People
Richard F. Willes, President/CEO
Richard@uvdl.com - email
Richard Willes is the principal owner of Utah Valley Dental Lab. He is a very “hands on” leader who is active in determining the culture and direction of the business. Richard trained as a dental technician starting in 1976. Since that time, he worked hard to perfect his skills and is now recognized as one of the best diagnostic technicians in the business. Richard has owned and operated several successful dental labs in his career and has been a strong contributor to many significant changes in dentistry. Under his leadership, UVDL has grown from a few employees to a staff of over 50. Richard has guided the development of UVDL to the point where it is now recognized as one of the industry’s leading cosmetic dental labs. Over the years, UVDL has been involved in live-patient continuing education courses including PAC-live and The Hornbrook Group. Richard is also a founding member of Dental Lab Owners Business Association, a brainstorm group for new dental technologies and customer service.
JD Henderson, Vice President/Lab Operations
jd@uvdl.com - email
Jeff Henderson joined Utah Valley Dental Lab as Director of Lab Operations in 2006. Jeff began his dental technology career at Sunrise Dental Ceramics in Las Vegas, NV, while still in high school and has been in the lab business for over 30 years. In 1984 Jeff was promoted to COO of Sunrise Dental. Under his leadership, the Lab grew from 5 techs to 23 techs by 1993. Jeff has invested considerably in his training and education over the years, attending courses provided by Kois & Spear, Las Vegas Institute, Orognatic Bioesthetics, John Kois, Jeff Burns, and many others. He remains an OBI faculty member to this day.
In 1994 Jeff left Sunrise and started Precision Dental Ceramics in Montana. He grew significantly again, from 2 techs to 14 by 1996. He sold his interest in the business in 2002 and again ventured out to start a new lab, Aesthetic Dental Design. This new lab was molded to be a “high end” cosmetic lab, specializing in full mouth restoration. Jeff was very successful with his latest venture before merging his operation with UVDL in September 2006.
Jim Thacker, Vice President/Business Operations
jim@uvdl.com - email
Jim Thacker graduated from Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management in 1995. While at BYU, Jim had the opportunity to intern with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C. While there, he worked on International Trade & National Defense issues. After graduation, he worked briefly in the commercial real estate industry before accepting a position with First Security Bank in 1996. Jim excelled in several management responsibilities before agreeing to join UVDL in August of 2000. From the beginning, Jim’s focus at UVDL has been on business operations and customer relations. His primary duties include overseeing client relationships & workflow, sales & marketing functions, and the finances of the laboratory.
In his role as VP/Director of Business Operations, he serves as an advisor to the CEO in determining the direction of the company.
Joe Tucker, CDT, Ceramist
joe@uvdl.com - email
Jeff Austin, Ceramist
jeff@uvdl.com - email
Susie Willes, Ceramist
Susie@uvdl.com - email
Josh Walker, Ceramist
Josh@uvdl.com - email
Kodey Whiteley, Ceramist
Kodey@uvdl.com - email
Jake Smith, CDT, Ceramist
jakes@uvdl.com - email