An observant reader might wonder why NSIDE is featuring adental professional in their business magazine, rather thanthe MD. To put it simply, Bob Marbach can’t be pegged downto one category or the other. He controls 7 different companies,ranging from the Authentic Dental Laboratory to the Falls Nightclub.When asked how he can manage 7 companies, he said simply,“It’s hard…You have to be very organized, and you have towant it.”
Bob Marbach has been driven since his earliest days. At theage of 10 he was already managing his own thriving lawn carebusiness. Early on, Marbach wanted to be a physician, but wasdiscouraged by the long, unpredictable hours of MD’s. Lookingfor a compromise, the 7th grade Marbach decided he would be adentist.
What began as a love of dentistry became a perpetual finessefor business. While awaiting admission to dental school, Marbachwas offered the opportunity to work in the laboratory setting.From there, he began Authentic Dental Laboratory whichtoday produces top–of–the–line crowns for dentists nationwide.
One of the features setting Authentic apart is its use of cuttingedge CAD CAM technology, allowing much more precise,realistic and well–crafted crowns. Marbach clarifies that anyonecan make a pretty crown, but Authentic puts in the effort to makewhat looks like a real tooth. This commitment to technology andprecision has made Authentic one of the top 14 labs in the top 1%of all dental laboratories.
Never shying away from opportunity, Bob Marbach has alsomade his mark as an inventor. Once struck by the lack of accuratelighting in dental offices, he designed a light wand that wouldprovide dentists with the most realistic impression of the patient’steeth. He worked in his garage on the weekends, building prototypesbefore contracting the help of the necessary manufacturersand suppliers. His vision for the product hinged on his assertionthat “dentists will buy anythingunder $100.” His strategy paidoff, as the light wand continuesto be sold around the world eventoday.
Adapting to a changingworld economy, Marbach hasalso invested in a lab in Acapulco,Mexico. This lab, Pacific DentalWorks, will produce what hecalls ‘pretty crowns’ that serve aslow–cost alternatives for patientsof managed care. While somelabs in China and elsewhere havesuffered from poor materials andmismanaged labor, Marbach’sMexican venture produces thehighest quality import possible.Operated under American management,the Mexican lab usesmaterials sent from the UnitedStates, and trains workers onsitefor careers with the company.These crowns offer an alternativefor patients who can’t affordpremium crowns, and relief fordentists needled with managedcare fees.
Bob Marbach has traveled to speak at over 200 lecturesaround the country. There, he shares his knowledge of dentaltechnology, and how it will impact the $70 billion dollar dentalindustry. Once an altar boy, Marbach used to want to be a priest.Now, he preaches to crowds of more than 200 dentists about theindustry at which he is at the helm.
After establishing Authentic, Bob Marbach created the SerisGroup, Inc., a military contractor that does machining, composites,and external and internal refurbishments. They are currentlyworking on a project to refurbish the interiors of many of theAir Force’s larger aircrafts. Seris, both VA and SBA certified, alsoserves as a medical staffing agency. The agency is up for a bid tosupply nurses to all of the San Antonio area military hospitals.
In addition to the others, Marbach also controls three real estatecompanies, which do everything from raw land developmentto custom home building. In fact, the first home to be built by thecompany was Marbach’s own 4–story Dominion home. Always investing,Marbach made sure to build a home he could live with forquite a while. “I swore I would never move again, so I built thathouse with absolutely everything,” says Marbach. In exciting recentnews, his development company hasjoined the Riverwalk expansion,which will yield high–end restaurantsand condominiums right onthe expanded river.
On the lighter side of hisportfolio is the Falls Bar. Purchasedduring his divorce, the bar provideda much–needed relief from thegrind of Marbach’s busy schedule..“If you interviewed 100 men, 90would say they would love to owna bar. It’s fun and exciting, and youmeet lots of really cool people,”says Marbach. Since purchasingthe club, he has completely redecoratedto give the place more of acomfortable lounge feel. Located at281 and Bitters, the Falls has alwaysbeen a staple for San Antonio’s happyhour. Despite how fun it is, Marbachnotes that he probably needsto spend more time on other projects.“I’ve been so busy that I coulduse a partner here at the Falls. So,if you know anybody that wants tobecome a rock star overnight, sendthem my way.”
In what little free time hehas, Bob likes to hunt. Both home and office are laden with trophiesfrom his best hunts. Among the bears, deer, and many others,his favorite is the buffalo. His most prized trophy, the 1,250 lb. buffalois, to Marbach, a true American icon.
Reading about Bob Marbach’s myriad of investments is enoughto make the average one–company person dizzy. Throughout hisbusiness ventures, Bob has excelled by seizing opportunities, andworking tirelessly to make them succeed. Among all of his venturesthough, Marbach insists that “[his] greatest treasures and accomplishmentsare [his] three beautiful and talented daughters.”
