The BNZ Partners-sponsored gala dinner, organised by Export NZ Bay of Plenty, had a theme of "a night aboard the Orient Express" - the train famous for intrigue, and luxury travel between Paris and Istanbul.
But there was nothing mysterious about Triodent's victory. It's business has more than tripled, in turnover and in staff, since it was last celebrating on the Bay of Plenty stage. In July 2007, Triodent was turning over more than $4 million in sales, staff numbers had climbed to 24, and it had distributors in 26 countries, as well as a call centre in Kent, England.
Today, it has $15 million in revenue and is looking to grow another 50 per cent in this present financial year, and then double to more than $40 million by the end of March, 2013. It has 120 staff - 24 of them are in product development - and it has distributors in 50 countries, with United States the main market and making up 50 per cent of the company's turnover.
Triodent is expanding the US office (including warehouse) it established eight months ago in Los Alamitos near Los Angeles. It has just appointed an executive director Garrett Sato, who was executive vice president global sales for larger rival company, Discus Dental, which has been bought by Philips corporation.
A new national sales manager will also start on August 1, taking the US staff to four. "These are exciting times for Triodent," said Dr McDonald. "There are huge opportunities we are missing out on in the US, and we are taking on two experienced executives to run the operation in the US and grow the sales force.
"We plan to double our US customers, but we can't do it without a sales force. Some of them [dentists] are hard to access. They've heard about our products five times over but they don't buy, so so we have to door knock and show them."
At the start of the year, Triodent had a target of gaining 1200 new customers in the United States through direct mail - and its sales-and-marketing team achieved that within the first six months.
It is now selling to about 15,000 of the 140,000 dentists in the US.
Triodent won the Innovation category because it keeps developing new dental products, including using super strong but lightweight titanium alloy powder. "We look at what's on, and not on, the market and make them better - so they are the best products around," said Dr McDonald.
Dr McDonald said Triodent will next year release up to six "breakthrough products in restorative dentistry - and they will maintain high margins for the company".
Champion's haul
In its eight years of operating, Triodent dental solutions has amassed an impressive collection of awards:
In 2008: Fastest growing manufacturer in New Zealand on Deloitte Fast 50 Index and 10th fastest growing company.
In 2009: Fastest growing manufacturer in Central North Island on Deloitte Fast 50; American Chamber of Commerce top exporter to United States; best use of research and development in NZ Trade & Enterprise International Business Awards.
Between 2008-11: The V-Rings named top sectional matrix system by US-based The Dental Advisor, which evaluates clinical and microbiological properties of infection-control products.
In 2007 and 2011: Bay of Plenty Exporter of the Year and winner of Innovation category.
