A Century of Innovation & Growth -
The History of ROE Dental Lab

Roland Miller, Dental Pioneer

As the decades rolled on,  Roland Miller became known not just as a lab owner, but as an inventor, earning multiple patents that pushed the industry forward:

• Patent No. 1,862,699 – Flask for manufacturing artificial dentures (June 14, 1932)
• Patent No. 2,233,295 – Dental flask (filed February 25, 1941)
• Patent No. 2,430,525 – Combination guide and label (filed November 11, 1947)
• Patent No. 3,092,909 – Method for releasably mounting dental models in plaster of paris on dental articulators (filed June 11, 1963)

Whether he was refining denture flasks, simplifying model mounting, or improving labeling systems, Roland was always looking for a better way to do the work. His ideas landed him in the newspapers as a thought leader in the industry, and here's the part we love most: variations of those patents are still in use in dental labs today.

Nearly a century later, that same inventive spark drives us. Pushing boundaries is in our roots, and it still shapes the work we do every day.

Rita O'Brien, Heartbeat of the Lab

Remember Rita O'Brien, the sharp young clerk who joined in 1936? She didn't simply work at ROE Miller Dental Lab. For more than fifty years, she was its heartbeat.

With her meticulous eye for detail and unwavering loyalty, Rita quickly earned Roland's trust and eventually took over management of the lab's finances. Decade after decade she proved herself a cornerstone of the business, so much so that when Roland passed away, he entrusted the majority of the company to her.

1978

In 1978, Rita sold the lab to Bruce Kowalski, marking the start of a new era. But even then, she remained at the helm of the books, ensuring ROE stayed true to its roots until the day she retired. 

Bruce Kowlaski, Empowering and Growing 

Before purchasing ROE, Bruce began his career in sales at another dental lab, where he learned firsthand how to build relationships and understand the needs of doctors. When the opportunity came to acquire ROE, he brought that same customer-first mindset with him. Many of the employees from the original team came along as well, and remarkably, some of those people still work at ROE today.

Bruce’s true legacy was about the people. He believed in empowering employees to do their best work while treating everyone with respect and a sense of family. This philosophy created a workplace where careers flourished for decades.

Under his leadership, ROE also began to outgrow its home. The lab moved from the downtown Cleveland building into a larger facility in Garfield Heights, OH,  expanding multiple times before even that space became too small. Bruce then helped design and bring to life a new, state-of-the-art building in Independence, ensuring ROE had the space and resources to thrive well into the future.

Shaping Tomorrow

1980s

The 1980s brought the rise of implant dentistry in the United States, and Cleveland sat right at its epicenter. ROE was there from the very beginning. Under Bruce's leadership, the lab became a national leader in implant dentistry, working closely with specialists and implant companies to teach restorative protocols. Through partnerships, teaching programs, and hands-on collaboration, ROE helped define how implants were restored and supported in practices across the country.

Bruce also kept ROE ahead of the curve, championing advancements like pressure injection dentures, esthetic crown and bridge materials, Valplast flexible partials, Wironium alloy, splint therapy, and custom abutments. By embracing new techniques and materials early, he made sure ROE stayed a trusted, forward-looking partner for dental professionals.

His chapter in ROE's story was one of growth, vision, and above all, people. He built a lab that treated employees and partners like family, expanded ROE's footprint across Northeast Ohio, and positioned the company as a trusted leader nationwide.

BJ Kowalski, Grounded Beginnings

BJ Kowalski's story (Bruce's son) at ROE didn't begin in an office. It began elbow-deep in plaster and wax. Through high school and college, he worked all over the lab: sculpting teeth in the denture model room, polishing metal until it gleamed, fielding customer calls when cases went sideways.

When he later moved into sales, orders poured in faster than the lab could fill them. ROE needed BJ back on the inside, not just to keep up with demand, but to rethink how the work was done.

That's when BJ placed a bet that would change everything. While competitors scoffed, he saw the future in 3D printing. The early days were rough. Imagine throwing away half of everything you make. But BJ and the team kept pushing, kept tweaking, kept believing.

Late 1990s

Those failed prints finally turned into perfect restorations. Today, ROE is the country's leader in 3D digital denture resin and remains one of the few labs in the United States to 3D print metal dental restorations in-house.

BJ Kowalski, Innovative Leader

When BJ stepped into leadership, he carried something you can't teach: firsthand experience of traditional dentistry's limitations, gained working alongside his father, Bruce. While competitors stuck to familiar methods, BJ saw opportunity. He brought together a strong management team and committed the lab to a standard well beyond "good enough."

As the industry evolves, so do our technology and our team. We've watched roles shift from traditional CDT work to CAD design expertise, and we've changed right along with them. BJ understands that trust isn't earned once. It's earned every single day. Our customers' needs keep changing as the industry advances, which is why we live by a simple philosophy: meeting you where you are.

Whether a practice is ready for cutting-edge technology or prefers tried-and-true methods, we adapt to what works best for them.

Strategic partnerships have become a cornerstone of this era. ROE doesn't simply adopt new products. We help develop and launch them. From startup ventures to established international companies, businesses across the U.S. and Europe rely on ROE to bring innovations to market, and we create the training resources that help the dental community understand and put them to use.

Looking to the Future

From a single name in a 1925 city directory to a national leader in digital dentistry, one thing has never changed: inventive spirit, devoted people, and a deep commitment to the craft.