
May 29, 2024
Rick Cacciatore and Dawn Metcalf, AIDA and AIDA Education, with the DINKS
Send us Fan Mail Make sure you tune into our next Humpday Happy Hour featuring Dawn Metcalf & Rick Cacciatore from American Independent Dental Alliance (AIDA) Education! AIDA is a champion of the independent dentist and helping those who are independent (or desire a future as an independent practice owner) to stay independent! 📺Stay up to day with every episode by subscribing to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dentistsintheknow The DINKs are proud partners of AIDA and are ✨SO✨ excited to chat with Dawn & Rick to get some insider info about the organization. AIDA provides education by the best speakers in the dental industry, effectively teaching you how to support private practice dentistry. We’ll learn from the experts about what makes CE for AIDA different & how clinicians can increase their knowledge by registering for AIDA events. Learn more about what AIDA Education has to offer: Website: https://aidagroup.org/education/ Get to know our guests! Rick Cacciatore is the CEO of AIDA and has over 40 years of experience in the dental industry. His previous positions include executive roles with Dentsply in Atlanta, Georgia, President and CEO of Iowa Dental Supply and Region President for Patterson Dental's North Central Region. Cacciatore's most recent role was as an independent consultant working directly with dentists on succession planning. Dawn Metcalf has over 30 years in the industry, including managing a sales territory, owning a dental supply company and creating education programs focused on private practice dentistry. She’s particularly passionate about quality education in the CE space and focused on supporting the independent dental practice. 👇Let us know in the comments what questions you have about getting involved with AIDA.
Duration: 2734
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Make sure you tune into our next Humpday Happy Hour featuring Dawn Metcalf & Rick Cacciatore from American Independent Dental Alliance (AIDA) Education! AIDA is a champion of the independent dentist and helping those who are independent (or desire a future as an independent practice owner) to stay independent!
📺Stay up to day with every episode by subscribing to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dentistsintheknow
The DINKs are proud partners of AIDA and are ✨SO✨ excited to chat with Dawn & Rick to get some insider info about the organization. AIDA provides education by the best speakers in the dental industry, effectively teaching you how to support private practice dentistry. We’ll learn from the experts about what makes CE for AIDA different & how clinicians can increase their knowledge by registering for AIDA events.
Learn more about what AIDA Education has to offer:
- Website: https://aidagroup.org/education/
Get to know our guests!
- Rick Cacciatore is the CEO of AIDA and has over 40 years of experience in the dental industry. His previous positions include executive roles with Dentsply in Atlanta, Georgia, President and CEO of Iowa Dental Supply and Region President for Patterson Dental's North Central Region. Cacciatore's most recent role was as an independent consultant working directly with dentists on succession planning.
- Dawn Metcalf has over 30 years in the industry, including managing a sales territory, owning a dental supply company and creating education programs focused on private practice dentistry. She’s particularly passionate about quality education in the CE space and focused on supporting the independent dental practice.
👇Let us know in the comments what questions you have about getting involved with AIDA.
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