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What is your name?
David Landeen
What is your title?
Video Production Specialist
Photo David Landeen took of Dollar Lake in the High Uinta Mountains in Utah
Where did you take the cover/calendar photo? The photo was taken at Dollar Lake, which is in the high Uinta mountain range here in Utah. It’s on the trail to Kings Peak. I was up there with a youth group as their leader. One morning, another one of the leaders and I woke up super early to get some pretty shots of the lake. Just as we were about to leave, the lake got crystal clear, the sun was coming up, and you could see the mountains perfectly reflected in the water. I had to go through a bunch of bushes to get the shot (there was no trail) and I got completely soaked, but it was worth it!
David with the youth group he camped with near Dollar Lake near King’s Peak
It's a gorgeous photo!
Well, that area is such a gorgeous place. Dollar Lake and the valley that’s right by Kings Peak are so beautiful that it’s almost impossible to take a bad photo there. We didn’t actually get to summit Kings Peak on that trip, so I plan on going back. As we were nearing the peak on that trip, the clouds started rolling in. Just the week before, my sister had summited the peak and left me a ten-dollar bill under a rock as a hidden treasure, so I decided to try and make a sprint for it. But when I got about 100 feet from the top, I started to see lightening and had to turn around. I refuse to have that be my only experience there, so I plan on going back later this summer and collecting my ten bucks if it’s still there! You’re a Utah native, right? Yes, and I love to take advantage of what our landscape has to offer. Most summers, I try to get out on as many local hikes as I can in addition to making a couple of trips to southern Utah and Moab to hike down there. My wife and I also hike Mount Timpanogos every year. I have a goal of someday summiting Mt. Nebo, Mt. Timpanogos, Kings Peak, and Lone Peak all in one summer.
David and his wife, Chanae, on their annual hike up Mount Timpanogos
Tell me a little bit more about yourself. What did you major in in college, and how did you end up here at Ultradent?
I majored in communication with an emphasis in video production at Brigham Young University-Idaho. After I graduated, we moved here to Utah because I had a part-time job lined up that I hoped would turn into a full-time gig. My wife was pregnant at the time, and when it became clear that I wasn’t going to get the full-time position, we went into panic-mode and she started applying for jobs for me at all kinds of places. Then, one day, Ultradent called me and asked if I’d come in for an interview. I got the job, and I happen to love it here. Aside from hiking, what do you like to do outside of work? I do a lot of long-distance running. I do half-marathons, marathons, and relays. This year, I’m doing the Utah Valley Marathon, then I’m doing the Top of Zion Relay, then I’m running the St. George Marathon. Then, next year, I qualified to run the Boston Marathon in 2018 so I plan on doing that.
David crossing the finish line of the St. George Marathon
Tell me about your family. I’m married to my wife, Chanae, and we have two daughters. Our daughter Leah has Down Syndrome, which was a total surprise to us. Ainsley is our second daughter, and she is ball of energy.
David, his wife, Chanae, and their daughters Leah and Ainsley
You have become a real advocate of children and people with Down Syndrome.
Yes. World Down Syndrome Day is on March 21, because the medical term for Down Syndrome is Trisomy 21, meaning that people born with it have three copies of the 21st chromosome. Every year, we try to do something fun and bring Leah into work and let her meet everyone. It’s important to me to do things like that, because when I was growing up I was always so afraid of having a special needs child, and I know there are other people that feel that way. So it’s important to me to raise awareness and help people interact with people like Leah and see that it’s not scary. I love when people get to know her and realize that we all have a lot more in common with people who have Down Syndrome than some people might think. Leah walks and talks and can do most things other kids can do. I think that the more people interact with people who have special needs, the more their walls and misconceptions break down. It’s been a really good experience, and it’s no longer my greatest fear to have a child with Down Syndrome. My greatest fear now would be to ever lose her, because we love her so much.What do you love about working at Ultradent? I love the open-door policy that our president, Dirk Jeffs, and our founder and CEO, Dr. Fischer, have. They are so accessible and open, and they make themselves available for us to come to them with our concerns. They also take the time to get to know us. That’s a stark difference compared to most company cultures. Last year, for example, the video production team went down to Moab for a video shoot; with Dr. Fischer and Dirk Jeffs. They never once separated themselves from the rest of the group or left the grunt work to everyone else. They were always pitching in to help. I think Dr. Fischer even carried one of our backpacks up the hill to the spot where we were shooting. You just never feel like they feel they’re better than you. They truly embody the part of our core values that says, “’It’s not my job’ doesn’t exist.” Read more: See the complete Employee Spotlight Series!
