Co-Owner, Wilson Martino Dental
by Kensie Hamilton
Robert Martino is a father first and a dentist second. The special thing about him is that he considers his employees family, too. “Most of us spend more waking hours with the people we work with then with our families,” Martino states. “You better like who you work with.”
Martino and his partner, Dr. Ken Wilson take a different approach to managing their seven dental offices around the state. They want their employees to have a vested interest in the success of their office. Therefore, each office member shares 20 percent of the office income. “If the office is doing well, it is because the staff worked their tail off,” says Martino. “It is amazing what a common goal can do.”
All of the Wilson Martino Dental offices have the same basic theory behind them. “Treat your patients like gold, treat your staff like gold and you will reach all your goals,” says Martino. “I let the staff have a say. I am humble enough to know I don’t know all the answers. To be successful you must use all your resources and your employees are your best resource.”
Martino looks on his partner, Dr. Wilson as his mentor. “I joined his practice in 1990. He showed me not only the ropes of dentistry, but also how to treat people. I recall Wilson saying, ‘you can’t grow without having people grow with you.’ He not only taught me but invested in me,’” says Martino.
A firm believer in education and hard work, Martino knows he would not be where he is today without it. “I think hard work, a great family, a great partner and a great staff are the key,” says Martino. “It is great to be a Young Gun, but you don’t do it by yourself.”
A true people person, Martino misses the time he got to spend with his patients. “That is what I miss the most now that I am retired from practicing dentistry,” he says. “I don’t get to see my patients. They were not only my patients but my friends.”
Martino retired from practicing so that he could take care of the business side and allow his doctors to take care of patients. “This way everyone wins,” he explains. “The doctor, the staff and most importantly, the patient. Doctors are not trained to run an office; they are trained to treat patients. In our system, they don’t have to worry about the business aspect. They only have to concentrate on the patient and we feel if you are that patient, you would want a doctor whose main focus is on you.”
He decided to be a dentist because he knew it would give him the time he wanted to be with his family. As parents of four, he and his wife, Lori, understand the importance of being involved in helping the underprivileged children in West Virginia.
Each Christmas the whole staff works with the annual coat drive, they have distributed over 6,000 coats so far. They also provide free dentistry to children all over the state in connection with the West Virginia Healthy Kids Drive which promotes the Chips Program. He is also actively involved with the fundraising board at Notre Dame High School and St. Mary’s Grade School.
Martino not only has a vested interest in youth, but also his home state. “For me West Virginia is the secret of the nation,” says Martino. “I want West Virginia to grow, just not too much. I will never leave here. I can go anywhere to visit but I always come home to a life I love.
“You can come to one of our offices and get the best dental care. You don’t have to go to New York or Pittsburgh. We use the same labs here that they do and we charge a fraction of the cost. We love that about West Virginia. It is hard to understand that if you don’t live here. I would never live anywhere else.”
Photography by Rick Lee
