Employee #1’ Marks 40th Anniversary

Today, the average employee stays with a company 4.5 years.

But Gail O’Malley is not your average employee. She still loves her job — and her boss — after four decades!

Today, ARCH Orthodontics – where Gail was the very first employee — ‘Employee #1’ — has 40 employees in 9 offices from Boston to Cape Cod. But it was a lot different in 1975 when young Gail met Dr. Robert Chavez. She recently reflected on her first encounter with the doctor who had just launched his practice in Stoughton Center.’

“It was July, 1975,” Gail recalls. “I had just completed the dental assisting program at Southeastern Regional Tech. I was working as a dental assistant, looking for full time employment. I arranged an interview with a local Periodontist, but when I arrived, he must have been at lunch. Dr. Chavez heard me knocking, asked why I was there, and said he, too, was looking for a dental assistant. “If it doesn’t work out with the other doctor, come back and see me,” he smiled. “Looking back, I believe Dr. Chavez sensed that I would be a good fit for his new practice, given my outgoing personality that matched his own,” says Gail.

In addition to interaction with staff and patients, Gail liked to watch how the practice kept evolving. “Dr. Chavez kept up with the latest technology. We grew from a one-doctor practice to a multi-practice facility with several doctors. I have survived several computer conversions, as well as going from paper to computer. When I arrived, the sign just said, ‘Dr. Robert Chavez, Orthodontist,’ He was generous, giving time off, buying us ice cream in the middle of hot summer days, taking us out to lunch.  If anyone had a family emergency, you had as much time off as needed.  He certainly made work fun. He was always available to see any patient, at any time of day, even going to their homes.”

Gail adds, “Today, despite the practice size, the fun is still here, and it’s still a family-oriented practice catering to the needs of the patients and employees. I especially like his philosophy that Dr. Chavez has never wavered from: ‘Your visit to ARCH  should be the best part of your day.’”

In 2009 Gail’s husband retired and they moved to Cape Cod. “I had been commuting 80 miles each way for a few years from the Cape to Stoughton because I loved my job. And when Drs. Chavez and Chase bought the practice of a retiring Orthodontist – one of his former professors — with offices in Hyannis and Orleans — it was a perfect solution for me to manage those two offices. I graduated from Massasoit Community College with an Associate’s degree and took business classes at Stonehill College, which Dr. Chavez reimbursed me for. That helped a lot.”

Gail says, “It wasn’t a surprise that Dr. Chavez’s son, Dr. Andrew Chase, would join the practice after Orthodontic school. I’ve known him since he was 8.  I took his first impression since he would not allow his Dad to take it.  He is a joy to work for,  level-headed, a great Orthodontist, and has good business sense. He has worked closely with his father to build the practice and is finding ways to take it to the next level. And they do their best to keep it fun for staff and patients.” (The name ARCH is an acronym: ‘A’ for Andrew, ‘R’ for Robert, and ‘CH’ for Chavez and Chase.)

With her big, contagious ‘ARCH smile,’ Gail is a walking advertisement for ARCH. “Early on, Dr. Chavez insisted on putting braces on me. I had 8 teeth extracted and braces for two years. He perfected my smile and it’s still perfect after 40 years. He treated my three daughters, nieces, nephews, extended family. They all have beautiful smiles! Over the years, a few relatives have worked at ARCH, too.”

There are other reasons Gail has stayed with ARCH. “I grew up in Stoughton, and knew or had a relationship with most of the people that would come through the practice.  And my husband was a teacher, then Principal at the Middle School. I could relate to the parents who had children at that school. It was a nice balance being able to juggle family and work, and I was able to go back to school.”

Gail and husband Ray have been married 41 years. They have three daughters, two grandsons and another grandchild on the way. Outside the office, Gail has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross Volunteer. (ARCH encourages staff members to “give back to the community.’)  She loves riding her bike and running on the beach.

Gail is pleased that she’s spent her entire working life at ARCH.  It always felt like home.” She says, “If  I’m ‘Employee #1,’ then Dr. Chavez is definitely ‘Boss #1.’