TAKE LIFE OUTDOORS! jews d in the continued from page 42 One of the company’s ads PALM BEACH Pat i o & C a s u a l F u r n i t u r e 7350 Highland Road (M-59) ‡ Waterford www.PalmBeachPatio.com (248)-666-2880 HOURS: Mon-Sat: 10-6 | Sun: 12-4 The care of your varicose veins and other vascular conditions should not be left to chance. Trust the only Board Certified Vascular Surgeon in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area to guide you through all your options. We offer the most advanced treatment in our expansive, state-of-the-art office. Come see the difference that 18 years of experience makes and the personalized attention that we can deliver. Diego A. Hernandez, MD, FACS Natalie Marcus, NP 43700 Woodward Avenue – Suite 208 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 248-481-2100 Alexander Mora, foreign trade min- ister, said in a press release. HOW IT WORKS SmileDirectClub, originally called Smile Care Club, focuses on a three- step process for patients to improve their teeth alignment without in- person visits. While “invisible align- ers” have been available for many years, this business model added a direct-to-consumer structure to the mix. Fenkell and Katzman view their business as being in the “doctor- directed, at-home aligner therapy market,” where they connect poten- tial customers to a “digital” network that includes 225 affiliated state- licensed dentists and orthodontists. These physicians, on a remote basis, “oversee customer treatment plans from impressions made with at- home kits or from a digital scan” from one of the company’s dozens of SmileShops, including ones in Farmington Hills and Rochester Hills. “The early success we’ve seen with SDC is a product of our hard work, a skill that was instilled in both Alex and me from an early age through the influence of our families and many individuals throughout our communities, as well as the hard work and influence of the team at Camelot Venture Group,” says Katzman, who attended Groves and Michigan State University. Fenkell went to Cranbrook and attended the University of Colorado. “When we first started this busi- ness, we had no idea that we would grow as quickly as we did and help as many people as we have,” he adds. “Our operations have grown from just two employees, Alex and me, to well over 2,000. We have successfully created better smiles for hundreds of thousands of SDC customers across the country. But what I find most exciting is that four years on from the founding of SmileDirectClub, I believe we are still just scratching the surface on the impact we can have — and I’m very excited about what the future holds.” Farmington Hills-based Camelot Venture Group has played a piv- otal part in the company’s success. Jordan’s father, David Katzman, is CEO and chairman of the business that showcases itself as the larg- est shareholder and the managing member of the SmileDirectClub LLC. Previous investments of the Camelot Venture Group team include Quicken Loans and 1-800-Contacts. HARD WORK & PASSION Fenkell and Katzman met at age 13 at Camp Tanuga, 40 miles northeast of Traverse City. “Jordan is an absolute vision- ary and his grasp of cutting-edge technology is, I believe, what keeps SmileDirectClub ahead of the game,” Fenkell said of his friend. “For example, Jordan is responsible for many of the innovations SDC has seen in our short history, from find- ing the best and most technologi- cally advanced digital scanners we use in our SmileShops to leading the charge on SDC adopting 3D-printing for the manufacturing of our align- ers. “Something that constantly impresses me about Jordan is his ability to think about the whole picture,” Fenkell adds. “He has the ability to switch from thinking about a project from a 30,000-foot level continued on page 46 44 June 7 • 2018 jn