Benco Dental in Pittston, Pa. and Sallie Mae in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. were two of 50 companies recognized May 30 by Gov. Tom Corbett at the 2014 Governor’s ImPAct Awards, according to a Times Leader report by Bill O’Boyle. The awards went to outstanding Pennsylvania companies and entrepreneurs for creating jobs, developing ideas, reaching new markets and making positive contributions in local communities.

The largest privately-owned dental company in the United States, Benco Dental,  was “honored for reducing the company’s impact on the environment by reducing trash waste by 50 percent; the company also implemented strict recycling practices and operates fuel-efficient fleets. Last year, the company initiated more than 400 associate-submitted ideas for improving the workplace and the community.”

The awards recognized companies from throughout the state in five categories: Jobs First, Community Impact, Small Business Impact, Entrepreneurial Impact and Export Impact. The winners were chosen by an independent judging panel selected by the state’s partners, Team Pennsylvania Foundation (Team PA) and Journal Multimedia. A total of 247 nominations were received.

Founded in 1930 by Benjamin Cohen, Benco Dental has remained family-owned and focused on its unique mission to ‘deliver success, smile after smile.’ Over the past decade, Benco has been the nation’s fastest growing dental distributor, now servicing more than 35,000 dentists and dental laboratories.

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