Last year, DENTSPLY GAC, Bohemia, NY, sent an open letter to the orthodontic community regarding the company’s situation following the tsunami in Japan. A year later, they are following up with a second letter, which we quote in full:

“Dear Customers, Colleagues and Friends,
 
Last year at this time we at GAC felt the need and responsibility to share what we knew about the growing crisis in Japan. In the same spirit of Unquestionable Integrity and Mutual Respect, we offer this 2nd letter one year later.
 
We know the entire orthodontic community shares our respect and well wishes for the people of Japan. They have earned the world’s admiration for their composure, discipline and resilience in the face of a disaster of this magnitude. Now, the events in Japan on March 11, 2011 and the supply disruption that followed are part of the collective history of GAC as a company, GAC’s associates and our loyal customers alike.
 
We are pleased to report at this point, that DENTSPLY GAC has turned the corner. Our supply line has been re-established and continues to improve with every passing week. Our Japanese supplier has opened a new factory outside the evacuation zone and is now approaching pre-crisis capacities. While things are not 100% normal, normal is on the very near horizon
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Before looking ahead, we must express our gratitude for our loyal customers. Many of you stayed with us this past year despite considerable inconvenience. Many more of you have reached out with encouraging words and expressed your desire to come back. In short, THANK YOU! You kept us moving forward when things were the most challenging.
 
Beside unquestionable integrity and mutual respect, another of GAC’s core values is Action Orientation. We have not been standing still this past year. We are determined to emerge from last year’s adversity a stronger and better company. To get products out to our customers faster, we began shipping certain product lines from an additional state-of the art Distribution Center. To help orthodontists grow their practices, we have partnered with experts such as The Pride Institute and Sesame Communications. To advance the art and science of orthodontics we are preparing for the full-scale launch of our GCARE Education platform and the highly praised CCO program. When it comes to speed of innovation, we have resolved to control more of our destiny by bolstering our R&D efforts. In 2012, we are investing heavily in new product testing facilities, equipment and most importantly, in additional talented engineering professionals.
 
As we look forward to reuniting with many of you at the 2012 AAO in Hawaii, we cannot help but recall a story from the same event in 2011. An orthodontist friend recently recounted overhearing GAC’s leader Howard Bowne speaking to his counterpart at a competitive company. The orthodontist was struck by the oddity of hearing that GAC would be directing customers to the competitive company due to the supply disruption and would they ‘please ready capacity.’ What this orthodontist did not hear was Howard’s parting words, which were ‘these customers are only on loan and we intend to earn them back.’ At AAO 2012, we would like to show you, our customers, that the loan term is up and it is time to come back home.
 
GAC’s 2012 AAO theme is ‘Aloha Again.’ Aloha is a very important Hawaiian word with multiple meanings. The literal meaning of Aloha is ‘the breath of life.’ Aloha Again, is our invitation for long-time customers, new customers, strategic business partners and friends from across the industry to celebrate and renew our relationships in the relaxed culture of Hawaii.
 
Kindest Regards and Aloha Again,
Your Friends, Colleagues and Business Partners at DENTSPLY GAC”

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