Steve Kess of Henry Schein Named Chairman of Give Kids A Smile National Advisory Board
MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2007--Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets announced today that Steve Kess, Vice President of Professional Relations for Henry Schein, has been named Chairman of the American Dental Association's (ADA) Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) National Advisory Board. Mr. Kess, who served on the ADA Foundation Board for many years, has been a leader of Henry Schein's support of GKAS as exclusive distributor of professional products since the program's inception five years ago.
For the fifth annual GKAS initiative in February 2007, more than 52,000 dental team members provided free educational, preventative and restorative services to more than 757,000 underserved children in 2,225 communities across the country, setting new records for volunteerism and corporate support. As plans are underway for the sixth GKAS program, the GKAS National Advisory Board is working with the ADA to expand the scope of the event beyond a single day for years to come.
"Give Kids A Smile is the perfect example of how effective voluntary public-private partnerships can be in benefiting underserved populations and drawing attention to important healthcare issues," said Dr. James B. Bramson, Executive Director of the ADA. "Our members have embraced the opportunity to give back to children in need in their own communities. With the support of Sullivan-Schein Dental, Henry Schein's U.S. Dental group, Colgate-Palmolive and DEXIS, LLC., our two other primary corporate sponsors, we have been able to build upon this professional commitment to add to the scope and impact of Give Kids A Smile."
The appointment of Mr. Kess as the first non-dental chairman for an ADA board is a reflection of his direct involvement in building GKAS from a pilot program into the national initiative that it is today, as well as his recruiting of nearly 50 Sullivan-Schein Dental supplier partners to crystallize dental industry support for the program.
"Henry Schein remains committed to working with the ADA, its members, Colgate, DEXIS and our many other supplier partners in continuing to build on the great success of the Give Kids A Smile program," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Henry Schein. "I can think of no one more qualified than Steve for the important role of chairing the Give Kids A Smile National Advisory Board, considering his vision for the initiative and his proven skill at marshalling the resources of diverse members of the dental community to achieve a common goal."
About Henry Schein, Inc.
Henry Schein, a Fortune 500(R) company, is recognized for its excellent customer service and highly competitive prices. The Company's four business groups--Dental, Medical, International and Technology--serve more than 500,000 customers worldwide, including dental practices and laboratories, physician practices and veterinary clinics, as well as government and other institutions.
The Company operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 200 countries with a comprehensive selection of more than 85,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as over 100,000 additional products available to our customers as special-order items.
Henry Schein also offers a wide range of innovative value-added practice solutions for healthcare professionals, such as ArubA(R), the Company's electronic catalog and ordering system. Its leading practice-management software solutions have been installed in more than 50,000 practices, including DENTRIX(R) and Easy Dental(R) for dental practices, MicroMD(R) for physician practices, and AVImark(R) for veterinary clinics.
Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs nearly 12,000 people and has operations in 19 countries. The Company's sales reached a record $5.05 billion in 2006. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.
CONTACT:
Henry Schein, Inc.
Susan Vassallo
631-843-5562
Vice President, Corporate Communications
susan.vassallo@henryschein.com
SOURCE:
Henry Schein, Inc.