More Than 75 Years
of Excellence
Since 1949, Ordont Orthodontic Appliance Lab has served the orthodontic appliance needs of thousands of general practitioners. Orthodontics continues to be our only service to the dental profession.
Our orthodontic appliance solutions are designed to your exact specifications and customized to meet the needs of your patient. We include a full range of orthodontic services and information to assist you in providing high quality, professional dental care.
We offer you quality orthodontic appliances, unmatched service and a commitment to serving the dental profession.
In 2024, we partnered with Specialty Appliances. With this new partnership, we will continue to serve you as we always have, while also providing you with access to additional appliances, products, and educational opportunities. We are excited to have the support of Specialty Appliances as we continue to partner with you to meet the needs of your patients.
Management Team
Paul Ruzicka CDT
Manager of Ordont
Paul Ruzicka CDT is the Manager of Ordont Orthodontic Lab. Ordont was started in 1949 by Paul's father, Leonard Ruzicka. Paul started working at Ordont in 1982 and has been there ever since. Paul has a BA in Economics from Marquette University and is a certified dental technician in orthodontics.
Chidam Chidambaram
Chief Executive Officer
Chidam Chidambaram is Chief Executive Officer at Specialty Appliances™. He joined Specialty Appliances™ in November 2022. Before Specialty Appliances™, Chidam spent many years in General Management and Marketing.
He has extensive experience in launching new products worldwide, global advertising, and growing businesses through traditional and direct channels, including digital.
Most recently, at Dentsply Sirona, he was Head of SureSmile globally, growing the business from $20MM to $ 150MM in revenue over two years.
While at Dentsply Sirona, he was also Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, where his team created enterprise digital marketing capability and launched e-commerce websites in many countries worldwide.
Tim Jackson
Chief Operating Officer
Tim Jackson is the Chief Operating Officer at Specialty Appliances™. He joined Specialty Appliances™ in February of 2021. Prior to Specialty Appliances™, Tim spent many years in Operations and Manufacturing Management.
His previous experience includes many roles across Philips, leading North America Operations for Personal Health, Senior Director of Distribution, and Senior Director of Manufacturing. He has achieved breakthrough results through unshakable belief in Lean methodology and talent cultivation.
Progressive career leading high mix/volume manufacturing, Tim led a strategic partnership with global 3PL and executed a change to move away from high labor warehousing into greenfield new state-of-the-art distribution center.
Arlen Hurt
Chief Clinical Officer
Arlen graduated from Indiana University in 1984 with a degree in dental laboratory technology. Today, he has 38+ years of experience working and developing solutions for orthodontists. He is a sought-after speaker at orthodontic meetings who is at the forefront of innovation in orthodontics.
Arlen invented the RES™ Expansion screw, Herbst AppleCore Screw, Mini-Palex™ Expansion screw, Leone Half screw, Herbst MiniScope mechanism, M-4 Herbst Mechanism, ROC Crowns, Rapid Molar Distalizer and various orthodontic appliances over the last 38 years.
He is the 2008 NADL Harry Hagman Inventor of the Year award winner. As a Georgia Dental Laboratory Association member for over 20+ years, Arlen has served on all board positions for the GDLA, including serving as President in 2022.
Arlen is passionate about the orthodontic laboratory business and works with doctors and their staff to deliver the best treatment outcomes.
Ryan Egan
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan Egan is the Chief Financial Officer at Specialty Appliances™. He joined Specialty Appliances™ in August 2023. Prior to Specialty Appliances™, Ryan was the CFO of an industrial refrigeration business where he drove all aspects of finance and technology transformation and M&A, which included a successful exit.
Before that, Ryan spent most of his career in various consulting roles, helping clients achieve their financial and strategic goals.
David Jenkins
Chief Information Officer
David Jenkins is Chief Information Officer at Specialty Appliances™. He joined Specialty Appliances™ in April 2022. Before Specialty Appliances™, David spent over 30 years in Information Technology and business leadership. His previous experiences include large and small laboratories, large technology services companies, and non-profits.
David has extensive experience understanding business needs and delivering technology that enables business growth. In addition to his achievements in technology, David has also been the driving force in four separate start-ups, including a business management consultancy where he was recognized as a Fellow of AInstIB, an international business advisory organization.
Heather McNeil
Head of Human Resources
Heather McNeil is the Head of Human Resources at Specialty Appliances™. Before beginning her career with Specialty Appliances™, Heather performed accounting roles in the for-profit and non-profit realm while also processing payroll and other HR administrative tasks for non-profit.
Heather holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Davenport College of Business and received her SHRM-CP certification in December 2016. She joined the company in April 2011 as our HR Administrator/Accountant.
During her first five years with the company, Heather's primary role was managing accounting while handling payroll, benefits administration, job postings, and onboarding.
As the company grew, Heather's role grew as well. She became our HR Manager in July 2016 when she took over talent acquisition and employee relations while still overseeing accounting. In 2020, Heather handed over the accounting duties to focus solely on HR. Since then, she has become our Head of HR.
Jessica Rothrock
Director of Orthodontic Treatment
Jessica Rothrock is Director of Orthodontic Treatment at Specialty Appliances™. She joined Specialty Appliances™ April 2022. Before Specialty Appliances™, Jessica spent 21 years working in an orthodontic practice. During those 21 years, she worked as a certified orthodontic assistant, front office coordinator, treatment coordinator, and office manager.
Balaji Sudabattula
Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs
Balaji Sudabattula is the Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Specialty Appliances. He joined Specialty Appliances in September 2023. Before Specialty Appliances, Balaji worked in start-ups to multi-billion-dollar medical device companies.
Balaji comes to Specialty with a wealth of quality and regulatory affairs knowledge. Balaji has a Master's in Engineering Management Science from Wichita State University and an MBA from Xavier University.
Tech Reps
Our tech representatives are here to address any technical questions you may have. Tech reps help ensure that you receive high-quality products that exceed your expectations.