Team Member Spotlight - Connie Clower
Connie Clower, a pivotal team member of Pfister Orthodontics since 1985
An Introduction to Team Member Spotlights
The summer is flying by in spite of the Covid cloud that still prevails. Of the 175 years of its existence, this year had to be the most poignant and unusual Medina County Fair. But kudos to the fair board for allowing the Junior Fair and Four-H to continue its educational development of our children. Raising and showing livestock is just part of growing up in Medina County!
As I stated last week, August is a very exciting and humbling time for Pfister Orthodontics. Every August 4th, we celebrate the anniversary of the opening of our practice. This year, we’re celebrating 36 years of creating smiles in Medina. This has never been a solo act. It’s always been a team effort comprised of individuals driven by a like spirit and a laser focus! This focus is to make everyone’s orthodontic experience meaningful, with the end goal being to produce the best smile possible.
My receptionist, Donna, had the brilliant inspiration to showcase our Team members, one a week, for you to become more familiar with the people that drive Pfister Orthodontics. So, to be diplomatically fair with no priority in presentation, I started alphabetically with our most senior Team member first. Enjoy the show!
Meet Connie Clower
Connie was born and raised in Brunswick and graduated from Brunswick High School (year intentionally unnamed). She is the youngest of four children, having an older brother and two older sisters. Her father was an Irish fireman in Cleveland and, with that background, Connie handles our emergency medical issues and the CPR education in our office.
Connie has been married to the love of her life, Brad, for the past 32 years. They have a daughter (Jennifer) and son (Brendan), along with 3 grandchildren (Gabriel, Ella, and Carmin). Their favorite vacation spot for the past 20 years has been the Outer Banks. Brad did surprise her for their 30-year wedding anniversary and took her back to her family’s homeland of Ireland. They had a marvelous time, complete with a kissing of the Blarney Stone.
Connie graduated from the Medina Vocational School in one of the first dental assisting programs of its kind in Northern Ohio. After graduation, she worked in Brunswick for a restorative dentist. A year later, in May of 1986, she joined our Team in Medina… and the rest is history.
Connie has executed every job on the treatment side of our office… from treatment coordinator to inventory control. She has been our jaw surgery coordinator, meeting and comforting patients prior and post surgery for the past 30 years. She attends meetings with oral surgeons and myself to organize and document the treatment objectives of every surgical case. Connie has been involved with our airway and 3-D imaging program since its inception in 2014, attending conferences and helping with the implementation into our practice. Over the past 10 years, Connie has also been instrumental in the promotion of our Invisalign program, which, in the last two years, has seen exponential growth, with a plethora of new products and successes.
As you can see, Connie is quite busy in the office. But she’s also busy with our practice outside of our building. Every year, for the past 30 years, I dress up as Santa Claus and visit 20 to 30 dental offices the first week of December to begin the Christmas Season. And yes, right from the beginning, Connie has dressed up as an elf, complete with curl-toed shoes, to help spread the joy. I need to let you in on another secret… for 25 years, up to four years ago, she was the tooth fairy, complete with wings and a red tutu, for the Medina County Dental Society’s Give-Kids-A-Smile program every February!
As you can see, Connie has blessed our team with her enthusiasm and dynamic energy. She has truly dedicated her life to dentistry. When asked what has kept her going all these years, she simply states, “I love what I do and I love watching the braces come off and the thrill the patient shows as they see their new smile for the first time!” Connie says, “It never gets old and, after 35 years, I still love my co-workers… and Dr. Pfister isn’t too bad to work with either.”
Look for another team member spotlight next week and, until then, stay healthy out there!
- Dr. Pfister