Editor's note: This article appeared in the March 2022 print edition of Dental Economics magazine.

Editor's note: This blog was written by Ultradent President & CEO Dirk Jeffs as part of the From the Desk of Dirk Jeffs series. I was a little starstruck, finding myself seated right next to Peter Schutz, former president and CEO of Porsche. Ultradent founder, Dr. Dan Fischer had recently attended a CEO peer group where Peter spoke about his now-famous “hire character, train skill” philosophy. If you know Dan, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine him greeting Peter with a vigorous handshake and immediately inviting him to visit our headquarters in Utah. Also, if you know Dan's charm, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that Peter agreed. A few of Ultradent’s leaders were arranged around a table in the Wasatch conference room, excited and eager to learn from this renowned business leader who had transformed an iconic brand. It felt like we were hitting the big time.