From Roots to Winemaking
LEARN.
THRIVE.
cULTIVATE.
A Journey of Learning, Thriving, and Cultivation
From dentistry to winemaking, those three things have defined who I am and have become the cadence with which I devote myself to the things I care about.
nebraska.
I grew up on a farm/cattle ranch in Western Nebraska, part of the 5th generation on that land, and learned about hard work and long hours from an early age. Nothing will teach you work ethic like keeping a farm alive. Day-to-day life becomes a problem-solving exercise, and how my family navigated that separated the good days from the bad.
Nebraska is where I grew up, studied, and left in 1993 to earn my doctorate at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center College of Dentistry. Upon graduation returned to my hometown to practice dentistry. A long time friend and mentor Dr. Roger Plooster got me involved in implant dentistry. I owe him my passion for being a mentor to other dentists.
Finding My Path.
Seeing the profound impact of implant dentistry fueled my drive to further my education and my passion for teaching.
Why implants? In my early days as a dentist, I saw patients suffering with short-term solutions. Dentures, partials, bridges – they weren’t cutting it. Implants, on the other hand, offered lasting solutions, better healing, convenience, permanence, and aesthetics that gave patients the confidence to smile freely.
Determined to make this treatment more accessible, I immersed myself in implantology and, in 2014, founded Implant Pathway to empower other dentists with the skills and confidence to provide implants effectively.
Gifts of Giving.
Creating Implant Pathway, my first dental training series, sparked a new passion: teaching and mentoring the next generation of dentists.
In 2017, we launched New Horizon Surgical Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to donate services performed during the courses. Implant Pathway, later rebranded as The Pathway, and New Horizons remain two of my proudest achievements. Today, I continue to serve as an educator and board member.
- Thousands of confident and well trained dentists who now serve their patients
- Thousands of patients treated with life changing implant dentistry
- $50 million in donated services
New Land.
Throughout these endeavors, I saw a shift in the dentists I trained. Providing transformative treatments, witnessing what it did to their patients, sparked their passion for building fulfilling lives and careers beyond dentistry—and mine as well.
As a cultivator, I found joy in fostering growth, a role that reconnected me with my farming roots. After the 2020 Glass Fire devastated Napa Valley, my partner, Dr. Kristine Aadland, and I seized the chance to purchase a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard on Spring Mountain and give it a second chance.
This land, with its life-giving soil and breathtaking views, is now our sanctuary—a place to pursue quality fruit and old world winemaking, tend to nature, and nurture friends and family with fine wine and hospitality.
“See you on the road or at my table”
With new land to call home and plenty of work to be done, I’ve never been more fulfilled. Wine, teaching, mentoring, and giving back connect me to so many things that bring me joy, and I want other entrepreneurs to experience how that feels. If that resonates with you, let’s connect.
See you on the road or at my table.
Accolades.
- Kois Center Graduate and Mentor
- American Board of Implantology - Current President
- Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry