Honoring Steve Stimson’s impactful 47 years at Burkhart Dental Supply
For the last 47 years, Steve Stimson has been an integral part of the structure of Burkhart Dental Supply.
Identifying parts.Filling orders. Working in the credits department. Handling receiving. Identifying thousands of pieces of merchandise and parts product codes to create Burkhart’s inventory system. Serving as our first Customer Service Department. Account Manager. Equipment Specialist. Throughout his tenure, Stimson has touched nearly every aspect of the company.
“Give it your best and care,” Steve says is the motto that has guided him and his advice for Account Managers and Equipment Specialists. “Strive to do the best you can and know what your capabilities are. What should you have known that could have made this go better? Get that information and make it go better next time. If you’re not learning from your mistakes, you’re not going to be successful,” he continued.
In 2024, Steve was the longest-serving employee at Burkhart and ranks third in the company’s history for tenure. The longest tenures on record are 52 and 48 years, respectively. He describes his relationships with his coworkers as fulfilling and rewarding. He has stayed with Burkhart all this time because of the culture, the people, and the family-owned, customer-first approach. He’s worked with genuinely good people. But it’s time to say goodbye.
So, after nearly half a century, on December 31st, 2024, Steve Stimson retired from Burkhart.
“I think that the reason why I’ve done this so long is because I’ve I haven’t looked at it as that’s good enough. There’s always, ‘the next time we’ll be better,’” he says.
Stimson was hired at Burkhart Dental in 1977 after graduating from high school. He needed a part-time job and had a friend who worked for Burkhart and got him an interview to be a delivery driver. ” They’d call in two or three times a day, and we’d have two or three delivery periods, so that allowed me to deliver packages, come back late, go to soccer practice, come back, deliver packages, wrap packages for shipping.”
At the time he was trying to become a pro soccer player. Once Steve determined that he couldn’t make a living at soccer, he went full-time. “I moved inside and was hired as an employee and then went from a delivery person and in between deliveries [I would] wrap packages as they were filling orders.” When deliveries were slow, he helped out in other departments, including filling orders, processing returns and credits, and receiving.
Steve and Cathy Stimson celebrating in Mexico at Burkhart’s 2022 Elite Meeting President Lori Isbell also acknowledged Steve and Cathy’s contributions at the 2024 Annual Sales Meeting, saying, “The two of you together are so warm and inviting and kind to everyone around you. You have totally helped to shape our culture in ways that are good and beautiful, and I just want to say thank you so much.”
Once the company decided to ‘go digital’ in the late 1970s, it needed someone to catalog all of the items in the warehouse. So, a year or two into his tenure, Steve played a key role in digitizing our inventory and spent months identifying product codes and creating individual product numbers. From there, Steve became one of our first Customer Service Representatives.
At that time, a receptionist handled all customer calls. When someone called to place an order, the call would be put on hold. Since there was no call transferring, the receptionist would announce over the speaker, “Order line 3.” The three-person billing department in the back, who hand-billed everything, would then pick up the phone, take the order, write it down, and put the order sheet in a box. A filler would then take the order to be immediately processed.
This inefficient and distracting method led to the creation of a customer service desk. Steve and Larry (Sims) would take calls during the day, often fielding multiple calls from the same offices. This allowed them to batch orders for picking later in the day. This also allowed Steve to get to know the accounts and the doctors.
While handling customer service calls, Steve realized his passion for sales.
After spending a few years in Customer Service, he transitioned to an Account Manager role in Seattle. When the Seattle branch closed, operations moved to Tacoma, where Steve has been ever since.
After almost a decade as an Account Manager, Steve advanced to the role of Equipment Specialist, a position he has held with distinction for the past 24 years. His unwavering commitment to excellence and dedication to delivering exceptional customer experiences have consistently positioned him among the top performers in the equipment division for decades.
Jerry Ritsema, Director of Field Sales Development
“In my 25 years in the dental industry, working with Burkhart, Steve is the most knowledgeable equipment rep I’ve ever worked with. In all of his 47 years, he never stopped learning, which is what helped to make him great.”
The term ‘legend’ is often used to describe him, and his peers and managers speak highly of him, praising his exceptional work ethic, care for his customers, and unwavering support for his team. Steve’s ability to mentor and inspire others has left a lasting impact, making him a respected and admired figure within the company.
“A lot of salespeople are reward-driven, dollar-driven, want to be #1-driven. I just want to do a good job, and I think if you do a good job, you end up there,” reflects Steve on his philosophy.
Dave Sawin, Northern Division Sales Director
“I have never had an interaction with Steve, no matter how serious the conversation, where we didn’t end up laughing at some point and I didn’t walk away without a smile on my face. When I think about his outgoing, fun personality, it is amazing to think how many different departments within the company he impacted, how many different associates over the years he has mentored, coached, and introduced to the Burkhart culture, and most importantly, over 47 years the number of dental offices he has engaged with and turned into loyal Burkhart customers by keeping their needs and their success at the top of the list. All I can say is WOW and THANK YOU!”
Steve’s plans for the future include spending a lot of time with his family. He and his wife Cathy have three adult children—a daughter and two sons—and they already have plans to travel. “I’m an adventurer. Me and my wife have a little camper van…and we were talking about shooting down the 101 in California to see my brother. We’ve got a cruise planned in Asia. We’ve got a trip planned in Europe, going to go to Australia, got all kinds of things.”
Thank You, Steve, for your 47 years of hard work!
Written by Dawn Kahl
Published in Catalyst – Q1 2025.
Category: Burkhart Culture
Back to Articles