This story is one of resilience, adaptation, and relentless pursuit of growth. From Talkuchka in Baku to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, every chapter represents the power of perseverance and the transformative impact of technology and education.
2001 – Beginnings in Baku and a Leap to the United States
My journey with computers began in 2001 in Baku, Azerbaijan. At 17, I worked in the bustling Talkuchka near Baku International Airport, managing stores for three partners while earning just $20 a month. Despite the hardship, I carried the responsibility of supporting my family as my father’s health deteriorated. Around this time, I saw the first computer at a friend’s birthday party—a Windows 95 or 98 machine that I mistook for just a gaming console. I never imagined then that a decade later, I would lead technology teams in Fortune 500 companies, managing thousands of such devices.
March 2001 marked a turning point. After years of rejection, my family finally secured passage to the United States. Leaving Baku, with only a small gold necklace (my savings) and $20 cash in my pocket, we arrived in Los Angeles on March 28, 2001. A new life had begun.
2001–2002 – Early Struggles and First Encounters with Technology
Within days of arriving, I found myself back at work in a relative’s restaurant, Fratelli’s Restaurant, walking six miles each way, earning $5.75 an hour. Despite my academic achievements, I spent hours washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms. But fate intervened. The restaurant owner’s brother, Walid Arghandiwal, a Microsoft Systems Engineer (MCSE), noticed my ambition. He encouraged me to pursue computer science, sharing his MCSE books and even providing me with computers to practice on. With no English and no experience, I studied the material picture by picture, breaking and fixing the PC countless times. Walid became my first mentor.
2002–2005 – Education and New Opportunities
By 2002, I had saved enough to buy my first car, a Honda Accord, which opened new opportunities. At Pierce College, I majored in science. Because I barely knew English and spoke with a strong accent, I took many English and speech courses. Since I had already majored in math and physics in Baku, I did not need to complete many additional science courses to qualify for transfer to the university. My multilingual skills helped me assist international students with their admissions and financial aid applications. In 2003, I was pulled into a campus modernization project, working with consultants on networks and servers. This became my first real technology project, fueling my passion.
In 2004, I transferred to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), one of the strongest computer science programs in Southern California. I joined the technology department, contributing to pivotal projects: introducing campus-wide Wi-Fi, migrating to UNIX LDAP, and supporting Mac OS transitions. While studying C# and Java, I also discovered web development through projects supporting faculty and students.
2005–2016 – From Startup Growth to Fortune 500 Leadership
During this period, I transitioned from Implant Direct, a rapidly growing startup, to Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 500 leader. The journey highlighted how technology and strategy scale from entrepreneurial beginnings to global enterprise execution.
Implant Direct
In 2005, just four years after arriving in the U.S., I landed my first professional role at Implant Direct. I worked side by side with Dr. Gerald Niznick, building e-commerce platforms, implementing ERP systems, and developing CRM and BI systems. What started with Access and Excel evolved into Salesforce CRM, Infor SyteLine ERP, DOMO BI, and Magento e-commerce. Despite the 2008 financial crisis, the company thrived, scaling globally while I connected offices, deployed VoIP systems, and built secure IT infrastructure on-premises. At a time when Amazon was still selling books and Netflix was still shipping DVDs, we were creating state-of-the-art digital systems for dental manufacturing.
Danaher Corp
In 2010, Implant Direct was acquired by Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 500 powerhouse. Danaher later spun its dental division into a separate company, Envista Corp. I became one of Danaher’s youngest executives, helping to replicate the direct-to-doctor model across other companies. I participated in M&A activities, onboarding businesses like Sybron Dental Specialties, Attachments International, and DEKA Laser. I was also invited to join the exclusive Danaher Growth Conference, where only select individuals from thousands of employees participated in shaping Danaher’s future. My time at Danaher also immersed me in the Danaher Business System (DBS), the secret sauce behind Danaher’s growth and outperforming the S&P 500 consistently for several decades. In addition to participating in many kaizens across different OpCos, I also led several of them, installed Daily Management, and took part in Policy Deployment (PD) strategies that shaped strategic initiatives for years to come. These efforts supported both topline revenue growth and continuous improvement by making processes more efficient, improving manufacturing absorption, and strengthening OpEx budgets.
2016–2019 – Education and Entrepreneurship
Executive MBA at Pepperdine
In 2016, I stepped away from Danaher to pursue an Executive MBA at Pepperdine University and to test a startup idea. Pepperdine allowed me to integrate my hypothesis into my capstone thesis project. My research focused on understanding how and when dental professionals make purchases from their suppliers. For example, why doctors contacted Danaher OpCos to buy supplies and medical device products, how they made purchasing decisions, and how orders moved through DSO systems. I studied who was involved in each step, why they were involved, and the workflows from initial request to invoice payment. With 11 years of supplier-side experience in dental manufacturing, I lacked firsthand exposure to the buyer side. Drawing on my Danaher training in Kaizen and the concept of Genba—going where the work happens—I secured permission to visit DSO headquarters, interview staff, observe meetings, and watch decisions unfold live in dental offices. I offered my DBS skills at no cost in exchange for access, and shared my findings to help them improve their own organizations.
During my academic years at Pepperdine, while completing courses such as Organizational Culture with Professor Mallingar, Marketing with Professor Salas, and Accounting with Professor X, I engaged in strategic collaboration with faculty on CureMint and my findings from Kaizen activities, integrating their insights into my capstone thesis project. My research earned me a medal at graduation.
CureMint, Inc.
These insights led to the founding of CureMint, a procurement software company that was later acquired by Dentira. I recruited my classmate to lead sales and marketing while I focused on product development. During this period, I balanced building CureMint with consulting for several domestic and international medical device manufacturers. Our venture secured $1.25M in seed funding, advanced product development, and scaled a go-to-market strategy. Meanwhile, I continued sharing my DBS expertise through consulting, helping organizations refine strategy, operations, and technology adoption.
Teaching at Pepperdine
After completing my EMBA program at Pepperdine, Professor Mark Chun, Chair of the Technology Management Department, invited me to return as an adjunct professor to teach technology management courses. For me, the opportunity was deeply meaningful—only 16 years earlier, I had been learning the English alphabet, practicing speech to reduce my accent, and following MCSE manuals, picture by picture, to understand computers. Now, I was standing in front of MBA students, many of them mid-level managers from diverse industries, teaching core courses required for their degrees.
True to my entrepreneurial mindset, I modernized the course by fully digitizing the syllabus using Trello, integrated with Google Workspace. Each session had clear activities, tasks, and a definition of done, creating transparency and accountability. I applied Scrum principles: the first weeks served as an MVP, the full course was Release 1, and each of the 15 weeks was treated as an epic with stories that included lectures, guest speakers, hands-on exercises, quizzes, and role plays. All collaboration and deadlines were managed through Trello and shared Google Drive folders.
By combining freemium SaaS tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Trello) with the Pepperdine curriculum, students learned not only technology management but also modern project management practices they could apply immediately at work. Several students implemented these methods during the course, earning promotions and recognition. Their retrospective feedback reinforced the practical impact of the approach, strengthening both the class experience and their professional growth.
2019-Now
Joining Zest: Stabilizing ERP Systems
After my time at Pepperdine and CureMint, I was recruited by my ex-boss from Danaher, Tom Stratton, who had recently joined Zest Dental Solutions as CEO. He asked me to first consult the company and look into their failing ERP system, which was going down multiple times per day. This marked the next phase of my career at Zest, continuing the same theme of applying technology, strategy, and leadership to scale growth.
I leveraged DBS tools such as PSP, 5-Whys, and Genba to conduct root-cause analysis. Through direct observation of the technology department and ERP end users (customer service, accounting, distribution, planning, production, and others), I identified whether problems stemmed from the system itself, lack of training, or missing processes.
Within days, I built a comprehensive roadmap that addressed system issues and introduced new processes aligned with immediate goals and the company’s future vision. To ensure alignment, I managed up with leadership, across with senior managers, and down to end users. Using DBS daily management, I held AM/PM reviews and created a war-room environment with data artifacts and performance metrics. By the end of March 2019—just a month after I joined—we stabilized the ERP with 99.99% uptime. As a result, Tom hired me full time as VP of Technology.
Building the Direct Model
Zest had historically relied on other implant manufacturers and distributors to sell its products globally. Tom wanted to diversify revenue channels by building a direct model for Zest. Having built similar systems at Implant Direct, Danaher OpCos, and through consulting, I took on the challenge of establishing the direct muscle from the ground up.
Collaborating with Tom, Private Equity, and senior leaders, we built the strategy roadmap with emphasis on technology management and systems to drive both topline growth and EBITDA margin expansion. No one had predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, but our groundwork in 2019 enabled Zest to remain open throughout 2020. Associates stayed connected and engaged from home, while many medical device companies struggled to operate. Our early investments positioned Zest to serve global customers seamlessly.
Chief Technology Officer at Zest
In 2020, I was promoted to Chief Technology Officer with direct revenue responsibilities. Digital marketing and eCommerce functions were transferred to me along with full ownership of the marketing budget. Later, customer service was also placed under my leadership, rebranded as Customer Support.
As CTO, I now lead technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, software development, digital marketing across all channels, customer support, and eCommerce with full P&L responsibilities. My proudest achievements include succession planning and recruiting strong leaders who now run digital marketing, technology, and customer support. Their talent and dedication not only drive execution but also push me to continue learning and improving. Together, we have scaled Zest’s capabilities and positioned the company for long-term growth.
