Friday August 26 2011
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Adamson Lagoon at Bee Creek Park
1900 Anderson
College Station

R.S.V.P at 979-693-6300 by Wednesday, August 24, 2011

http://www.theeagle.com/lifestyles/Receptionist-still-smiling-after-40-years

Elms Orthodontics receptionist Brenda Ponzio sat at her desk May 12 surrounded by streamers, banners and other decorations covered in 40s.

Although many young patients at Dr. Troy Elms’ office wished Ponzio a happy birthday, this celebration was different — it marked 40 years of work at the same practice.

“It’s amazing how fast the time has flown,” Ponzio said. “I just happened into the perfect job. It was like God just led me to the perfect job. It’s been my whole life — the next best thing to my family.”

Ponzio, 60, entered the field in 1971. The then-20-year-old was married to Benny Ponzio, and their first child Karen was still an infant. She applied for several jobs, landing one as a receptionist for Tom King, an orthodontist in Bryan.

Over the last 40 years, Ponzio’s family has grown to include three more children and six grandchildren. Karen Treat, 40, works as a dental assistant for Craig Anderson in Bryan. Amy Richardson, 36, is a registered nurse who works in the emergency room at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan and PHI helicopters. Melissa Garrett, 30, is a dental assistant for Richard Mogle in Bryan. B.J. Ponzio, 24, is a rancher in Bryan.

Ponzio worked under King for 20 years until he retired in 1991, when Elms took over the practice.

“I’ve been so blessed for 20 years to have the best receptionist there is,” Elms said.

Ponzio plans to stay at Elms Orthodontics until she retires.

“I just love what I do,” she said. “I love the people — the people I work with and the people I work for. I couldn’t have asked for two better bosses.”

Over the years, Elms has taken his staff to orthodontics meetings and conferences that included vacation time. They have gone on cruises to Alaska and Mexico and visited Hawaii and Australia twice. The office plans to attend a conference in the Bahamas in December.

“It’s just really rewarding with all that they give back to us,” Ponzio said.

To show their appreciation, Ponzio’s co-workers treated her to dinner at The Republic with the whole staff, her husband and best friends. They also surprised her by decorating the office and brought a homemade lunch and a cake on the day of her anniversary. Elms also sent a mass email to his patients asking them to send Ponzio congratulatory emails.

“She’s amazing,” Elms said. “[She has] the ability to know people. She’s extremely loved in the community. She has a great memory for names and faces.”

Elms said Ponzio would be hard to replace when the time comes, but Ponzio said she plans to continue working as long as her health allows.

“She’s just a people person, never meets a stranger and makes everyone feel warm and welcome,” Elms said.

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our new x-ray machine: the Kodak 9500. In its industry leading 3D technology, the Kodak 9500 provides radiation dosages as much as 80% less than competing 3D systems, making it safer and easier than ever. Due to this technology, a single rotation around the patient is sufficient therefore using lower radiation exposure.

At our office, a medium field scan is taken quickly, reducing the potential for patient discomfort and allowing us to diagnose with confidence.

With the Kodak 9500, we can see the potential for obstacles in treatment such as: the position of impacted teeth, implant planning, trauma to the mouth and TMJ issues, more precisely than is possible with other imaging methods.

Another great benefit to 3D imaging is that it allows us to produce digital models, eliminating the need for messy impressions.

Taking only 24 seconds, our new machine is time saving to compliment your busy work schedules and is also 100% wheel chair accessible.