Team Member Spotlight - Kelly Brucchieri
Kelly (second from left) with husband, Mark, and daughters Taryn and Lauryn
Congratulations everyone! We made it through the Covid Summer, all the way to Labor Day Weekend!
Year in and year out, I never thought much about this weekend except that it was a great three-day weekend with the family. But this year, I think those of us who are still employed and laboring may have a different feeling for this weekend. This year has been a slowing down of our normal hectic lifestyles and more time for self-reflection on what really counts most in our lives. Unfortunately, for many, it has also meant a loss of employment with an uncertain future. To be able to get up in the morning and go to work can no longer be taken for granted. It’s a damn blessing to have a job and be productive. It’s what this country was built on! So this weekend, all of you still laboring, take a moment and give thanks for what you have. We were put on this earth to be fruitful and productive and make it a better place than we found it. Let’s not let a little bug totally change the course of human history.
Speaking of Labor Day and gainful employment, this week we’re showcasing Kelly Brucchieri, our fourth longest running Team member at 24 years!
Meet Kelly Brucchieri
Kelly grew up in Brunswick and graduated from Holy Name High School and then the Medina County Career Center in dental assisting. Both Kelly and her girlfriend answered my ad looking for an orthodontic assistant. Well, we all make mistakes and I hired her girlfriend (who promptly quit one week later; she claimed we worked too much!). Kelly, being the kind and loving Christian that she is, forgave me and the rest is history!
Kelly is married to the love of her life, Mark, and they have two beautiful soccer-loving daughters, Taryn and Lauryn. Kelly enjoys walking Hinckley Lake with her husband and lab, Java. She likes vacationing in Vegas and the Outer Banks.
Kelly is extremely gifted with hand skills - she says from her volleyball days - and can bend wires and make lower bonded retainers better than any lab person ever dreamed of! She makes roughly 200-300 a year. Kelly’s managerial skills are utilized every day as she functions as a treatment coordinator and offers 3-D imaging explanations to the patients and parents. When we began the 3-D imaging and airway diagnosis, Kelly and Connie were on board and traveled to Florida several times with me for our training and certification.
When asked what has been the greatest change in orthodontics over her two decades, Kelly remarked 3-D imaging and its ability to help us diagnose and better treat our patients. Kelly can show airway constrictions and how various orthodontic procedures (and sometimes ENT involvement) can give the patient, especially developing adolescents, a new lease on life with better airflow and a brighter smile.
When asked what has kept her interested in orthodontics all these years? The answer was quick, “Making patients happy and giving them the best smile possible for them to go out into the world and be all they can be.” She also added she loves her co-workers and can’t wait to get to work in the morning to be with them. Especially her sister Jackie.
Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend everyone! And for those of us who have work, let’s be thankful we do.
- Dr. Pfister