ADSO Summit Wraps up in Chicago
After 3 days of presentations and collaboration amongst leadership teams, the organization honors trailblazers as the industry turns to the next 15 years.
After 3 eventful days in Chicago, the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO) today honored 4 of the dental industry’s most influential leaders with its 2026 Industry Awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to innovation, service and leadership.
The awards capped 3 three days of programming at the 2026 ADSO Summit: Dentistry’s Main Event, where executives from around the country gathered to explore the Summit’s central theme: the importance of building strong management teams. Unlike most events, the ADSO Summit is designed for entire leadership teams, bringing together CEOs and executives from across operations, finance, human resources, technology marketing, and other key functions to learn, collaborate and solve challenges together.
That emphasis on team-based leadership development was reflected throughout the Summit’s Main Stage sessions, breakout discussions and networking opportunities, culminating in the recognition of leaders whose contributions have helped advance both their organizations and the dental industry as a whole.
The 2026 ADSO Industry Award recipients are:
- ADSO Service Award – Dr. Mary Pham, CEO of Lollipop Dental
- ADSO Presidential Award – Justin Jory, founder & CEO of Lightwave Dental
- ADSO Innovation Award – Trey Tepichin, co-founder & CEO of Cloud Dentistry
- ADSO Innovation Award – Artemis AI Team, Planet DDS
- ADSO Hall of Leaders Award – Gary Pickard, senior director of Government & Industry Affairs at PDS Health
“I am incredibly proud of the success of this year’s Summit. By opening up the discussions to full management teams, we created an opportunity for organizations to strengthen alignment and leave better equipped to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing dentistry,” Andrew Smith, ADSO’s chief executive officer said in today’s press release. “As we celebrate the 15th annual Summit, it is especially fitting to recognize the leaders whose vision, innovation and commitment to excellence are helping to move our industry forward. This year’s award recipients embody the leadership and collaboration that were at the heart of this week’s discussions, and we are proud to honor their contributions.”
The ADSO Industry Awards Ceremony was just one highlight of the Summit. Across the 3 days in Chicago, attendees explored the trends, technologies and leadership strategies shaping the future of DSOs. Highlights included Smith’s State of the Industry address; executive discussions on value creation, capital markets and the evolving DSO landscape; and a new focus on how leadership teams drive organizational performance. Keynote speakers Jacob Morgan and John Rossman challenged attendees to rethink leadership in an era of constant change, sharing practical frameworks for building resilient, high-performing teams. Sessions also examined topics ranging from artificial intelligence and workforce development to mergers and acquisitions, revenue cycle management, and operational excellence. As ADSO celebrated the 15th edition of its flagship event, the Summit brought together leaders from across the industry to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and develop strategies designed to help their organizations thrive in the years ahead.
Also new this year, the event featured the Thank You for Flossing podcast studio, sponsored by Flossy. Throughout the conference, Smith interviewed speakers, industry executives and other prominent attendees for future episodes of ADSO’s industry-leading podcast.
As the 2026 ADSO Summit concludes, attendees will return to locations across the country to implement new learnings and drive the future of dentistry. The ideas, relationships and strategies developed throughout the week will help shape the next chapter of growth and innovation across the DSO industry.
For more information, visit theadso.org.
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