Landram Named Chamber President

The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has announced that Mike Landram has been named President & CEO. Landram has served as interim President & CEO of the Fort Wayne Chamber since June 2009, and he assumed the permanent position on January 4, 2010. Landram has been with the Chamber since 2004, previously serving as Vice President of Workforce & Business Development.

"We are thrilled to have Mike at the helm and look forward to much success at the Chamber," says Pat Sullivan, chairman, Chamber Board of Directors. "His level of dedication to the Chamber membership is second to none. He will continue to be a tremendous advocate on their behalf and further our mission of supporting business in northeast Indiana."

"I am proud to be a part of this organization and look forward to continuing to collaborate with the staff to serve our members," says Landram. "We are excited about the coming year as we continue to add to and strengthen the benefits we provide our Chamber businesses."

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Like Father, Like Sons

Medical practices that house multiple doctors are not unusual these days, but it is uncommon to find an orthodontics practice comprised of a team of highly skilled professionals who are all accomplished in their field and continue to strive in research and specialty areas. Orthodontic Specialty Services (OSS) takes that unique approach one step further - all three of the doctors who share the five regional offices are family, as well.

The patriarch of this orthodontic dynasty is Gene Dellinger, who first started his practice in 1965. Raising sons as he established his career, he never thought that one day he would be sharing office space with them.

"My wife and I were careful not to encourage nor discourage any particular thing," he recalls. "When [our sons] were young, we wanted them to know that they could be whatever they wanted to be, because we didn't want them to end up doing something that made them miserable. We just wanted them to be interested in something that would make them happy. But it's delightful to have them here and practicing orthodontics. It's been great for me."

His sons, Eric and Aron, have followed their father's career path but each took his own route to get there.

"I remember when I was four years old, I told my teacher that I was going to be an orthodontist like my dad," says Eric, the older of the two Dellinger sons. "I went to work for Dad in 1976 in his laboratory, then went to dental school, and then I completed my orthodontic residency and joined my dad's practice in 1992. It's been a lot of fun, and I've learned a lot from my dad. It's great to have family watching out for you."

Joining five years later was Eric's brother, Aron, who seemed a less likely candidate for joining the family business.

"When I was growing up, everyone in my family was in dentistry or healthcare. I was surrounded by orthodontists, dentists and physicians," says Aron. "I wanted to be different. I started college with the intention of going into business, but after two-and-a-half years of business courses at Indiana University, I discovered those classes just got more and more boring. I enjoyed my science classes, and was happier when preparing for them. I also noticed that all of my business school fraternity brothers were wallpapering their rooms with rejection letters, which I found discouraging. Because of my family connections, there was a great opportunity to run my own business, and science classes were the path to that career."

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