By: Romeo G. Dungca, Jr., DMD, RN
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It's my 2nd time to attend an anniversary celebration the company I'm currently working for -- and this was such a milestone for me because this is likewise the first ever official company that I've been employed wherein there are more than 10 peeps working together -- colleagues, dental assistants, front desk officers and admin staff. This, however remarkable, is undeniably my first -- and there is totally no problem with that -- it's a milestone!
Urban Smiles had just turned 5 years old, it can be likened to a growing up toddler -- a preschooler perhaps, a kid who is awaiting or developing to be of age. A point in life where anything seem curious and promising, and everything deserves to be explored and learned and -- lived!
For starters, the theme for the 5th anniversary celebration is grand gala night, so naturally everyone is expected to come in their best suits and gowns -- and we did! It was something new and refreshing. Unlike the previous years where the celebration was held in a resto with just a plain dinner for the employees together with the bosses, this year was a notch higher! Why not, it was a milestone for a company to reach its 5th founding anniversary that has literally grown in numbers, not merely with the number of employees but with the number of branches, USDC has 5 branches already, technically 1 new branch each year -- it's quite impressive for a company in a technologically-advancing and highly-competitive industry to cope up and be close at par with the leading competition.
----- Take 1
As the sun sets and a threat of a storm slowly drifts afar. On the 9th night of the 7th month, as the clock strikes 8 in an elegantly fashioned events place, Bella Ibarra, one by one, guests start to arrive in their flashy and classy suits and gowns. It was an elaborate set up -- the stage design was glittery, the buffet was exquisitely fashioned (tho' not everything on the menu was sumptuous nor delicious, but gloriously the lechon saved the night!), a photo booth was strategically set near the entrance, tables were elegantly set and allotted for every branch personnel and guests, Dr. Grace Orlina with her husband and daughter, our Orthodontic clinical consultant, was also present, company friends i.e. D Pro peeps (who have been handling the company's events like team building) and smile brand ambassadors namely Mr. Sam Mangubat, Eumee Capile of ABS-CBN's Tawag ng tanghalan, and GMA artists Addy Raj and Lharby Policarpio all graced the event
A few minutes before the event commenced, my good friend, Dr. Harold and I were having a blast chatting here and there with other USDC employees, getting a flicker or two, or maybe even several, lol, of camera shutters left and right. I think we were among the first ones posing for the photo booth with different peeps, it was certainly one of the perks of arriving a bit early.
As 4 meager hours is left before midnight, the night rightfully kick started with a spontaneous yet eloquent prayer led by Dr. Rebbie and then the program proper set in. Posing in as master of ceremony is our brand ambassador and beauty queen, the vivacious, gorgeous and articulate Miss Philippines Earth 2013, Ms. Angelee Delos Reyes, who unequivocally did a great job, she was such a natural!
To formally open and set the mood for the night's gala, USDC CEO Sir Ruel Apostol did his welcome address, complete with PowerPoint presentation. He talked about the humble beginnings of Urban Smiles and how he envisioned the company as early as years prior to its conception. He stressed that only less than 50% of new companies last to enjoy their 5th founding anniversary, mostly fall short -- so it's safe to say that those who celebrate its half a decade in their respective industry in itself is an achievement. He further said that in today's ever-changing, technologically-advancing and highly-competitive age in business, it is tough enough to stay operational for 5 years but tougher even to go hand-in-hand and toe-to-toe with the latest innovations in the industry, saying that Dentistry might someday be a thing of the past and be an obsolete industry, (though I highly disagree and doubt that this will ever happen, simply because health care is an integral part of human existence, oral care is as vital as any discipline in Medicine -- surely technological advancements are in-demand in the 22nd century and those in the healthcare industry, dentistry for this matter, must keep up with the trends.
Further, the CEO then discussed something about an acronym VUCA which stands for Vulnerability, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, and pledged that amidst all of these variables he will do everything with the best of his abilities, as long as he's still CEO, to catch up, keep up, suit up and brave any odds just to put Urban Smiles at par with its competition and probably surpass them in the future -- this will materialize of course with the help of everyone in the company working as a TEAM!
I too, have an acronym to leave you guys, TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More -- and I'll leave it at that.
----- take 2
Moving forward, after the CEO address, a brand ambassador who is a patient from the newly-opened Fairview branch, Mr. Sam Mangubat gave a couple of song number which specifically mesmerized the ladies of Urban, and/or probably some men as well, lmao. Immediately after, a big reveal that was never anticipated was announced -- loyalty awardees were named and given a FREE all expense paid vacation trip to HongKong for 2! It's said that "Many are called, few are chosen", these highly-commended individuals who have stayed in Urban Smiles for 5 possibly-stressful-yet-surely-fun-filled years were Dr. Net ("the mother") Dr. Elle (our soft spoken head dentist), Cheene (our ever-reliable head DA) and Berto (my fave DA) -- they are indeed the epitome of the verse because they have weathered every storm and outlasted several people whom they have worked in the past 5 years.
the Loyalty Awardees bound to HK!
Doc Elle, "the soft-spoken head Dentist"
Doc Net, "The Mother"
Cheene Joy, "The ever-reliable, small but terrible Head DA!
Berto, my fave DA, well i think almost every dentist wants him to assist them!
Naturally, each were asked to give a speech but Doc Elle's words were both striking and timely, at least for me. She gave an anecdote on her reflections of her Urban Smiles journey for the last 5 years and she made an analogy of the company to an LRT train ride. She emphasized that an LRT train ride gives a mix of intense feelings and unique experience to everyone aboard -- there are times that a ride will be rough, a lot of people are squeezed in together but sometimes it is spacious. The ride may be inconvenient for some, others might not come on their appointments on time, but for most people, this ride is the safe, fast and reliable way to their destination. Somebody will alight yet someone will surely ride in a station, one thing's for sure -- she is glad to see every faces that gala night who have ridden the ride and have chosen to stay until now, it is surely not the end of the line and she hopes that a hefty will still be there in the journey with her and the rest of the gang. Such an inspiring story to tell and worth sharing!
----- Take 3
After a few more words from the loyalty awardees, another brand ambassador, Eumee of TNT gave a riveting performance worth sharing via FB live! And then, the highly anticipated and most sought after part of the program happened -- the DINEER! Hehehe,,,
https://www.facebook.com/ruelpierreapostol/videos/1365533243591062/
Left to entertain famished Urban peeps queueing for the buffet table was a live band "I forgot their group name, I'm truly sorry for that", which in all fairness was good, if not great.
To break the monotony, a video presentation was played. A few days before the event, marketing staff kept on asking for pictures from different branches, some were serious and others were candid, not to mention selfies and fun moments inside the clinic. So it was literally, a compilation of Urban Peeps' cherished and treasured moments -- and so here it is! Just click the link!
Right before the announcement of the 2 highly awaited awards to be given, not to mention the male and female stars of the night; raffle prizes were drawn and select individuals were luckily given tokens, Soon followed the naming of the 2 coveted awards -- the male and female stars of the nigh. 5 males and 5 females were hand picked by Ms. Angie and were given the chance to walk the aisle and display their elegance and poise -- after a few walks and several applause, Dr. Froilan, from Manila branch, was named male star of the night while a newbie Dr. Michelle, from Fairview branch, was named female star of the night. Both were stunning and deserving.
The Male and Female Star of the Night, Doc Froi and Doc Michelle
The Female Star of the Night, Doc Michelle of Fairview branch
The Male Star of the Night, Doc Froi of Manila Branch
----- Take 4
Thereafter, it was USDC President, Sir Ralph's (who just graduated DMD), turn to address the hall. The speech was elaborately inspirational and informational as well, he made an analogy of Urban Smiles as a huge and diverse family and he, being the president, is the father of the family. It is but natural, he said, for any event of Urban analogous to a dinner in a family, where he would tend to look for each family members present or absent because each are both important for him... He then went on telling the humble start of Urban Smiles, with PowerPoint slides also, he showed pictures of the original peeps behind the start of the company, not all remained, a few stayed, but he's still thankful that a whole lot of new members add up to the growing Urban Smiles family. Nostalgia set in, when he reminisced the good ole days and how and when each branch started (with complete date and circumstance on how each branch begun its soft opening). And at that moment, he introduced the members of the newly opened Fairview branch.
After which, it was time to name who were the deserving awardees of the much-coveted Employee and Dentist of the Year Award respectively. A week prior to the event, there was an online voting for the eligible candidates of each category. A set of criteria were given out to everyone for an orderly selection of possible winners. For the employee of the year, there were 5 individuals selected as top 5 -- first, Ms. Ann, FD of Manila branch; second, Ms. Erica, FD of Manila branch; third, Ms. Aira, FD of Cubao branch; fourth, Mr. Bert, DA for almost all branches; and fifth, Dr. Vero Lago, associate dentist in Sta. Lucia branch. But, the most deserving who got the award was no other than Manila branch front desk officer, Ms. Erika Coronel, who happened to be the recipient of the same award for Manila branch in particular the previous year, tho' the employee of the year award this year was a bit special because there is a sole winner for the category, not just per branch. Teary-eyed, Ecka, received her award which was a FREE all expense-paid vacation trip to HongKong for (2), and was almost speechless when she addressed her heartfelt thanks to those voted for her and the admin as well.
The Employee of the Year, Ms. Erika Coronel
Lastly, the highlight of the evening, the Dentist of the Year Award was out for grabs. In the same manner, there was an online voting casted a week prior the event. Astonishingly, among the elite roster of Associate Dentists that Urban Smiles have, Yours truly together with Dr. Kristel and Dr. Mara were named top 3 -- (I really can't believe I was selected to be among the cream of the top, tho' I believe every dentist in Urban Smiles have a great shot for the award). Nevertheless, the most deserving and awarded Dentist of the Year was Dr. Mara, who just won for herself a FREE international seminar; when, what and where, we are just delighted and excited for her. An awkward moment was when we were asked to say something and I was the first to take the mic, well, besides the several times I said "thanks" and "congrats to us all", I don't like to dwell with what I said (forgive the lengthy minutes I have consumed, but this was what I was driving at, please just read on my blog about it
click this to read my blog, thanks!). it was quite a humbling experience and I'm truly grateful for the recognition.
Dr. Kristel likewise said her thanks and congratulations. Dr. Mara, the big winner as well took the opportunity to thank the bosses and address her message to everyone. A well-deserved win, I think I congratulated Doc Pets personally but let me take this chance once more to say this (Doc Pets, pa-pizza ka sa Manila sa Saturday, pupunta ako, makikikain!") thank you!
Top 3 Dentists of the Year (Doc Roms, Doc Kristel and Doc Pets)
The Dentist of the Year Awardee, Doc Mara
----- Take 5
On one hand, as the night was coming to a close, and pretty soon dawn shall take charge once again like any other day -- everybody were onto their feet dancing the night away, singing their hearts out, gracing the stage like celebrities, posing like ANTModel-wannabes (with the bosses) and being themselves like care-free souls! It was a night like no other.
On the other hand, It was melancholic and nostalgic for some, who are about to leave the walls of USDC and embark on a new endeavor, they will be of course missed but more importantly, the traces they will leave will forever be scarred on the hearts of the people they, in one way or another, have touched and inspired. To Dr. Kim, you will forever leave a dent within the history of USDC as one of the best dentist the company had once had and your strong presence and leadership qualities will be missed gravely; to Dr. Mitch, your lovely and bubbly presence in the Pasay clinic will be greatly missed, not just by your work mates but pretty sure by your patients as well; and to Al, your "Mr. Congeniality" personality will somehow be a loss for the team, and your lively attitude and good assisting skills will be sought for. There are also those who didn't make it till the anniversary nor team building activity, because they left earlier for personal reasons, your absence in the gala night was surely felt. To Rox, ("the preggy one"), nope I know you're on a maternity leave but we do hope that you'll come back after giving birth, not immediately, of course after your prescribed rest, lol; to Bads, we never had the chance to work together but surely the peeps in Cubao and Sta. Lucia are missing you; to Shaima ("khaleesie") well, besides your golden hair, Pasay and Manila branch will gravely miss your weird antics that nobody can match, hope you're doing fine and giving your new workmates a huge heck of laughter; and to Thea (the active one), may you find solace and content on your new work as an SB barista (please don't forget my tumbler, mug and quarterly supply of coffee beans!!).
We hope that there are no burning of bridges, and someday soon, our paths will cross somehow. No good byes, just see you soon -- Till that day, we just wanna wish you all good luck and God speed!
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It was indeed a gala night to remember, an affair to treasure, a memoir for keeps! Some may say, and so the event is done, back to reality! But I say, from now on moving forward, each USDC employee, every urban family member, should keep their heads high with "humility", continue on with their everyday tasks with "hardwork" and always keep in mind to put "kindness" within the halls of the clinic in everything they do. And together let us keep and live our company mantra, "to a lifetime of healthy smiles..."
GRAND GALA NIGHT: URBAN SMILES AT 5 AVP
