< Mercedes Padilla, Joyce Anne Longfellow & Alan Longfellow
Dr. Alan Longfellow established a pediatric dental practice in Tempe in 1973 with two chairs, a dental assistant and an office manager. At the time, the newly-minted dentist was in debt and banks weren’t anxious to lend money to young dentists. So he borrowed money from an uncle to open the small office in The Lakes area of Tempe.
The area didn’t attract as many patients as he expected, but Longfellow was able to grow the business by forming relationships with general dentists. Within 10 years he expanded to four chairs and treated patients from the local area and from such distant towns as Globe. The business, then called The Longfellow Practice, built a new office with double the space in 1997 and a year later hired Dr. Mercedes Padilla as an associate pediatric dentist. In 2003, the bilingual Padilla became a co-owner of the business with Alan and Joyce Anne Longfellow.
Name of business: Children's Dental Village
Nature of business: Pediatric dentistry
Address: 7360 S. McClintock Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283
Web: www.childrensdentalvillage.net
Founded: 1973
Employees now: 23
The company’s name was changed to Children’s Dental Village this past January. Its approach to ethics is rooted in values, with its top three values being family, friendship and love. The work culture upholds those values, which is probably why some employees have been with the company for 20 to 30 years.
The company has a community outreach division that does work both locally and internationally. It conducted dental programs in Africa and Ecuador during the past year and also helped conduct a local food drive for victims of Hurricane Katrina and donated dental materials to the cause.
