Kosciusko Leadership Academy cadets got an overview of the orthopedic industry in Kosciusko County at City Hall on Nov. 19.
With over 30 device industry companies and a combined annual revenue of over $19 billion, Kosciusko County has earned the title of “Orthopedic Capital of the World®,” according to a news release from KLA.
Bob Hastings, director at Hastings & Associates LLC and retired director of research at DePuy Synthes (now Johnson & Johnson Medtech), presented a history of orthopedics in Warsaw, which dates to 1895 when Revra Depuy started DePuy Manufacturing, followed by his first patent in 1901. In the 1990s Warsaw had over 60% of the orthopedic market, now it is about 30-40%. Today, Kosciusko County is still the orthopedic capital of the world. The challenge is to bring in innovators, biologics and robotics to Kosciusko County.
Bob Vitoux, OrthoWorx CEO, presented on the implications of being the orthopedic capital. OrthoWorx was founded in 2009 following a study by Bio Crossroads, because “someone should wake up every morning and think about how to keep us relevant,” according to Vitoux. OrthoWorx focuses on talent development, talent attraction and retention through community enrichment, and innovation, to advance the industry for generations to come, the release states.
The next KLA session will cover agribusiness in Kosciusko County and will be held at Creighton Brothers’ banquet facility, The Roost, on Jan. 7.
KLA is in its 43rd year of service to the county. As an independent 501(c)3 organization, KLA conducts biweekly morning sessions around the county to expose leaders to a wide variety of local topics and experts. The annual whitepaper projects have yielded many benefits to the citizens of Kosciusko County. For more information, visit www.kocsciuskoleadership.org.