occlusal function.
Awards, entreés, and farewells
To close out the day, Nick Greenfield took the stage once more for closing remarks and for our annual award ceremony, which recognizes employees who exemplify our corporate values and based on performance. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Values awards
Work as one
Ayanda Dube • Senior Data Analyst
Victoria Jackson • Pro Solutions Expert
Drive results
Tony Bussieres • Staff DevOps Engineer
Maggie Krudwig • Recruiting Manager
Embrace candor
Steve Richardson • Area Sales Director
Commit to Growth
Angie Gray • Regional Practice Marketing Lead
Care deeply
Hunter Ackerman • Account Executive
Sales awards
100% to goal
Hunter Ackerman • Account Executive
Kendra Curry • Senior Account Executive
Caity Rutty • Account Executive
Jess Parker • Account Executive
Ashley C. Klanac • Senior Account Executive
Brian Jackson • Partner National Sales Lead
Alyvia Szymanski • Remote Account Manager
Greg Haskins • Account Executive
Landon Moeller • Account Executive
President’s Club
Hunter Ackerman • Account Executive
Brian Jackson • Partner National Sales Lead
Vincent Reau • Business Development Specialist
Alyvia Szymanski • Remote Account Manager
Caity Rutty • Account Executive
Landon Moeller • Account Executive
Ashley Klanac • Senior Account Executive
CEO’s Choice
Jennifer Pinder • Director of Practice Development
Other award winners
Jess Parker • Account Executive
Alyvia Szymanski • Remote Account Manager
Christa Skinner, PhD • Remote Account Manager
Dustin Skoubo • Partner Practice Manager
Kelley Richardson • Account Executive
Alex Cagle-Sanchez • Account Executive
Kendra Curry • Senior Account Executive
Ashley Klanac • Senior Account Executive
Landon Moeller• Account Executive
Finally, to close out our 2026 National Sales Meeting, our teams split up into groups once more for dinners around the French Quarter before reconvening for some live music at local establishments.
Returning home, realigned
With another National Sales Meeting on the books, our teams are already hitting the ground running in pursuit of our goals. With new product enhancements on the way and big plans for the coming months, we’re looking forward to making 2026 a smashing success.
This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. View it (and additional photos) here.
