With Father’s Day coming up, we want to highlight what makes Knack Pack the best backpack for dads who both work hard, and play hard. Bryan Euzent - a dad, dentist, and Knackpacker - is just that. This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Bryan about what it’s like to balance his roles as a dad and as the co-owner of Warm Springs Dental Practice.
For Mother’s Day, we interviewed his business partner Jessica. Check out her feature here.
On owning a small business in 2021
It’s no secret that 2020 was a tough year for many industries - and dentistry was no exception. According to Bryan, “Being a small business owner is not without adversity. Dentistry is experiencing a shortage of well-qualified team members, while some remain at home with children” due to COVID.
But Bryan holds himself accountable for dealing with the new set challenges brought on by the pandemic. He says that “We’ve managed to keep together an amazing group with creative scheduling and staff members stepping up to help each other out.”
Despite the pressures of owning a business, “running a dental practice is very rewarding.” Bran likes the autonomy to make changes without having to answer to an outside entity. “Whether it’s implementing new systems to improve the patient experience, or investing in new dental technology, it’s much easier to provide the high level of patient care we strive for at Warm Springs Dental when my partner and I can make those decisions ourselves.”
Read about other Knackpacker enterpreneurs here.
On working with the Portland Trailblazers
Bryan and his partner Jessica also have the unique role as the official dentists to the Portland Trailblazers. According to Bryan, dental care for the players doesn’t look much different than dental care for their regular patients, “other than that some of their feet are hanging off the dental chairs!”
Bryan and Jessica attend the players’ home games at the Moda Center, where they care for the Trailblazers and for the opposing team. “At the Moda Center, we’ve got an emergency dental kit in the medical room that we always hope not to need.”
This role is generally pretty fun for Bryan. “It’s an excuse to go to more basketball games since Jessica or I are at every home game. Game nights make for a great reason to get a babysitter and head out for dinner and the Blazers’ game with my wife.”
Some words of wisdom from a busy working dad - dentist
Hydrate with water, not Gatorade. “It takes over 20 minutes for your saliva to neutralize the damaging acids in sports and energy drinks… Not to mention the sugar in there!” Here’s a tip - keep a water bottle in Knack’s stealth water bottle compartment.
On organizing Dad Life
Bryan’s two daughters are busy with dance and gymnastics multiple days per week, so Bryan and his wife share their Google calendars in order to coordinate work, school, extracurriculars, and appointments. “It’s also very helpful when I’m trying to fit in a round of golf”, he jokes.
But the best part of looking at the calendar is “seeing that upcoming vacation get closer!” Bryan is working on getting his kids interested in golf, so that they can go on golfing vacations together as a family. “I think that the snacks and cart rides may be more appealing to them than the game, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Recently, Bryan and the gang got away from some Pacific Northwest rain with a family golf trip to Palm Desert. And yes, Bryan took his Knack Pack with him. “I packed everything I needed for the week in my large Knack. I was pleasantly surprised by how much stuff fit in the Knack using the packing cubes. The only thing we had to check for a family of four was the club bag!”
Get some compressible Knack packing cubes here.
Thank you, Dr. Bryan!
We love to hear how Knack plays a role in the lives of busy, working parents. Do you know a Knackpacker with a story to share? Let us know!
About Knack
Knack Packs are designed by mobile workers, for mobile workers. Knack makes it easy to work and play, anywhere you go, with just one bag. Read our story here.
