BeTempered Episode 83 - Building a Practice on Gratitude and Trust with Dr. Craig Hewitt

What if the hardest detours in life turn out to be the exact preparation you needed for a purpose you didn’t see coming? Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Dr. Craig Hewitt, a husband, father of five, and Navy trained dentist whose path runs from a small Catholic school to Parris Island, to Hawaii, and then back home to build a practice anchored in trust, gratitude, and faith.

Craig opens up about moving in the middle of high school and how that shift shaped his sense of identity. He talks about the orthodontist who encouraged him at the right moment and set him on the path to dentistry. Craig also explains why the Navy’s residency and boot camp rotations gave him the speed, skill, and empathy to care for anyone who walked through his door.

Hawaii changed his view of leadership. One month before 9/11, Craig arrived on Oahu and met Colonel Adams, a commander who believed leadership was measured by presence. Training through tear gas at 2 a.m., rucks at sunrise, and handshakes that told the truth. Craig reflects on readiness, the weight families carried after the towers fell, and the pride of serving Marines during a time of uncertainty.

The story shifts when he comes home. Craig bought a local dental practice on a handshake. He upgraded to digital X rays, wrote handwritten letters to invite patients back, and grew with humility while raising a young family, including surprise twins. He talks about keeping a business grounded in gratitude, faith, and consistent effort.

Craig closes with the questions that matter now. What identity looks like once the original goals have been met. How to mentor the next generation. Why small acts like thank you notes, learning names, and staying reachable create a durable practice and a resilient community. Anyone who values service driven entrepreneurship, Navy dentistry, small town leadership, and raising a family without losing your center will find a blueprint in Craig’s journey.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Sponsor Message & Cold Open
• 0:29 Patreon Community Invitation
• 2:09 Show Intro And Guest Setup
• 4:57 Craig’s Childhood And Family Values
• 10:10 Moving Towns And Finding Identity
• 16:54 Sports, Undersized Grit, And Fitting In
• 22:16 Meeting Bethany And Long-Distance Years
• 26:34 Choosing Dentistry And Mentors
• 31:20 Why The Navy Made Sense
• 36:12 Parris Island: Trial By Fire
• 43:30 Hawaii Assignment And Colonel Adams
• 52:05 9/11 In Hawaii And Readiness
• 1:01:10 Coming Home And Buying A Practice
• 1:09:45 Twins, Debt, And Building Momentum
• 1:18:10 Handwritten Notes And Service Mindset
• 1:24:12 Midlife, Mentoring, And Kids’ Paths
• 1:33:10 Faith, Advice, And Closing Thanks
• 1:45:00 Sponsor Message & Patreon Reminder

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:04

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SPEAKER_00: 0:26

Patrons Glass, a clear choice.

SPEAKER_01: 0:29

I want to share something that's become a big part of the Be Tempered mission: Patreon. Now, if you've never used it before, Patreon is a platform where we can build community together. It's not just about supporting the podcast, it's about having a space where we can connect on a deeper level, encourage one another, and walk this journey of faith, resilience, and perseverance side by side. Here's how it works. You can join as a free member and get access to daily posts, behind-the-scenes updates, encouragement, and some things I don't always put out on other platforms. And if you feel called to support the mission financially, there are different levels where you can do that too. That support helps us keep producing the podcasts, creating gear, hosting events, and sharing stories that we believe can truly impact lives. And here's the cool part. Patreon has a free app you can download right on your phone. It works just like Facebook or Instagram, but it's built specifically for our community. You'll be able to scroll through posts, watch videos, listen to content, and interact with others who are on the same journey. At the end of the day, this isn't just about content, it's about connection. It's about building something together. Not just me and men putting out episodes, but a family of people committed to growing stronger through real stories and real faith. So whether you just want to hop on as a free member or you feel called to support in a bigger way, Patreon is the door into that community. Because at the heart of Be Tempered has always been simple real stories, raw truth, resilient faith, so that even one person out there that hears what they need to hear, and Patreon helps make that possible.

SPEAKER_03: 2:09

Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, where we explore the art of finding balance in a chaotic world.

SPEAKER_06: 2:14

Join us as we delve into insightful conversations, practical tips, and inspiring stories to help you navigate life's ups and downs with grace and resilience.

SPEAKER_03: 2:22

We're your host, Dan Schmidt, and Ben Sparr. Let's embark on a journey to live our best lives.

SPEAKER_05: 2:28

This is Be Tempered.

SPEAKER_03: 2:30

What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Bee Tempered Podcast, episode number 83, Dan. Good job, Dan.

SPEAKER_05: 2:36

Thank you. Good job.

SPEAKER_03: 2:37

Hey, today on the Be Tempered Podcast, we're joined by a man who embodies service, faith, leadership, and community at the deepest level. Dr. Craig Hewitt is a proud Eton High School graduate whose roots in Preble County run generations deep. He and his wife, Bethany, have raised five incredible kids here, each one shaped by the same small town values and school system that shaped Craig himself. After earning his dental degree from the Ohio State University, Craig went on to serve our country and the United States Navy, where he further advanced his training and built the foundation for the practice he leads today. When his service ended, he felt called to come home. Back to Eton, back to community, back to the people he loves. For more than two decades now, Craig has been caring for families, treating patients of all ages, and continually expanding his expertise to better serve those who walk through his doors. He's respected in his profession, trusted in this community, and known for the way he treats every patient with kindness, humility, and a genuine desire to make their lives better. But beyond the scrubs and the credentials, Craig is a husband, a father of five, a man deep of faith, and a friend who always shows up. He's the kind of guy who quietly invests in others, who leads by example, and who uses his gifts to strengthen the community he loves. Today we get to unpack his story, where he came from, what shaped him, and the values that has guided his life and career. Craig, welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast.

SPEAKER_07: 4:13

Well, thank you for having me. I mean, what an honor. Uh it's just something something special to be here. And uh I think what you guys both are doing is uh really neat, really special, and um great helping people out. And so anything I can do uh to try to help. Yeah, I'm here and I appreciate it. It's it's been a great list of guests you've had on there, on here, and for me to be one of them is is an honor.

SPEAKER_03: 4:39

Yeah, well, we're we're honored to have you. And like we were just talking about earlier, you know, I'm excited to to hear your story and kind of what shaped you to, you know, to push you to the career that you you chose and and uh in your heart because I know you're a giving man. Um you know, I I I you know I've known you for for many years now. And uh like I told you earlier, I did floss and brush before we came on today. So you'll be happy to know that. Um and yeah, so anyway, so how we like to start every podcast is we like to start back in childhood. So if you would talk about what life was like for you growing up as a kid.

SPEAKER_07: 5:19

Okay. Um, pretty typical, really. I was uh stable home. Mom and dad uh both work. There were five of us. I was number two of five. And uh so I had the older sister, she kind of guided us and I followed along, and then there were several behind us. But um mom grew up, uh, she went to a Catholic school. They're both from Cincinnati, and she went to Catholic school, I think fairly, you know, strict. Uh, they went to mass regularly. And uh dad grew up, his whole household was a little less stable, and we talked a little bit about that. And it's um, I think I never questioned they they really showed us what true love was. Uh we never saw if they ever bickered or had issues with each other. We never knew of it and uh still don't. I mean, they they really just everything that they did in front of us embodied a loving relationship. And so we were we grew up in a very stable, loving home. And dad was his his uh dad was military, so he was a military kid, and they moved around some, and uh so his was a stable. But uh we grew up Marion, Ohio, so it's about an hour north of Columbus, and there it's about the size of Richmond, so about 30,000. Of course, we went to the Catholic school there, Marion Catholic, uh St. Mary's was the elementary, Marion Catholic was high school and sports, everything. So mom and dad were always there supporting us, practices, sports. I don't remember it being like it is now, you know, where parents are at every single practice, every single game you don't miss no matter what. I remember not that they weren't present in our lives, but it was something they drop us off at practice and we were there, and you kind of learn on your own. And we had good coaches and they'd pick you up at the end of practice, mainly because I think they were with the other siblings. But uh, so grew up there and you know, I think just had a very nice American childhood. We had lived in a neighborhood, and mom and dad both worked. So dad was terminal manager. I don't know if you know roadway trucking. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that was yellow trucking, I think it was a big one. So roadway and yellow were big back in the day. And so dad was a terminal manager for roadway trucking, so around a lot of truck drivers and everything else. And um, but mom, she worked uh ER nurse.

SPEAKER_04: 7:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_07: 7:48

And uh, so it was something they both had to work, and but it was important that they were somebody home with us all the time. And so dad worked, you know, regular nine to five or 40-hour work week through the week. And then mom worked, uh, she was a nurse that worked 12-hour shifts, and she did it on the weekends. So Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12 P to 12A. She'd come back and sleep, and they did that for years. And I mean, really, they just made it work. And um, so we were we were okay to be on our own, but there was always somebody around.

SPEAKER_03: 8:19

Yeah, yeah. Do you what what sports did you play growing up?

SPEAKER_07: 8:23

Um soccer was the big one for for my family. Uh, we were all undersized. Yeah. So uh we'll we can talk about that later. But I mean, as far as you know, I was teeny tiny, even in high school. And um, but uh soccer was big, basketball, baseball, we played a lot of baseball. And I think that was just a function of our neighbors. And so we lived next door to the mussers. And again, we lived on a just regular, you know, street in the middle of a city. We had neighbors on either side, neighbors behind us across the street. You know, so I mean it was just small, smaller yards, not tiny, um, but you know, modest. There was we all had our own bedroom, but it it wasn't anything, you know, grandiose or so. And so, um, but we had great friends around. And so back in that day, before, and I'll date myself here, you know, is uh, you know, no cell phones, no internet, really even the TV. And you gotta imagine this was only like three channels on TV and everything. So there really wasn't much on. And so we spent a lot of time outside and and we played all the usual games kickball, wiffle ball. Um, we played a little football, but soccer, and but the family next door to us was very athletic. And so they had there were four of them, and they're our ages were about the same as the younger two. So we had those were kind of the role models for the older two siblings there, and and so I didn't really get to know them too well, but I saw how they acted, kind of wanted to be like them.

SPEAKER_03: 9:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 9:56

So that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03: 9:57

So, how long were you guys in Marion?

SPEAKER_07: 9:58

So we lived there. Uh based uh, I mean, I was born in Cincinnati, but moved Marion when I was very young. And so my only memory is childhood or Marion. And so this, you know, you talk about like a hardship. I mean, really for me, one of the more challenging things when we moved. So I was in Marion Catholic uh all the way through freshman year high school. And Marion Catholic, small school, you know, there was, I think, 25 in a class. So, you know, from seventh to twelfth grade, there was, I don't do the math, there, you know, 150 kids. Right. And so everybody knew everybody, everybody knew each other's siblings, their parents, and it was just kind of a small family. And here I moved to, you know, the huge school of Eton. Right. So Dad got transferred. He was roadway trucking, got transferred. He was uh uh terminal manager at Marion, got uh the job at Richmond, and so actually he worked not too far from here. Yeah. Um, and uh so they decided, I think they looked around different schools. Richmond would have been a big jump going from that size school. And uh, you know, I think as far as mom was a big advocate for the Catholic schools and sure, and um but they're really I think Seaton was Seaton and St. Mary's were very small and I think kind of still getting started in the high school ages, I believe. So they decided on Eaton and they built a house out there back in the the neighborhood. They were one of the first five houses I think built out there. Yeah, and so we moved here it was summer after my freshman year. And right as you know, you you're coming into your own, you've got through junior high, freshman year, and you know, if you're in a small town, everybody kind of has their place. You've got your your friends, the the coaches know you, they know what to expect of you, and you know, so it was just kind of a given every year where you were gonna be. And I think we we see that with our kids, and you and I've talked about that, you know, with the boys. And um so when I moved to Eaton, now all of a sudden my identity was gone. You know, I mean, I didn't know anybody. It wasn't as if we moved closer to family or anything. I knew nobody we moved here. Mom and dad were building the house in Eaton, so we moved to an apartment out here in Richmond, all seven of us. And uh so it was across the street from the Walmart there. Now there's apartments.

SPEAKER_03: 12:29

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_07: 12:29

Yeah, yeah. So we were back behind there. Uh they promised us a pool. Well, we show up there in the summer and it's June. Have you seen that pool? About three feet of green water and maybe a tree growing in it. Yeah, yeah. So promise one, you know, not fulfilled. And uh so it but it was the right thing for dad.

SPEAKER_03: 12:55

Right.

SPEAKER_07: 12:55

But I mean, completely uprooted the family.

SPEAKER_03: 12:58

How did you do you remember when your parents came to you and told you, hey, we're moving?

SPEAKER_07: 13:03

Yeah, I don't know, I don't remember the exact moment, but I mean, I was, I did not receive it well at all. My older sister, um, at that point, she was in um, she was at a boarding high school down in Ferdinand, Indiana. So they with her class and only 25, um it's you know, if you get a a a group, a vocal group that goes one way, a lot follow. Right. And she, I mean, hats off to her sh for recognizing what was the right thing to do and following the, you know, that popular group was not the right thing for her to do at that time. And um, so they looked around and you know, she ended up at a a boarding school down in Prudent, Indiana, Marion Heights. And I think it was the right thing for her at the time. And so she was gone, you know, and she left a few years prior to that. I had my younger siblings, and I became very close with my younger sister, Ezra, Jill. I don't know if you've ever met Jill, but um, she's an amazing woman. And so she's two years younger than me. And so that was the stability I had. But when dad broke that to me, um, you know, it was like that can't be right. Like, what other options do I have?

SPEAKER_03: 14:18

Right.

SPEAKER_07: 14:19

You know, because this is my life. Um I'm accepted, I know everybody.

SPEAKER_03: 14:23

Um at that point, I can see the plan ahead of me, what's coming sports-wise, school-wise.

SPEAKER_07: 14:28

Yeah. And and and you know, we all play sports. I mean, that's a that's a huge part of the identity uh for us and for my family. And I was, you know, playing the soccer team, playing the basketball team, playing the baseball team. To this day, I have the uh the first uh winning game for Marion Catholic high school pitching. Yeah, congratulations. It was the first season. That part didn't need to be said. Yeah, just yeah, the first one. Yeah. So uh, but uh again, that was I was set. I was happy where where things were, and um they just uprooted that. Again, worse things happen, but it was. So I had a lot of questions and a lot of uncertainty. But we moved here, moved into that tiny apartment or a three-bedroom, seven of us in there. Um got introduced to soccer coach, um, Matt Money out here at Eaton, and this was in his prime. And uh I think the mentality there, because it soccer was newer to Eaton, uh, we were just gonna outrun everybody. Yeah. So yeah. So we were very, very well conditioned. Um, yeah, unfortunately, you know we had a great team, but a lot of us hadn't played. Uh there was uh a few of us that had played travel ball, which is standard now. Right. You know, you play year-round and coming from Marion, it was. So I did that. But at Eaton, it just really wasn't much of an option. So yeah. So we we moved here and that's that's where we got started.

SPEAKER_03: 16:00

So you you finally the house gets done, you move into the house, school's going on. Talk about that transition when you actually show up and walk through the halls the first time when you're used to 25 kids in a class and now you got probably 150.

SPEAKER_07: 16:13

Yeah. I mean terrifying. I mean, and that's what it once I got to know people and they got to know me, is they'd ask about it, and I'm like, you say, Oh, Eaton is huge.

SPEAKER_03: 16:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 16:23

I mean, this is a monstrous school. And they're like, Are you kidding? Yeah. And uh, but in my world it was. And so we moved back and the house didn't get finished until um after November. I remember moving in. I believe it was Christmas break, freezing cold. Um, I don't think the heat was on or something. Yeah, it was it was rough. Yeah, it was rough, but we were so happy to get out of that apartment. But yeah, the first six months we were in that apartment together. And so this was before I had a driver's license. So, but I was playing soccer over in Eton. We're living in Richmond, and I was the only one going to school over there. So they were mom was homeschooling my younger brothers and sisters, and so they would drop me off. And this was at the time uh Coach Money bought into the three-day practices. So they dropped me off in the morning, and of course they were at work and and such. And so we'd practice for an hour and a half and run, and I didn't know anybody. And I'm just and they said, We'll come back and get you in the evening. You know, because I mean it was otherwise a back and forth. I think they did it for like one or two days, and then like we can't, this is not sustainable. So they dropped me off. So I after practice, I'd walk to the library, hang out there, you know, and then go back for the noon practice, hang out, and or go to Marsh. So it was not fun. Yeah. I mean, I was I I think really kind of disappointed in my folks at that point that they put me through this. And again, there's far worse things in the world, but it it at that time it was just a rug got pulled out from underneath me. And um, so thank goodness you know, Kevin Schaefer took took mercy on me and took pity on me, I guess, and invited me over like during these three days. And he's like, Hey, you want, you can come over to the house. And so I remember Sherry made us mac and cheese, and and my gosh, that was a it was like, okay, there's a glimmer of hope. Right. Yeah, this may actually work. But I mean, at that point, I was still trying to figure out an angle, how do I get back to marrying?

SPEAKER_04: 18:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 18:33

I hadn't kind of given up that this is where I'm gonna be. So that went through the summer, and then uh, you know, school starts up. And so I'd gotten my you know, group of people I knew. I don't know that they were friends just yet, you know, they were teammates, but most of them were younger than me. There were only two other guys in my class, um I think three, but anyway, that I played. And um but they were already in their friend groups, you know. So I show up and you know, kind of expecting to be you know incorporated in their friend groups, and it wasn't that way. And so it was, I mean, it was a tough six months. And I think that's the thing, like it's a small town. It's if you if you're raised in it, it's wonderful. But if you come into it, it it's tough because again, I think the things that we like about it for our kids make it challenging for others to come in. But for me, um, that was probably my first real adversity in my life. And yeah, I think it looking back on it, it was a it was a good thing. It it helped me to get out of my shell because with my friends I was very comfortable. But outside of that, I mean I was very much an introvert and quiet. And so it it helped me to kind of climb out of that and get a little bit of confidence just being around new people. Yeah. But it I mean, it took a good six months of you know, before I

SPEAKER_03: 20:00

Found the the people that I really kind of assimilated with the other people that and started to feel like you fit in with the odd man out, yeah, all those things, and then you get into the house, which I'm sure that helped, yeah. Um, tremendously.

SPEAKER_06: 20:13

Was it just the the aspect of like the different size of school, or was it also like was there a big jump between like going from Catholic school your whole entire childhood and then all of a sudden going to public school? Is that a like a shift as well?

SPEAKER_07: 20:24

Yeah, that's that's a really good question because a Catholic school is it's very you know rigid. Yeah, I mean, we go to mass every Wednesday. Um, you know, so I think it was just something that got comfortable. You had your uniforms, right? So I mean, you knew what you're gonna wear. Um it was either a a blue shirt, a white shirt, or a yellow shirt, but it was always you know, navy blue pants.

SPEAKER_04: 20:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 20:46

And so now all of a sudden, for the first time in my life, uh at sophomore in high school, I'm wearing jeans. And I had to go buy jeans, and yeah, so it was it was strange. And I yeah. So uh that's interesting.

SPEAKER_03: 20:59

I, you know, you're making me think of you know, my wife Kim's from St. Henry, Ohio. Yeah, and I for some reason in my head I it just clicked. Um, there's a little bar up there called Fish Mose.

SPEAKER_07: 21:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_03: 21:11

And and I remember the first time walking in there, I think we were going to get pizza or something or have a beer. And it's like a scene from the movie. Well, any movie, when you walk in and it's like you feel like the music just stops. And then everybody turns around and looks at you because they know you're not from that area. I I would imagine it's the same kind of feeling as a kid.

SPEAKER_07: 21:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 21:34

You walk into this school or onto this soccer team, and everybody's like, Who's this kid? And then they're sizing you up, and then they're trying to, I'm sure, push you around a little bit to see how tough you are. Yeah, it'd be challenging.

SPEAKER_07: 21:44

Yeah. I mean, it and it really isn't. It it makes you question your own identity, I think, at time. And and so soccer again. I mean, I went from being, you know, just starter to freshman, and again, we didn't have a big team, didn't have big school, so not a really a great accomplishment, but I played a lot of soccer back in those days. And so, I mean, it was something where I just assumed that was how it was going to be. And then I get to Eaton, and again, it's bigger, and I was, I mean, really undersized. Um, I think probably when I got here, I think when I graduated from school, I I might have been 130, maybe. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And uh, I mean, I I grew a few inches after in college, and um not that I'm I'm still not tall, but I mean, it was something I was, you know, really little coming out here. And so again, that was the way I'm I'm sure I was perceived or viewed. It was who's this little scrawny kid? And um, yeah, so it was just it it was tough. And the same thing when you walk in the the halls, it's trying to figure out okay, where are the classes? You go sit down in a new classroom and you don't know anybody. The teachers don't know you, they don't know what your work ethic is, they don't know you know what grades you're getting you're used to getting. And and it again, it was like wow. So I I think the the other part of it is I really try to I stayed true to who I was. I don't think that changed or that you know that experience changed who I was. I was always a you know, glass half full guy, just smile on my face and happy to be there. And but it it was challenging. And I think it was that much more gratifying once I did find my people and start to get accepted, um, really made me appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03: 23:28

Yeah. So then so at some point you make that switch and and then you're you know, you're I'm not gonna say cruise control, but things are things are good. You're new new community, new school, new friends, things are on their way up. So talk about that change and what that looks like, you know, moving into the future.

SPEAKER_07: 23:44

Yeah. So I think just that acceptance and um being adopted by the community, getting to know people. Um, yeah, it was just it it felt good again. You know, it was, I think again, for six months, it was like, how do I go back to where I was? And now that this had changed, it was kind of moving on and and growing. And so high school and and so I think the Lord's plan here is where I've always said that the reason I I, you know, we moved to Eton was so I could meet my wife. And so Bethany and I started dating. It was um, it was a trip to Europe. They do this every other year. And it was something school sponsored, but you know, mom and dad paid for it. And again, it was one of those things like I never once questioned my parents' love for me. I mean, if I wanted something, they would make it happen, uh, even if it was painful for them. And so it mom wanted me to go to do this 10-day Europe thing. And and so Bethany and I, yeah, Bethany was there as well. And and really we didn't talk a lot in school before that. Um, we'd had both worked at the uh pool. We were lifeguards, but she was always out of my league. And uh, so thank goodness she saw something. I'm still waiting to figure out what it is, but she saw something in me and uh maybe just took pity. But so we got together. So I think it took Paris to bring us together. And so that's actually where we ended up starting to talk and and get together. And and so the rest is history from there. And so I've always looked back at that. The the reason I went through that, I think it helped me again to get out of my show, but really God's plan was for me to meet her there because otherwise there's there's absolutely no chance the two of us ever would have met. And uh so life was good, you know. We started dating and dated our senior year, our whole senior year. And then uh she went to school down in eastern Kentucky, and then I went to college at Wittenberg. And so we're two and a half hours away from each other, and uh that was tough, you know. I mean again, just before cell phones and internet and everything. So we had, I mean, you gotta you gotta try to picture this again, date myself, but back in that time, you know, a regular phone call, long distance. I mean, if you call in the middle of the day, it was like 35 cents a minute.

SPEAKER_04: 26:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 26:02

And you know, when you're only making five bucks an hour, that puts a dent in it. And uh, so we had set times. It was like twice a week. After seven o'clock, it was like 7:30, we would call each other. And I mean, that's that's how we live for a while. I mean, we see each other some weekends, but as far as conversation, uh, it was, you know, kind of those two times during the week. And uh yeah, that was that was trying too. But um, yeah, got through there.

SPEAKER_03: 26:31

So you go to Wittenberg. What are you studying at Wittenberg?

SPEAKER_07: 26:34

Well, I went in as a chemistry major, and I I knew when I went to college I wanted to be a dentist. And so I think to to backtrack a little bit, mom was a ER nurse and we she worked there on the weekends. And so dad, again, true to dad, uh, he'd we'd go up and take her dinner. And I think it probably looking back, it was just because he wanted to see her and probably get out of the house from us a little bit. There were five of us. So uh, but we'd take her dinner up there, you know, Friday, Saturday night or so. And I always enjoyed being in the hospital. I don't know what it was, but something about being there, being in that environment always appealed to me. And so early on, I think I wanted to get into medicine. And uh, but then Bethany's dad is a funeral director, and I would see him oftentimes. I mean, he was one of the first guys I knew that had a a pager and a cell phone because he would get calls at all hours of the day and he'd have to respond. And so for him, you know, work at at Saturday at 11 o'clock at night wasn't an option. He would have to respond. You're familiar with that, yeah, with being the Schmidt part of it. Yeah. Um, and uh, so I realized I didn't want to have that be a regular thing, you know, not to say I haven't gone into the office at midnight or, you know, on the weekends or you know, early in the morning. But it's, you know, not a typical thing. Right. And so I realized I didn't want to, I wanted to be in medicine. I wanted to, you know, be able to help people, but I didn't want to that lifestyle. And so uh along the way in high school, had my braces and uh uh Dr. Reynolds here in Richmond, uh, just super, super guy. And uh just I mean, so smart, but just a caring person. And he really kind of took me under his wing and said, Craig, here, you know, I want you to do this, why don't you look into this for me? And so I knew when I left high school, I went in wanting to be a dentist. And at the same time, I'm not a risk taker at all. I'm very calculated in what I do, and that's what inspires me. Or it really I think is amazing, like yourself and some of the other guests you've had on that just, you know, they put all in the line and go for it. And I am not that way. You know, I'm not a gambler. And um, so you know, I I went there with the expectation of going to dental school, but realizing it may not work out, you know, if I didn't have the grades or, you know, I didn't get admitted. So what was my fallback plan? And for me, chemistry, I think provided other options, other avenues. And in fact, that's where I met my brother-in-law, Mike. So he and I were fraternity brothers at Wittenberg.

SPEAKER_03: 29:17

Oh, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_07: 29:18

Yeah, so it's it's actually a pretty neat story. So uh so I get to Wittenberg, and you know, I I played soccer all the way through high school, but I I maybe could have made D3, maybe, but out of sat the bench, you know, I did not have speed. Um so I get there and ended up trying out for this men's club volleyball team. All right. And uh so one thing I could do, I could jump. That was about it, you know. And um, so I make that team, so did Mike. And then he's like, hey, you need to come to our fraternity, you know, recruiting thing. And and I'm like, nah dude, I'm I'm good. My girlfriend's down in Kentucky, like I'm not around much anyway. And uh he's like, no, you need to come. And so he he kind of coerced me into doing that. I end up joining the fraternity, and uh, and so he's my big brother and in the fraternity. And then when Bethany and I got married, and see he'd met his wife, Denise, multiple times on and off, and one was dating somebody, or one was dating somebody, you know, and so they they it was one of those like back and forth things. They never really both ended up there single at the same time.

SPEAKER_03: 30:32

Now you need you gonna clarify who Denise is?

SPEAKER_07: 30:35

Uh Denise's Bethany's sister, sorry. Yeah, that's it, that's the key part of it. Yeah, so Bethany, uh Denise is Bethany's older sister, and um, so they they were never really kind of single at the same time. We get married, and again, we get married at St. Mary's over here in Richmond, and uh, you know, it they were both in the uh wedding party. Yeah, yeah, obviously, Denise was you know the maid of honor and Mike was in the you know the in the wedding with us. And so um, again, same type thing. That was the first time they were both single. Uh and so here they end up, you know, together. And we Beth and I after our wedding went down to Jamaica for a honeymoon. And I'm fast forwarding, but went down to Jamaica for a honeymoon and called back home. And again, this was the expense. So, you know, we only called, it was on we got married on December 20th. So we were down there for Christmas, our first Christmas together. And so we called back to her parents on Christmas, and Mike was there having breakfast with them or having lunch. And and I remember I'm like, oh man, and we we both got so excited. We're like, how cool would this be if your sister and my best friend from college ended up together? And lo and behold. Um, so now, yeah. So uh I've gotten to I've I've been fortunate or blessed to to be able to raise our families with them and and do everything with them. And I mean, it's just that's awesome. A dream, really. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 32:07

That's amazing. So so you're in Wittenberg, you're chemistry major. Um now you're now you're uh fraternity guy, right? Yeah um what's next?

SPEAKER_07: 32:18

So get through chemistry. Mike and I had a lot of classes together. He might, he was a year older than me, so he helped me out with some of it. Um but uh son I applied dental school, got in Ohio State, and so I mean, that was that was the plan all along. So we get into Ohio State, start up there, and it was funny, like all the people around me, they had serious girlfriends, boyfriends, whatever. And and so all of a sudden they're starting to get married, and I'm like, oh man, I'm kind of missing the boat on this. So I don't know that I was, you know, I mean, I think it was ready. Beth and I dated for six, seven years or something at this point before we got married. And so we got married, uh, it was again December, my second year of dental school. There's a a little like two, three-week break in there. And that's really I find out that's my brother. He was in med school. So Dave, he went. So out of the the five of us, you know, that grew up, three of us ended up in healthcare. So I mean that that it kind of shows mom's influence on us. My brother, Dave, um, he's down in Florida, ER doc. And my sister, my older sister, she's an OT just like Bethany.

unknown: 33:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_07: 33:25

So occupational therapist. So um, yeah. So we end up getting married in that little break there, halfway through second year. And, you know, I mean, she finished up school right then. And in December, and I think the week later, we got married. Because she had to do a with OT, had to do an internship thing in it. So it was an extra six months. So we get married, she moves up to Columbus with me. We're at the apartment up there for the next two and a half years. You know, we were married. I don't think we were married two weeks and went and got a dog, of course, right? So got our dog. She said, We'll go look at it. And I I've learned you don't go look at the puppies. Yeah, you go pick them up. Yeah, yeah, you go buy a puppy, yeah. Yeah, so um, yeah. So we get the dog and then um she ends up pregnant. Oh, I'm trying to think it was about a year later. So, and I think the plan all along was, you know, we were gonna get through dental school and then, you know, start the family. But, you know, Lord, Lord said otherwise. And again, it was it's always a blessing. Right. I I think every every child is a blessing, and and if if it isn't on our on the time that we planned on it.

SPEAKER_04: 34:49

Right.

SPEAKER_07: 34:49

So we were around home. I mean, Columbus, so we were only a couple hours from all of our family, so we had so much support. Grandparents and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, everybody is there. And so it was really a wonderful way to get started because our second we had when we were in the Navy after, and he was born in Hawaii. And so, I mean, you go from one extreme kind of to the other. And so we were so thankful that we had AJ, the oldest, um, when I was in dental school. So it was about six months. He was born in October of my fourth year of dental school, and then you know, graduated in May and started up with the Navy after that. Why the Navy? So again, Dr. Reynolds. So when I got accepted to dental school at Ohio State, he was obviously the first one I called. And um in fact, he I went over and told him, I think, in person and um, so these office here in Richmond. And he said, I mean, he was ecstatic for me. You know, he he knew that was the plan all along. I think he had more faith in the fact that I would get there than I did. And so he said, Craig, now that you're in, he said, I want you to look at the military, was not on my radar at all, you know, even though I grew up in a military-style home. So, I mean, I guess to to go back, we we grew up in a very strict but loving home, you know, and I think that was dad's just part of his military upbringing. His dad was military, my dad was army, um, you know, served during Vietnam. All my uncles, uh uh, they all served. And so military wasn't something that they he ever put on me or expected me to do. It wasn't like, hey, you need to go do this. Um, but it wasn't anything like I was like, I'm never gonna do that. And but it I hadn't thought of it. And so Dr. Remlins is like, you need to look at this. I'm like, okay. So I talked with the recruiter. I reached out and talked to the recruiter, and and the more I learned about it, the more it made sense. And so basically they had a program where it was an app, I mean, it was a scholarship application, and it wasn't just like sign up and you can go, like you had to apply for it. And it paid for four years of dental school, and I owed them four years after. And so, again, at this point, we come from you know, fairly modest background, and I already had school loans from Wittenberg, and it was something where I'd kind of worked through, and this was before all the CCP stuff the kids are doing, right? Um, I had started doing some of that. It was the first year Ohio started. So I took classes actually down at Miami, my senior year of high school, uh, down in Oxford and Middletown. And so when I got to Wittenberg, I was able to get through there and out of there in three years. And but in those three years, I already had loans adding up. And you know, I wasn't real comfortable with that. None of us are, right? And having that hanging over our heads. So Navy made a lot of sense to me. And so fortunately I was lucky enough to get the scholarship signed up, and they paid for dental school, and we were able to live, you know, comfortably. And then, of course, Bethany was working as an OT. So that was the first time in my life I actually had money, right?

SPEAKER_03: 38:00

Well, and you because you got a young son, too.

SPEAKER_07: 38:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 38:03

That's a big transition.

SPEAKER_07: 38:05

Uh big time. I mean, our life changed big time in that that four years, as everybody does, yeah, in that in that time frame. So, but again, it was, you know, aside from AJ coming a year earlier, maybe six months early, really wasn't that much different. Um, everything else I think really went pretty much according to plan. And so we got done with got done with uh dental school and then went into the navy. And so again, I'm so thankful of Dr. Reynolds. He was so influential on getting me down that path. And I really value the four years I had in the Navy. Um, talk about that.

SPEAKER_03: 38:39

You get accepted into the Navy. Yeah. Where do you go?

SPEAKER_07: 38:44

So at that time they had residency programs. So you come out of dental school, you're very knowledgeable in what you need to do. And like a lot of things in life, you know, you know what you need to do, it's just getting the reps in. And so coming out of dental school, it's it's about getting the reps in. And so uh they had residency programs, which most dentists in the Navy did. It was a year-long residency program, and you basically do two months at a time with different specialties. So I'm sitting side by side doing a surgery with a periodontist or sitting side by side doing root canals with the endonists and such. And so we took out a lot of wisdom teeth. So even a lot of stuff I don't do now. I did, you know, for that year. And the reason they do that is to get you comfortable and able to stick you on a ship. And if you're the only dentist there and out in the middle of the Pacific, you can take care of anything. And so it was um, it was neat. I mean, I I'm so thankful to have that experience and to be able to work side by side with specialists. It's a rare thing. And so did that for a year. We were stationed in Paris Island. So that was uh Marine Corps recruit depot. Uh and so taking care of all the marine recruits, and I tell you, you want to uh uh need experience, check that out sometime. Yeah. Uh so I I I loved my Marines. I I am I just I was blessed to be with them for four years because after Paris Island, we got stationed with them again at um the Marine Corps air station uh down in uh Connieway Bay, Hawaii. So I'll talk about Hawaii in a minute. Yeah. Let me work through Paris Island here. Yeah. So Paris Island was something else. I know. It was my hardship tour, as I like to say. So yeah. Um so we get to Paris Island, and again, it's a boot camp. These poor guys and women, they get down there and they're in a bus all day or all night. They bring them in the middle of the night, and you walk out and you get on the road where they've got these footsteps. Have you seen yeah? I mean, if there's just they paint, you know, footprints on the road, and you just stand in a set of pair of footprints that are painted on there, and that's how you stand at attention. And I mean, it it's something. We had I saw one you know young Marine, one young recruit come in. He was in the bus all night. They get up, you know, bus stops, door opens, the gunny goes in, and you know, join instructors yelling at him, everything else. You know, and so he gets off, blacks out at the top, one of the top stairs coming off the bus, face plants all the way down, poor kid. And that's how he, I mean, that was his introduction to the Marine Corps. So he spent the night at the ER. Yeah, they they do surgery and everything else. So he shows up the next morning at the dental clinic, and so one of my rotations was emergency and emergency dentistry. And and so he shows up, and I mean all his teeth are just busted, his lips all you know, messed up and everything. I mean, and so um it was you know, unique, certainly. Um so we did that for a year, and then uh I I think the these kids come in to the clinic, they've been yelled at, but you know, they're getting no sleep. They're out in South Carolina in the middle of July and August. It's like 98 degrees and 99% humidity, miserable, and they got those noceums. Yeah, yeah. So imagine staying at a that's why they've got all the I've got all the respect in the world for you know these Marines, and and anybody that's done this, is they're standing at attention, somebody yelling at them, they're tired, hungry, and is sweating like crazy, and you've got these little tiny gnats you know, crawling up into you up your nose, in your eye, in your ear, and you can't move. So they come into the dental clinic, smell awful, you know. I mean, but they hit air conditioned building, soft chair, nobody yelling at them. That is the best patient you could work on. I mean, it was everything. I don't know if you ever had a root canal, but we put like a rubber dam on and a bite block. And when you do that, it kind of separates that tooth from the rest of your mouth. And so you get these young kids in and you lay them down in that soft chair air conditioned, you put this thing on. It's everything you can do to get that on there, and they're out. I mean, you can work on two, three or two, three hours. They don't move. Yeah. And uh, so it was a lot of really good experience. Um, but yeah, so we we used to say, I think that lovingly, there's a there's a sign because down at Paris Island as well, down in Buford, South Carolina, there's an air station there, and that's where they have the uh the Hornets, the fighter jets flying in out of there. And so occasionally, you know, you have some neighbors that get kind of grumpy about it, and they you know complain about the noise and such. Uh it's been there for a while. So I mean, it's not as if you didn't know.

SPEAKER_04: 43:33

Right.

SPEAKER_07: 43:34

Yeah. Uh we're talking about golf courses, right? It's like buying a house off, you know, about a hundred yards off the right side of the T-box. Like I get to know those, those uh people really well when I play golf.

SPEAKER_04: 43:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 43:46

Because that's where my ball ends up. Yeah. So I mean, you're you're in an air station where there's just there's jets flying in and out. And I love the, I love to hear those things go, but I can imagine if it's day in and day out, it's probably not a lot of fun. But so they've got a sign out front of there and it it says the noise and quotations that you hear are the sounds of freedom. And uh so we adopted that to the dental clinic, and it was, you know, that that stench you smell is is the smell of freedom because you walk into that clinic there, and I mean, you've got a hundred Marines that have just sweating like crazy and haven't showered in forever. And boy, it's it's sounds like a locker room. It does, yeah, yeah. So uh yeah. So but it was a neat place. I look back on it with fondness. It was uh a lot of pride to have been there and to have met a lot of those young men and women. So after that, the Navy again promised me that I would get to go to San Diego and then Europe when I signed up. So I went to Paris Island, South Carolina, and then Europe, they said not a chance. So yeah. So out of the 12 residents that were in that class the the year before, I think like eight or nine of them ended up in Japan. And so we get there and we find this out. I didn't find this out until we get down there and get to know some of them. We're like, yeah, we're going to Japan for three years. I'm like, holy cow. So it's me, Bethany, AJ. When we got there was six months. So when we left Parasan, he was about a year and a half old. And I'm thinking, we're gonna go to Japan for the next three years, which turns out Japan is a beautiful place, and a lot of them really look back on it with fondness as well. But um, so I'm like, okay, I don't want to go to Japan, Europe's out. Where else do I want to go? San Diego wasn't gonna happen. So I'm like, you know, what about Pearl Harbor? Right? Sounds good. I think the movie had come out just a few years before that. So yeah, yeah. So I go into the detail and I'm like, yeah, you know, he said, where do you want to go? And I said, Well, Pearl Harbor. And, you know, he's expecting them to laugh at me. And he says, Well, what about K Bay? And I'm like, Well, what's K Bay? And he goes, Well, it's on, it's in Hawaii. It's a Marines, it's a greenside, they call it. It's a Marines, Marine Base there. And I'm like, I don't care who you put me with. If it's in Hawaii, I'll go. So you know, as anybody that's been in the military, you you kind of wait until it actually happens, right? Right. Because the needs change, needs of the Navy, and that can change. And so it's tempering expectation, excitement of getting there. And when the plane finally landed on Hawaii, you know, I'm like, you can't, I'm like, wow, this is really cool. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 46:24

So talk about that experience.

SPEAKER_07: 46:26

Yeah. So my welcoming to Hawaii. So we get there, um, we get checked in. So one of the other dentists that had been there a year, she's waiting for us at the airport. And this is all pre-9-11. In fact, it was we got there, it was August of 01.

SPEAKER_03: 46:42

So just a month before.

SPEAKER_07: 46:44

Yeah. So I mean, it was a totally different world. There was, I mean, really the the Navy when I signed up for it, was there was no risk of anything. I mean, it was probably one of the most peaceful times in the world, to my knowledge, you know, around you know, 2000 or so. And so we get there, she's waiting there, I mean, right at the gate, you know, for Lay, for me, Bethany, AJ. And and so she takes us, gets our luggage, and we go to the military hotel in Waikiki. And she said, until you guys get checked in, this is where you stay. Well, we're looking out the window at our hotel, and they've got this beautiful pool. I mean, it's it's Waike, it's a Wai hotel, it's right on the beach in Waikiki and overlooking, you're looking out the Pacific. And I'm thinking, yeah, we just we just hit the lottery, you know? Yeah. So do I have to go to work? And uh, so we get to get there. And at that time, um, they were changing the clinic director. So about most tours are about three years or so, at least with the dental. And so our clinic director, the guy in charge, he was just finishing up. We were getting a new one in. He was coming from Great Lakes, and uh he was Captain Neyer. And I mean, just he he turned out to be a really neat guy, but well, we didn't start off great. So we get there, and um, I think we didn't have in a house yet. You know, they were still assigning that. Our stuff hadn't made it over. So, I mean, when you move there, you got to wait for all your stuff to get there. So we show up with our suitcases, and I think at that time we each had two suitcases or so, and that was it. I mean, we're in a hotel, moved our life, and we're living there. Again, pretty plush hotel, but I mean, that's we're living out of suitcase. And I think it was still another month or so before you get our stuff. So we got a house, and I think they said we'd move in in about a week to 10 days. So we're like, okay, we'll hang out here for a bit, and I get used to being in the clinic. This I think it was the second or third day, the new clinic director shows up, and he says, uh, he got me, and there were two other new dentists um that got there the exact same time. So the three of us, and they were in the exact same situation that had done a residency the year before. And so we get there and he says, Hey, they've got a training exercise. Marines are doing a training exercise. So, as being on the Marine base, we were attached to a Marine unit. We're a support unit. So they do all the medical, the dental, um paychecks, legal stuff. I mean, all the stuff that you need to help take care of the infantry. Right. You know, and and uh so that was part of the support group, but we were our real boss was in there, was a Marine, even though in our little world, our clinic director was the boss. And so um we get there and he says, Hey, the Marine Group's doing a training exercise up in the mountains, and you guys are gonna go. And we're like, Well, you know, our kids are, you know, wife, and then we all had kids, you know, so we all our family's over here, we don't have a house yet. Like, and he goes, That's all right, go get your stuff issued to you, you know, like your pistol and your you know, your vest and your helmet and all that stuff, and your your tent and uh and go get all that stuff issued to you, you're gonna be up there tomorrow. And so here I am, I'm like, you know, just not leaving her, you know, nowhere. I mean, they're at the hotel, but it's still, it was a brand new world for her. Yeah, AJ is a year and a half years old. She doesn't know anybody else. And uh, so here we go. We get sent up there to, and they take us up to this mountain in a in a van, and it was us three. And the guy that dropped us off was one of the other technicians, dental technicians that had been there for a couple of years. So he'd kind of gone through it, and he knew who was up there. He knew the medical guys. So, I mean, everybody, that whole uh support group was training up there. And they'd been up there early, you know, for I think most of the week. And so we probably would have gone earlier had we been there earlier, but went when we got there. But it was just one of those, like, why in the world are we doing this? Like, we're not gonna do dentistry up there. Uh, we didn't have any of our equipment or anything. It was just like, hey, go meet Marines in their home type thing. And so it, I don't know that it was, it could have been presented a little bit better, but again, that's the military. It's like this needs a Navy, that's what you're gonna do. So we did that. They drop us off and they said, Hey, you're gonna meet Colonel Adams. And uh when you meet him, you better shake his hand as hard as you can and you better be on your best behavior. So I'm thinking, oh, well, this will be fun. So Colonel Adams is the guy in charge of the whole support group. And he is uh, you know, he's a brilliant guy. Um, I think it's he's a Marines Marine, you know. I I just everything about him uh for him, and he'd say when we were, you know, out just doing training as a unit. I mean, he said one of the one of the biggest honors you can have is to die in combat and get a school named after you. I mean, that would that was that kind of summed up his mentality. Um, but he was a brilliant guy of moving supplies and and making sure things were taken care of. So we met Colonel Adam. We're there for a little bit, and they said just go hang out in the medical tent. The medical corpsmen had a tent there because obviously they were taking care of Marines that come in if they had something come up. And again, it was just a training exercise up in the mountains there. And so we're hanging out in the medical tent, just kind of laying low, and they're like, hey, go get your tents. We had little individual tents um set up out there. So they said, go get your tent set up so it's ready for tonight. So we go out and get that set up, come back, and then we're just eating, you know, MREs. You know, so I mean, just learning how to live that life, and it was a good thing. And uh so between coming back from the tent and and and going to the court uh the uh medical tent, we come across Colonel Adams and his group of other officers, you know, and and uh so I mean he he snapped two real quick. And but you know, I Colonel Adams, I don't know, he he was not near as tall as me, and I'm not tall, you know. Um he had these big bulging eyes, um, you know, just chiseled. I mean, just an intense, intense guy. And I think at that point, I thought he was old. He's 50, probably. So he was 50 years young. Can't imagine. Yeah, I know, I know. Um, but uh yeah, I just very intense dude. I mean, I I'm not sure I ever see him, I ever saw him smile, and I was stationed with him for two years. So he'd already been there a year. So I was around him for two years, and you know, I get to know him, but I don't think I ever saw the guy smile once. But, you know, he was satisfied with what he was doing and he knew he had a mission and he took that very, very seriously. So we met him, you know, Santa Tanji's a handshake, and you shake his hands, and it is it's a measure. And that's the first time I've ever been measured on on who I was by a handshake. And thank goodness they told me ahead of time, otherwise, he'd have broken every hand, every bone of my hand. And uh, so that's how we met. He talked with us and kind of gave us the lowdown and asked if any questions. And, you know, he's very patient with us and understanding, but very businesslike. And so we just wanted the conversation to be over with. So we didn't ask any questions. It was like, no, sir, we're good. Thank you. And uh, so we disappeared into the medical tent and we hid with the corpsman up there. So it was after after supper, a little bit later, we're kind of hanging out playing cards again, no phones, no internet. So we're just playing cards and chit-chatting, and uh dark outside, so it's probably out of 10 o'clock or so. And all of a sudden you hear attention on deck. And you know, they yell that when superior officer or senior officer comes into a room or or so, and so everybody just jumps out, stands at attention, and you're like, oh man, who's coming in the door? Yeah. So you you you kind of just and they say at ease, and you look, and sure enough, it's Colonel Adams with his group of other officers. And there were probably, I don't know, like 15 of us in the tent when he came in. And I looked around about four or five minutes later, and it was us three dentists and Colonel Adams. Everybody else had split. And I'm like, wow, this is really intimidating. So here we are sitting here, and this is where it gets gets interesting because we're sitting here, and he's like, God, just come on, uh, get around here. And so we're sitting around uh just the table talking. And so I had been my my first year, I did that residency down at the boot camp. So I kind of got indoctrinated into the marine life. The other two dentists are very good friends. One was down at the uh San Diego Hospital, Navy hospital, much more casual. You know, it's it's a lot of families and so more relaxed. And the other one was up in Connecticut. And so again, it was just a more relaxed Navy setting. And so mine was a little bit more, you know, it was definitely more marine. So he asked a question and it was always yes, sir, no, sir. And the others were like, Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, well, I don't know about that. And and I mean, I'm just cringing every time they're asking. And they're great guys, you know, but they just hadn't had that experience. And, you know, the the guy, you I could see it just like getting under a skin, but he never really kind of said, and so after we gotten through the initial conversation, he goes, you know, for future reference and you're dressing a senior officer, it's yes, sir, no, sir. And I mean, it was just very matter-of-fact, like you guys don't know what you're doing yet. So he said, You guys ever worn a gas mask? Like, so it's because we had them. I mean, we had them on our our you know, on our belt and everything. And and I'm like, Yeah, I yes, sir. Yes, sir. Um, so we did that at Paris Island. And so I was lucky enough to go through some of their the crucible is their last thing that they do in training as a marine recruit. And it's you know, several days, and so they get through all this. But some of the stuff they do there, uh, one was the gas chamber, and so we were lucky enough. Like I got to go down rappel tower and you know, go out to the range and so go out, got to go to the gas chamber, get tear gas. So we we get the gas masks on. So I'd done that, and you know, um, but they hadn't, right? And and so he's like, well, pull your gas mask out. And so he's like, you know, let's go ahead and put them on. We're sitting around a table like this, four of us. We've got gas masks on, and he goes, now pour your canteen out. So we pull the canteen out. He goes, You guys know how to hook how to drink out of this? Yes, sir, no, sir, you know, and uh so he's like, All right, take the tube, and there's a little tube that you on the canteen that plugs into the gas mask and you can drink out of it and everything. So I remember very vividly sitting here in this tent, big tent, four of us, everybody else gone, sitting here with gas masks on, drinking out of a canteen, thinking, what in the world did I get myself signed up? Because this was like day three of being on the island, right? And I'm thinking, if this is the beginning of the next three years, wow. Yeah. And um so, you know, the rest of that ended. We we ended up finishing up there. He took off, and I'll never forget my buddy John, uh, a great guy. And uh we we all leave the tent together. Of course, it's dark outside. And so Colonel Adams, he goes out first and we're following. Well, if you go outside at night, you come from light to dark, you stop and you let your eyes acclimate. Colonel Adams stops right outside the tent. John, I mean, true to John, he's such a great dude. Plows him. Just right into. I don't know how this guy did not lose his temper with us, but I mean it's just so business like. And uh yeah, so I mean it was that was you know one of my very first nights on island. And so at about two in the morning, we're asleep in the tent and everything else, and you just hear around camp, gas, gas, gas. They tear gas the camp. And so, you know, it's one of those things in hindsight. We didn't know that. We didn't know it was coming, but this guy knew that he had liabilities in his camp. He didn't know what kind of training we'd had. We weren't Marines, so we didn't have the same training that Marines had. And here he saw to it himself to make sure that we were properly trained and wouldn't be, you know, wouldn't have an issue because they gassed us three times that night in camp. And, you know, that was my introduction to Colonel Adams, and that's that's how he did. And I learned more about leadership from him because he did things. He, I mean, he delegated, but he saw to it that things were taken care of. And uh, one of the other hikes we did um another year later, I mean, it was like a 13 mile hike. You would have loved it. It was with your packs, I mean, everything we're back in the In the you know jungle and sounds amazing. Oh, you'd love it. So we're at the back of this with the corpsmen, of course. Yeah, because the guys fall out and they drop down, the corpsmen pick them up on the way and and such. And so uh the dentists are hanging out. So and but you know, when you get a lot of people, because it was all like 600 of us doing this, because it was all the Marines and then some of the corpsmen and some of the dentists. So you get 600 people walking in a line going through the jungle. At times you're standing still for two minutes, and other times it's an all-sprint to catch up with whoever was up there. And so I remember about halfway through this 13 mile, I was like, who in the world is leading this? Because I, you know, the first time I'd done one of those. Like, this is ridiculous. Who's leading this? It's Colonel Adams, the 50, the old man, 50-year-old with all the pack and everything. He's leading a group. Yeah. And uh, so you know, he led from the front, he led by example. And I learned a lot from him, not necessarily by what he told me to do, but by how by his actions. That's leadership. Yeah, it really was. And and so it's again, those things, and I just like the same with mom and dad, like that's how we learned what a loving relationship was. Not necessarily what they told us to do, but how they acted and how we saw them around the house, um, their respect for each other. And um, so I think it's yeah, the military for me was a very neat thing, and I'm so thankful to to have had that. Um that said, it it the life did change a month later, you know, and all of a sudden everything got real.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:38

And so it's talk about that because I, you know, I vividly remember where I was at when September 11th happened. I remember watching the the plane hit the the second tower, and then you know, just kind of the aftermath of that like what is going on, you know? Yeah. So talk about what that was like for you being in the military.

SPEAKER_07: 1:01:56

Yeah, it I mean, it was strange. Uh, you know, obviously tragic. We're I was sleeping. I mean, we had a five, six hour time difference in Hawaii. So that was the middle of the night when that happened uh out there. And so it was one of those just random nights. I didn't sleep on the couch too much, but whatever reason I fell asleep on the couch, TV was on, and some show came on and it was super loud. I just I'm like, oh my gosh. And usually you just turn it off and go to bed. And uh I don't know why, but I turned the channel and there I see the first tower on fire and you know, live news back home. And again, I think it was uh maybe three or four in the morning. And I remember watching this, and just like all of us, you know, you you see the second one, you're like, what in the world's going on? And I mean, just the idea of still a I mean, terrorism now, I mean, we'd assume it was, right? But back then everything was so innocent. It's like, what's wrong with these pilots? Yeah, right. I mean, I just couldn't believe it. And so I called my mom, and uh, you know, just like everybody else did the same questions, the same concerns. And then I went to work that morning. I woke Bethany up and we, you know, watched, and I went to work that morning. And we would have muster every morning we'd uh out in our clinic against Hawaii. So it's outside, and our whole clinic would get together. And I think there were maybe, again, it was probably like 15 dentists or so, and and maybe another 30, 40 um enlisted and you know, assistants and front desk staff and all that. So I don't know, maybe 50 of us out there or so, and and uh Captain Neyer comes out, and again, we've been there for about a month. And I mean, it was just very everything was serious then. Um he says just quite quick to the point, he's like, all right, get your stuff and get your stuff in order, make sure you got your wills done, make sure you have everything ready to go. He said, you know, we get called, it there probably won't be a whole lot of time to do that. And that was it. We went back to work. And um but I think the military's really good at making sure that everybody is prepared, you know, uh military members and family for those calls. I think what was I think more real about it was the first Gulf War when that had happened. That whole base where I was at, they got they were one of the first ones to get up and go. And so it was like, wow, this is really gonna happen. And uh how'd that make you feel? Um you know, I it's uh it was not uh anything I'd ever considered going in.

unknown: 1:04:40

Right?

SPEAKER_07: 1:04:40

I mean, it was a peaceful time. So when I went in, it was like, yeah, I'll get stationed somewhere. I'm gonna do dentistry, and that's it. I mean, realistically, I'm a dentist, they're not gonna put me on the front line. Um, but very realistic, I would be with the Marines. And Marines are front line, you know, they're the tip of the spear. And so, you know, if I'm helping them out, I can't be too far away. It doesn't do them any good if I'm 500 miles away, if they need something. Not that I'm gonna be, you know, a mile away from them. But so um it was real. And so, and that's what I share at the at the high school when I talk with them. I said, where I really hit home is, you know, at church on Sundays, we would go, and you know, AJ was fun as a kid. He had a good time. So we sat at the back of the church.

unknown: 1:05:31

We've been there.

SPEAKER_07: 1:05:32

Yeah, yeah, we yeah. So uh we had the quiet room, so at the back of the church, but you could see the whole church from there. And so every Sunday, you know, it wasn't right away, but you know, maybe a month in or so, you start to notice there would be, you know, one wife there with the two little kids, and dad wasn't there anymore, or you know, vice versa. And you start to notice family members or families not being whole because somebody was getting sent out. And it was, it was like every week I get to go to church on Sunday. It was a privilege for me. And but yet in the back of your mind, you're always like, okay, you know, am I gonna be here next week? And so it was. I mean, it was a very went from a very fun, enjoyable time to very stressful and you know, worrisome time. And and that's really how we lived the next three years, you know, because that conflict went on for so long. And so it really was. I mean, for three years, I just didn't know what tomorrow, what the next day held. So you just learned to live in the moment with the idea that stuff could happen. And I remember there was another training exercise we had, it was up uh on the Big Island, and it was you know, up in the mountains or volcano there. And um, I was there for a week or so. I had to do a filling on Colonel Adams there. Yeah. And uh I talked with my mom. So at this time we finally had cell phones, yeah. And uh so it was talking with my mom, and she's like, Craig, what are you what are you gonna do if they say you need to go? Like, well, I'm going. Yeah, I mean, that's what I signed up for. And and I guess in my mind, it was something like at this time there were a lot of bad people in the world. And I said, if I'm supposed to go now, I'd I'd rather go now than have my son have to deal with it 15 years from now or you know, 20 years from now, I'd rather take care of the issue now and and help at least. You know, again, I'm not gonna be on the front line. My hat's off, and I've got you know so much respect for those guys that are on the front line and are are you know really putting themselves in a harm's way. Um, but it would have been a sacrifice being away and going somewhere I didn't know.

SPEAKER_04: 1:07:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 1:07:47

I'm sure too, like being in Hawaii, you know, you originally said, like, I want to go to Pearl Harbor, yeah. And you think of Hawaii and like that's the terrorist attack that Japan did on us, and then it's like, well, wait a minute. You know, now all of a sudden you had New York City get hit. I'm sure, like in the people's mind in Hawaii, I mean, maybe they're thinking they're gonna get hit there or something, you know. I mean, the first couple days. Oh, yeah. And then, you know, you you say you remember where you were in class. Like I was in uh Mr. Whitman's eighth grade newspaper class, you know, because everybody's gonna read a newspaper for the rest of your life, so you gotta learn how to get through it. That was all that to us, you know. And uh, but I remember, you know, immediately after the first uh tower got hit, he turned on the TV because his son was in the army and he was uh you know, jumping out of the the planes. What is that, a paratrooper? Yeah, paratrooper. And I remember when the second one hit, I just remember him just sitting down and just crying and calling his wife and talking to his wife about you know what Matt's gonna do.

SPEAKER_07: 1:08:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06: 1:08:43

So I'm sure I can imagine what your, you know, can't imagine what your wife, I mean, the you know, the stress that she was under about that and your parents back home.

SPEAKER_07: 1:08:51

I mean, yeah, that's rough. And that I mean, we you know, had those provisions you know in place or those plans in place. Like if I our unit went, then she was gonna go home. She was gonna fly home. We hadn't, you know, she was gonna take AJ and the dog, come back to eating and be with her folks. There really wasn't much in Hawaii for her. Um, but yeah, I mean, just to see the effects of it, I mean the security, holy cow, like instantaneous. They had barriers everywhere around bases, and I mean, moving around was much, much harder. So I really I mean, you felt pretty secure on base, but I mean it was uh more inconvenient, yeah. The small price to pay, but right, yeah, felt safe on base at least.

SPEAKER_03: 1:09:34

But you never got the call. No, never got the call. So so what happens next?

SPEAKER_07: 1:09:40

So we finish up time there, and I the plan had always been to come back, or I mean to to finish. I didn't know that, you know, for me coming back to Eton was an option. I know Bethany, that's her family, was from here. Um, again, you've been part of that that funeral home stuff. Um, so that uh my father-in-law and mother-in-law ran a wonderful business, um, you know, funeral home directors. And um everybody around town knows them. And you know, I I kind of at again I've done all this, and I'd done that much, but I mean I'd become my own man and I wanted to be known as my own man, right? I didn't want to, you know, just come into something because he, you know, right he did that for me. And so I wasn't sold on the idea of moving back to Eton. Um, honestly, I wanted to go a little south, you know, get a little bit warmer weather, but can't believe me, yeah. Especially giving from Hawaii. Yeah, and uh man, my my skin got his blood got thin. We moved back that first winter. Wow, it's rough. Um, so we actually looked at a small towns I actually looked at like London, Ohio. Yeah, very, very similar. I said, I love Eaton. And it's funny, I've I lived in Eaton for three years, you know, sophomore to senior year of high school, and that was really it. But to me, that was home.

SPEAKER_04: 1:11:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 1:11:03

And just in those three years, you know, of my whatever, uh, 25 years and life or so, it was that was home. And um, so you know, I wanted to move back somewhere similar, wasn't convinced, and then it, you know, I had a moment of clarity, and it's like, why would I pass up all everything that all the relationships and everything that we have in Eaton just to be in another city and start all over again? And uh so she talked some sense into me and we and came back. So it was interesting the way it worked out. Um I I knew I wanted to have my own business. I mean, there were several really good dentists, great guys in Eaton uh when I was in dental school and when I was in the Navy. And some of the office weren't big enough for me to come into. Um, others, they I don't think it was the right fit because I wanted to be my own boss. You know, and I so I I guess that would be there was ever a time I I said I would gamble. This may have been my one gamble in life was, you know, as far as professionally was having my own business and my own practice. And so it was odd that their neighbors, Donna Becky's neighbors across the street, Tom Harris, was kind of hitting retirement age. He was in a position, his wife's teacher, it was the two of them, and he ran just a lovely small practice. It was himself and Jill at the front desk, and she would come back and help him out sometimes if he did filmings or so. And that was it. They didn't have a computer in the office, didn't need one. He had wonderful relationships with his patients. He took care of them. They had patients that he had for years. He didn't take new patients because he was as busy as he wanted to be. He's still working 40 hours a week, and um just the the most genuine, wonderful guy you could ever meet. And I had never really met him, though. I knew of him, you know, knew of his reputation, but I'd never actually met him, but Don and Becky had. And so as I'm finishing up in the Navy about three months or you know, probably more like six months to go, I knew I was gonna get out. And I'm like, okay, where am I gonna start up? And so we reached out to him. I think I met him maybe over Christmas or something, and so it might have been the first time I met him, but we talked a little bit. But we arranged a business deal where I bought out, bought his practice in the building, and we got back, and I think I he his last day was like May 30th, and then June 1st is when I started. And that was our transition. I'm like, here's the keys. Good luck. Good luck. Yeah. And so I have I have these other reserve dentists. They the reservists would, you know, they got to do the 30 days a year or so dentists that were in the reserves, and they would come out to Hawaii, like, why wouldn't you? So we'd have a lot of reservists come out, and I get to know them, and and I'm telling them this as we're, you know, kind of working this deal out. And they said, you need to have your attorneys, you need to do all this. And I said, I don't think you understand. Like, if if there's one person left in the world that you can do a handshake deal with, it was Tom Harris. And it just everything was honest and true. And it was for me too. You know, it was a mutual thing. Neither one of us angled for anything. It was just like, this is what's right to do. Uh, he's a very spiritual guy as well. And so it was something that was the Lord's work that he was passing the torch. And so I never questioned that. And so we walked into this, but it was not the it was not the in practice I visioned, envisioned. So I knew there was growth to be had and growth to do. And so we moved back home, and like I said, we um drove cross country, had the the car shipped to Seattle, and we drove cross-country with the two boys, they were two and five, and um came all the way back home. And like I said, we moved in. So again, this is me wanting to be my own man, right? You know, being a grown-up. We moved into my in-laws. Um, they had a house they rented next to the funeral home. So we moved into that. Um we come to find out that Bethany was pregnant right before we left. Like, okay, so we've got two little kids, we got a third one on the way. And I've got this practice. And, you know, that's where the work really hit. And I mean, that's where we got serious. And so over the next six months, it was all about growth personally and professionally. We found a house, moved in, um, you know, grew. She went to, you know, kind of all over the place right now, but we're getting settled in. My brother, Dave, he was waiting on acceptance to medical school. And I said, he, I think he had a year that they were gonna have him take a gap year or so. I said, You're gonna come work for me. He had zero dental experience at all. I said, I need an assistant. I've worked with an assistant the last four years. I need somebody by my side. So we we add computers to this place. I remember on the way back, um, I was on the phone as we're going to Mount Rushmore. And I had this little area of self-service where I'm on the phone with a rep buying the digital x-rays, you know, the which we all have now. I've had that from day one, and that was kind of on the front end of the curve with those because I I saw how impactful and how beneficial they were in the Navy. And so I that was something I was wanted to make sure I definitely had available. And so I remember being on the phone again, we're in the car on the way to Mount Rushmore, spending five thousand dollars I didn't have, yeah, you know, to buy this one X-ray.

SPEAKER_04: 1:16:58

But you're not a risk taker.

SPEAKER_07: 1:17:00

None at all. I knew it'd pay off, you know? Yeah. So it was it was a guarantee for me. And uh so we get back, like I said, he he uh retired on Friday. I started on Monday. So it wasn't the first and the 30th, but I mean it was he's done on Friday and I started on Monday. I went in a little bit that week when he was working while he was finishing up to get some to get settled in and get comfortable with things. Um and then my brother came up that that first week as well, and I taught him how to be an assistant as I'm trying to get comfortable in the new surroundings and everything else.

SPEAKER_03: 1:17:38

Wow. So and your wife's pregnant with her, with your third.

SPEAKER_07: 1:17:43

Third, yeah. So so we get home, move into the uh the house next door, which is a nice rental, but not where you want to raise a family. It was a nice transitional house for us. We had dinner every night over at my in-laws. They were still working, still at the funeral home. They live next door to the funeral home. So it was just walked across the parking lot and we'd have dinner, and mother-in-law would always have dinner ready for us. And so it was kind of like being in high school again. And uh, but I wanted to be a grown-up. And so, um, yeah, I know business is one thing, the personal side of it. So we're in there, and I'm like, we need a house, recognize it very early. Like, this is not gonna work. She's pregnant, and uh, I'm getting set up. So she had one of her ultrasounds, right? They, you know, I think she was maybe three months pregnant at the time or so. And so the family knew she really hadn't started showing yet. And um so she went to the to the you know, get the ultrasound done. And I hadn't missed any of them with the first two boys, right? I'm like, uh it's maybe I can take time off, I'll go. And so I said, Well, let me let me get I gotta rearrange some patients. She goes, Don't worry about it, Craig. She's like, You're starting a business, it's just an ultrasound. You know, I feel fine. Don't you don't need to go. And I'm like, but really, and she goes, No, go to work, I'll be fine. So she goes to the ultrasound by herself. And again, we had the two boys saying that we're with, you know, grandma, and comes home and we're having dinner, and you could tell something was different, you know, and and and I said, How'd it go? And I was there with my brother, and she pulls out the ultrasound, the picture there, and it was A and B. And I'm like, wow, of all the times for you to go to that by yourself, and uh, yeah, we're getting things started. Life's crazy right now. And here she finds out and doesn't have anybody with her. I mean, it's it was a blessing, obviously. But yeah, it would have been so nice to have been there. And and that was the first time you know, work really got in the way. of life. But it happens. And I I think that was another valuable lesson I learned from my dad. He didn't say it. He just I think it was a a different time and era. Like right now there's you almost feel guilty missing anything that the kids do. And I think that's society. I mean I think it's a good thing. But there wasn't that thing I think with moms and dads. Like if you miss a game it was like you're not playing in it. So it doesn't matter if you're there. I don't think we'd miss anything now. But I think that also taught me hard work and dedication was just he never really had to say it. I could just see it how he did that. And so but that was the first time work really got in the way of family for me aside from training exercises and whatnot. Sure. And um yeah so that that kind of stunk. I mean not to be there. But so now she's pregnant with twins. So now we got to get a minivan because I think that's I think that's Ohio law. If you have twins you have to have a minivan right yes so now now I've got a minivan.

SPEAKER_03: 1:21:02

So you got you got you got two young boys you got twins on the way you just you know you just started your practice your brother in law's helping you as the assistant uh you're looking for a home you're living next to the in-laws having dinner at I mean you know we talk about how crazy life is and and you know with me having five kids you having five kids and everybody all how do you do it you know you just but you look back on that and you think man what what a what an awesome time in life as challenging as it was what a blessing it was. Yeah you know and what you learn from that that you've taken you know now as as you you know 20 years later um with where you're at so you know so the practice is is you're growing working hard I'm sure um but you keep you keep taking these little steps not only with the practice but your family continues to grow. So talk about those things.

SPEAKER_07: 1:21:57

Yeah. So I mean getting the practice started up that was something when we moved back home I mean just like any business you put everything you have into it both you know time and energy but also financially and what little bit we had saved up. I mean in Navy again they pay for dental school but it it it's not really a a a great living there they take great care of you. The reward in the military is the retirement you know once you get 20 25 years in you've got that retirement. So that that four years I felt like it was a good give and take for both of us. They got four really good years of my life of service and they took care of dental school but when we came out didn't have a whole lot I mean Bethany worked she worked part-time when we were in the in the Navy so she was making money um we were able to invest some and you know at that time stocks had done well but so I took every you know all these little tiny gains that I'd made not much you know and I just had to cash it all in and just emptied out the savings, the checking and any investments and dump it all into the business to try to just get a you know down payment on the building. And I think one of the the more defeated moments for me which wasn't a terrible thing but I mean it it it kind of a ego check was I had to have my father in law co-sign for me. You know and I went to different banks you know looking for options and I really didn't have anything. So I understand I'm not I I harbor no ill will against the bank that they're doing what they need to do from a business standpoint. But to me that was you know that was motivation. I'm like you're not going to take me for my word that I'm gonna pay this off you you know see the um potential and what I'm gonna do. And you know it was I mean it was very motivating and I I worked my tail off because one I didn't like having debt but two it was a mission to say you probably should have taken me at my word. They didn't know me you know and I don't blame them. I'd have done the exact same thing but me personally I took that as motivation. So so we get back and uh get to practice start to make it our own we get about three weeks in and my brother says hey they just opened up a spot for medical school so I'm gonna go uh in a couple weeks after the fourth I said great thanks yeah yeah so um but right as he was actually becoming helpful you know he's starting to learn things and could actually count on him to do something uh he you know he pulls a plug so uh so we add an assistant add a hygienist and again I think all these moments everything that came up I just went with it I just had faith um really in the Lord's plan I is and I I've said that multiple times throughout my career is things have come up and if I were really rational about it I might not have done it I might have done it differently but it was just the way it it appeared to me it was just made sense and so why fight it this is what I'm supposed to be doing. So yeah from people coming in um we got I mean I had a patient come in she was with Parker had uh Parker Hannifin local manufacturer they were getting transferred to Columbus so she was trying to get her kids she had two little boys trying to get their stuff done before they moved out so they were in just get some ceilings and um she said and so I was talking with her about the move they lived in my old neighborhood back home the one where my folks had built that place had grown up you know so they finally finished the whole circle it used to be like just a little entry. So they finished the whole circle I think about half that area was homes now. And she lived in one of the homes there and and and talking about she said well we're having an open house on Saturday and at this time we we were talking with a real estate agent looking at places and I found a we found a place out in the country like four acres creek separate barn you know like guy shed and everything and and I mean just really kind of what I really wanted and I still love that place. And but she came in she said you had to come out. So we weren't doing anything on Saturday I'm like well why don't we go I said might as well go look at it. So we get out there and AJ like just instantly was comfortable he was playing in the basement one of his best friends from school uh that he'd met was next door at Parker's and uh so then I got to thinking and and you know at this point in my life I'm not gonna be at home a whole lot and I'm my life's gonna be at work unfortunately and so the house was about Bethany and the kids and so really it was her call and she's like he's happy I want to be in the neighborhood and so so that's how we end up with that house. Again had that lady not come in there's no way I'd have known about the the open house we wouldn't have gone and we'd probably end up in and we'd probably been fine you know we would probably had a you know just great great experience out there but fast forward whatever I don't know six seven years whatever it was and we built a house and where we built it same community same community. So living three different houses in the same neighborhood yeah that's pretty awesome yeah but uh you know but when we moved back that Beth and I dated when we were living the first house and we said that's too weird we're not gonna live there and so we really fought it and again when they came in it opened our eyes to it. So that's how we ended up there. So we bought the house bought the minivan had the practice I mean just in debt every which way I look and but and at this point this is when it was a again a very growing practice. I mean Dr. Harris at at that point he saw eight patients a day he'd schedule one an hour and he saw eight patients a day um for the most part and kind of didn't really matter what the procedure was it was going to be an hour appointment and so um that wasn't what my vision was and but that was what he wanted to do and so I mean it was it suited him perfectly but for me it was kind of a place to grow and so as we started to grow it it it wasn't like overnight it wasn't like okay I'm here you know just everybody flood the gates that didn't happen and there is you any business you do you there's a point where you question like is this really am I doing the right thing should I have stayed put should I have done something different because I had other options but this would seem the one that seemed best for me. And so I remember I mean you bend over backwards to try to make people happy I remember writing letters I mean Don and Becky gave me a list of their friends and I hand wrote letters to all of their friends just asking them to come in try us out and would love to meet them.

SPEAKER_03: 1:29:08

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_07: 1:29:08

Yeah and I mean that was the the humble beginnings I mean it was really just me and Jill an assistant and we had the hygienist at a second hygienist and within three years we were at the point we were ready to move into the new building and so it was the right place and but it it took time and yeah it was unnerving to to start for sure.

SPEAKER_03: 1:29:32

You know you you uh you hit a nerve for me when you talk about the bank and you talk about having you know your father in law co-sign yeah you know uh I've told the story quite a few times about being denied to buy Catron's glass and I'll never forget you know where I was at when I got the phone call and and you know the guy that called me I'm not gonna say his name but call me from the bank and said hey you know we're just this is too big of a risk you're gonna be you're gonna be fighting an uphill battle and I I remember hanging up the phone and being like you don't know who I am yeah like you don't and and I don't mean that to sound cocky but like like no I don't think you understand like I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make this work. Yeah and and and I get it. I mean looking back if I look back on the numbers you know and I'm 23 years old yeah you know like it makes complete business sense for the bank to deny me but I had that that dog or that competitor in me where it's like okay I'm game on I'm gonna show you. Yeah and so yeah that really that that struck a nerve with me when you hit and when you said that and then writing the letters yeah that's something I I learned early on you know is I would try to write five thank handwritten thank you letters a day to a customer whether you came in and you bought a three dollar piece of glass or we put in you know thousands of dollars of windows in your home I was trying to you know handwrite a thank you letter and I still try to do that to this day but that's what it takes. Right you know that's what it takes to get going. And I'm afraid in a lot of these young kids today I don't know that that's still something young people do.

SPEAKER_07: 1:31:15

I and I I I think you're right for a lot. You know I I feel like our society has um kind of created that expectation that work is nine to five you know and outside of that don't don't talk to me about work. And I think there's some merit to that but at the same time I mean if you're really going to run a successful business um it takes more than that. You know it takes that special touch and yeah I think that's a difference and and that's what I try to to teach the kids or show the kids like I I'll try to point out those businesses that do that. You know there are just going out to eat you know we get different levels of customer service and you know different business models and again there's some great ones out there you know I I tell them like I'll go at home you know like Skyline at home I mean it it's every time we go there we get great customer service they're always very attentive and efficient. They've got great processes and I tell them I said value that because they value you yeah and then and I'm not saying anything negative about any of the other restaurants around town we've got some great ones but we've all been to restaurants where it's like do you even know I'm here yeah or I'm sorry to bother you or trouble you you know with having to serve me. Yeah something like that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:32:46

Yeah it it it does I don't it's different isn't it's a different world yeah it is it is and I and I that's what I hope to try to convey to to the young kids is like hey you know you ever gotten a handwritten letter you know you know how that makes you feel I'm not talking about a handwritten letter that you make a hundred copies of and you send you know like a lot of the letters we get for kids for the you know supporting them for the fair and things like that. That that's good. Yeah when you get an actual handwritten letter where you can tell that someone genuinely took the time to say thank you or to invite you to something man those little things they really strike a chord with people and and they they show others how much you care. So yeah it's a unique thing I would encourage any young person business person if you know if that's not a practice that you do give it a try. You'll be amazed by some of the phone calls or emails or text messages you'll get where people will be like hey man like that really that was pretty awesome you know to get to get something like that. So that's pretty cool. So let's fast forward a little bit to where you're at today because obviously families grown you know now you're at a different phase of your life business has grown um talk about what life is like now for Craig Hewitt.

SPEAKER_07: 1:34:12

And you know it's an interesting time we talked a little bit about that earlier is I think my identity has always been what my goals were and you know going through uh school you you want to please your parents and once you get past a certain point then it's about you know making your wife your family proud of you and then you get past you know that point and it's like okay what is it now? Like I've hit those goals that I had set climb that mountain and you know what's the next one? And and I think that's part of that midlife crisis is okay what's what's my identity now and yeah I I do struggle with that at times because for the last while my identity has been the dad of these wonderful kids uh the husband of this wonderful wife and you know this owner of this wonderful practice co-owner and and so I've just been surrounded by wonderful people my whole life and I'm so thankful and realize I'm blessed with a fantastic life. And so now it's trying to figure out you know what do I need to do to deserve this type thing. So I don't have the answer. Um you know life is life's good right now but I'm I'm kind of looking at different things as as far as just professionally I'm sharing some of my knowledge or experience I should say with from dentistry with other dentists.

SPEAKER_03: 1:35:45

So I've been doing more of that traveling um trying to be more available to kids as they need me and trying to help out around home a little bit more well you you um I mean you embody our community you embody you know the servant leader um you know giving back an amazing father amazing uh husband I mean I I'm fortunate enough to to be able to spend uh you know quite a bit of time with you and Bethany at all the different kids events you know we have kids that have been in a similar age um you know so it's been it's been fun to watch you've got an you know exciting times coming with you know the kids in school you know talk about maybe what's what's potentially coming down the road with some of the kids some of your kids well I mean it it is it's really exciting it's it's seeing them kind of develop into their person who they're going to be um AJ's he's getting comfortable is our new job bowling and you know seems to be enjoying that but he's getting more comfortable doing things outside of work so that's been nice um Owen is in his first semester of dental school so he's in his first year of dental school so that that was really neat he was home over Thanksgiving and he has to he had a practical this week it's actually yesterday doing a filling on we you know doing on fake teeth and uh so he's like yeah I got to go back early so I can practice at the school I'm like why don't you just bring it home and you know maybe we can work a little bit at the office.

SPEAKER_07: 1:37:24

And so I think it was Sunday after church we we spent like four hours in the office just working on that fake tooth and uh you know trying to share just some of the experiences I've had. And so that was really just and it I just truly enjoyed that. That was special um he really seems to be enjoying that and so it's kind of rekindled a little bit of that flame yeah for me. Kylie is she's waiting to get into hygiene school so again dentistry stuff and uh so she's been working part-time with me and then she's working part-time um for with a uh a dental company as well and so it's been neat to see her flourish there her seeing her confidence grow and um you know just watching her mature there. So her twin um A and B. So Elise is over at UD, uh special place to you. And um so she's got she'll have an MCATS coming up the end of the year. And so she's working pre-med getting through all those fun organic biochem you know classes uh that we took yeah so she's working her way through that so it's same she's been spending a lot of time it's neat to see her go on shadowing different surgeons and physicians and such and really seeing the excitement from her about that. And then uh John he just assigned yesterday was it yesterday Wednesday sorry yeah yeah Wednesday with Boston College so um that's exciting to to see and it was like you said about the handwritten notes that was one of those uh Beth and I got it one of those handwritten notes from coach O'Brien the the head coach of at Boston College.

SPEAKER_03: 1:39:06

So John is going to kick at Boston College college football football.

SPEAKER_07: 1:39:10

Yeah so uh yeah soccer you know soccer family so it shouldn't be yeah get them on the football field to kick a ball but uh yeah but um yeah so that's exciting we're we're really excited about that and I think that's probably what the next several years looks like it kind of watching these kids grow up and seeing what they do. And I think maybe that's the hard part for me is to define who I am because now they're learning to define who they are and I think Bethany and I our life is going to be somewhat a response to what they do. And so I think that was mom and dad. Yeah they they lived down in Lexington after they were in Richmond they lived here and that was the other part of it. I mean they lived here for I don't know maybe 10 years maybe just long enough for me to beat Bethany and then he got transferred down to Lexington, Kentucky so they went down there and that's where my two younger brothers Graduated from high school was down in Lexington. And so we all grew up, left the house, and they're down in Lexington by themselves. And so it was maybe a year or two like that. And then I said we're gonna go. We're you know, around one of the kids. So we had the most grandkids at the time, and they were familiar with Eaton. My sister's in Indy and Cincinnati, so kind of equidistant. So it's easy. And uh but you know, they love being back up here as well. And uh so we'll probably end up doing the same. I I would guess. I don't know. I really don't know what their plans are. I'm not gonna and that's what people ask me. They said, Is Owen gonna come back and take over for you? I said, I don't I don't know what he's gonna do. That's his choice. He's I've got no expectations for any of these kids to do anything beyond be their best self that they can be and you know, hopefully help people. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:40:51

Yeah, amazing, amazing family. It's an exciting time. I I understand though, the you know, like the what's next, because you know, when you've when you've done what you've done and you've been to the places that you've been and and you know, had all these different successes and failures in life and learned from all those things. And now it's just a time where it's like, yeah, kind of like in a weird spot. Like where do I go? So I'm excited for you and for Bethany and and uh the kids. It's it's it's pretty, pretty awesome. Pretty awesome to see. You are blessed.

SPEAKER_07: 1:41:24

Yeah. Oh, I know, I know. And and we talked about that at church, you know. I think it's years back. We talked about that, and we were sharing some of our you know stories with the kids, and it was like, I think you guys are just a few years behind me and Bethany. Yeah, we are, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:41:40

Yeah, we are. It's pretty cool. All right, let's wrap this up. Okay, one last question. Yep. You could sit on a park bench and have a conversation with someone living or deceased, who would it be and why?

SPEAKER_07: 1:41:51

Okay. And cliche. You know, I think it it's an easy one, Jesus. It would be um no question. I think you can answer about any question, thought, concern I would have, and you know, open the window to those that have meant a lot to me in life as well that maybe aren't with me anymore. And so yeah, I think hands down that's that's the easy one. It would be neat to see you know why we're here, what the purpose is, but also what you know what made him do what he did for us.

SPEAKER_03: 1:42:23

So yeah, yeah, that's a good answer. Ben, you got any questions?

SPEAKER_06: 1:42:27

Uh I can't thank you enough for coming on. What I tell you, I I was on the sideline for football just doing the film and always seeing Johnny, but the way that he interacts with people and like the way that he carries himself, uh that's only one of your kids that I know or have been around. But I tell you what, even knocked out of the park, like if for like younger parents like myself that have young kids, what's uh what's some advice you got for us?

SPEAKER_07: 1:42:52

Um you know, I I you do you learn I I think and um i it's just experience and and so I've I've learned there's I was slower to temper with him. Um and it's funny to be tempered is you know, that's probably I think one of the things I I you know I wish I could change about myself more. Uh just uh just be slower to temper with him. And and so I was, I think I've always encouraged him. And I think for him, I was I learned not to worry about failure. Um and just kind of see what can happen. And I've tried I was always worried, and and that's why I could never do what he did or what he does. Uh even if I had the talent, I wouldn't have the headspace to do it. And it really impressed me. And I think we all see that. There's there are people there that under pressure, they can tolerate things. It doesn't seem to bother them. I was always the exact opposite. I mean, I get motivated, but I mean it it would the more stressful something is, the more I would think about all the bad outcomes that could come of it. And you know, I think he's always been one that sees the good outcome, and and I think that's helped him. And you know, how much of that is just him and how much of it is, you know, how we raised him. Hard to say, but I I I know that I focus more on what the possibilities are and less about the negative consequences. Not that you can necessarily ignore them. Um, so I I don't know if that I worded that the right way, but hopefully that that makes sense. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:29

Yeah, that's good, man. Yeah. All right. Hey, dude, you killed it, man. You did.

SPEAKER_07: 1:44:35

Good guidance. Yeah, good guidance. I didn't say a whole lot. You did.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:38

It's an amazing story, amazing family. Um, thank you for coming up here.

SPEAKER_07: 1:44:43

Thanks for having me. Yeah, it I mean, it really is an honor. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:46

Well, we we appreciate you and your family. And uh yeah, so everybody be sure to like and share and do all those things. We uh are continued grateful for your support. Go out and be tempered.

SPEAKER_00: 1:44:58

Hi, my name is Allie Schmidt. This is my dad Dan. He owns Catron's Glass.

SPEAKER_02: 1:45:02

Thanks, Allie. Things like doors and windows go into making a house. But when it's your home, you expect more, like the great service and selection you'll get from Catrance Glass. Final replacement windows from Catrins come with a lifetime warranty, including accidental glass breakage replacement. Also ask for custom shower doors and many other products and services. Go 962-1636, locally owned with local employees for nearly 30 years.

SPEAKER_00: 1:45:24

Patrons Glass, a clear choice.

SPEAKER_01: 1:45:27

I want to share something that's become a big part of the Be Tempered mission: Patreon. Now, if you've never used it before, Patreon is a platform where we can build community together. It's not just about supporting the podcast, it's about having a space where we can connect on a deeper level, encourage one another, and walk this journey of faith, resilience, and perseverance side by side. Here's how it works. You can join as a free member and get access to daily posts, behind-the-scenes updates, encouragement, and some things I don't always put out on other platforms. And if you feel called to support the mission financially, there are different levels where you can do that too. That support helps us keep producing the podcasts, creating gear, hosting events, and sharing stories that we believe can truly impact lives. And here's the cool part. Patreon has a free app you can download right on your phone. It works just like Facebook or Instagram, but it's built specifically for our community. You'll be able to scroll through posts, watch videos, listen to content, and interact with others who are on the same journey. At the end of the day, this isn't just about content, it's about connection. It's about building something together. Not just me and Ben putting out episodes, but a family of people committed to growing stronger through real stories and real faith. So whether you just want to hop on as a free member or you feel called to support in a bigger way, Patreon is the door into that community. Because at the heart of Be Tempered has always been simple real stories, raw truth, resilient faith, so that even one person out there that hears what they need to hear, and Patreon helps make that possible.