More than 450 employees and their families enjoyed the Arthrex Family Everblades Hockey Game on Friday, April 3, 2015. Although the 'Blades didn't pull off a win that night, they've now gone on to make the Kelly Cup Playoffs with games 3-5 against the Orlando Solar Bears continuing this week. Arthrex proudly sponsors the Everblades and wishes the team the best of luck in the playoffs! 

A little known fact is Arthrex has its own hockey team called the Scorpions! If you arrived early to the Everblades game you may have even caught the team's scrimmage with a special guest player, Arthrex Founder and President Reinhold Schmieding! Arthrex Scorpion Team Members include Chris Adams, Zack Day, Patrick Eckhold, Cory Hall, Michael Karnes, Jay Kaszyca, Brandon Kelly, Tim Thompson and David Shepard.  

Arthrex Director of Orthobiologics David Shepard shared, "The scrimmage was a fun opportunity to skate, sweat and have some good fellowship on the ice." 

The Scorpions logo was designed by User Experience/User Interface Designer Ariel Morejon. David's helmet, as featured in the photo to the right, represents Arthrex Orthobiologics. "The helmet design is specifically based on what I do here at Arthrex," said David. "I designed it, along with Medical Animation Supervisor Patrick Eckhold, who drew an early concept. Then we sent it to an artist in Philadelphia to paint the blood cells, platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells 'bursting' out of the helmet. Gross but cool!"

The Scorpions play each Sunday in the adult hockey league at Germain Arena. Check out their last game before playoffs this Sunday, April 26 at 11:15 a.m. The team is currently first place in the league with an impressive record of 7-2-1! 

Let's go Everblades and Scorpions! 

ArthroFlex®* Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM) for Superior Capsular Reconstruction provides added strength and reinforcement to restore superior stability in massive rotator cuff tears. The ADM is 4.0 cm x 7.0 cm with an average thickness of 3.0 mm (2.5 - 3.5 mm).

During mechanical testing, the ArthroFlex ADM tested out at over 550N†. ArthroFlex is minimally processed through the MATRACELL* process. This validated and patented process renders the ArthroFlex acellular, without compromising biomechanical or biochemical properties of the dermis. This process allows the ADM to retain its growth factors, native collagen scaffold and elastin, while removing the donor cells and more than 97% of the donor DNA. ArthroFlex serves as supplemental support and covering for soft tissue repair.

*Registered by respective owner

†Data on file

Source: Naplesnews.com; April 21, 2015

In this video, Bill Beach, MD, (Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) president), announces the Surgical Outcomes System™ (SOS) as a new benefit to AANA members. As part of their annual AANA membership dues, all AANA members will have full utilization of SOS to collect patient reported outcomes data for future study and analysis at no additional charge. A recent focus of AANA and the Health Policies and Research Committees has been to create an efficient, reliable and user-friendly data collection system for AANA and its members. SOS provides AANA and its members a global, web-based registry that will make the collection of outcomes data simple and cost effective.

Arthrex proudly sponsored the Annual Naples Relay For Life event to benefit the American Cancer Society on April 17-18, 2015, at Gulfview Middle School, along with thousands of participants from throughout Collier County.    
 
The fun, all-night walkathon began with an opening ceremony and survivor lap around the course surrounded by luminaries to remember those who have lost their battle with cancer. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Because cancer never sleeps, each team has a representative on the track at all times during the overnight event. Arthrex Network Analyst III Tom Birch showed amazing dedication to the cause by walking all night to represent Arthrex in the theme laps.    

In addition to Arthrex’s Power of Relay Sponsorship, team participants helped raise nearly $20,000 through online donations and various fundraising sales throughout the year. With Arthrex’s support, the event raised more than $345,000 to help fund lifesaving cancer research and educational programs.  

The titanium Ankle Fusion Plating System provides a complete solution for ankle fusion management with a comprehensive offering of anatomic specific plates available for either tibiotalar joint or tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis. A variety of screw options, including locking, nonlocking, cortical, cancellous and hybrid designs are provided to address all fixation needs. Specific instrumentation is included to help access and prepare the fusion sites. 

Features and Benefits:

• Anatomically designed for use with all surgical approaches: anterior, lateral and posterior
• Anatomic compression hole accepts a 4.5 mm or 5.5 mm nonlocking lag screw strategically placed to cross the arthrodesis site within the plate resulting in maximal compression
• Maximum fixation points in the talus
• Comprehensive instrumentation for joint preparation, distraction, compression and assistance with optimal fixation

Monica Dubroja, Arthrex Medical Center’s new wellness coordinator, shares her story of how she began on a path to wellness and how she hopes to inspire Arthrex employees to do the same.

"I grew up in a small town in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, where I obtained a BA in Psychology. My aspirations were to become a psychologist, as helping people was always in my nature, but this was not the path I ended up taking...

I spent my childhood struggling with my weight, hating recreational activities and just barely passing physical education classes. University offered solitude, where Wellness and Physical Activity was a course and no participation required eased the pain of being overweight. The career world offered a new set of challenges, working with high-risk youth (stress) and shift work, a deadly combination, which in turn added to more weight gain.

One day, my world shifted, something needed to change, and the journey began. Almost 20 years ago, I made a decision and was determined to master my health and weight, and became a Certified Personal Trainer. Through dedication and hard work, many attempts and many failures, success was had, both personally and professionally. Managing my health and weight was accomplished through a combination of healthy eating habits and exercise, and it all made sense...I knew this was my passion!

My initial goal of helping people was still intact, and I knew that I had a responsibility to help others see their own potential and strive for wellness.

My career path from that moment on has been about health and wellness. Through the years, I've worked with individuals and companies, creating life solutions, programs and shifting wellness as a focal point. My mission has always been about providing innovative and effective programs that exceed expectations and enhance quality of life for all.

My goal is to continue my passion here at Arthrex by evolving wellness, creating excitement, and being a leader and role model to aid employees in their journey to health. Arthrex’s mission of “Helping surgeons treat their patients better” resonates deeply, since I believe as Arthrex employees, we can only accomplish this if we are taking care of our own individual health. It is so important to develop sustainable health behaviors that lead to good habits and routines. This is what ultimately leads to long-term health.

Swaying off the healthy path is a choice; it is a conscious decision to eat unhealthy and perhaps not exercise. It’s not an accident. This is a mental battle that we all face. The next time you feel like swaying completely off the path, take a minute to take a breath and ask yourself what is it going to accomplish? Think about how you may feel after that choice. Make an effort to weigh the decision and decide if it is worth it. The more times you win the battle mentally, the better your chances are of developing healthy habits and getting on your way to holistic health and a happy and healthy life."

Monica continues to obtain new certifications through her career path, and maintains a Certified Personal Trainer-AFPA Certification, Nutrition and Wellness Consultant-AFPA, and holds a Level 2 Diabetes Certificate-AADE and Weight Management Specialty Certification-ACE.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those affected by the April 25, 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Arthrex is committed to charitable giving in our community and throughout the world, and has donated to the American Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund and encouraged employees to do so as well. 

As part of our corporate community mission of Making People Better, Arthrex is passionate about contributing to a stronger, healthier community. Our community partnerships with organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA) are especially rewarding, and for this reason we've supported the Southwest Florida AHA for more than a decade. Since 2011, Arthrex has been proud to be recognized by the AHA nationally as a Fit-Friendly Company. The video below was shared with our community partners at the 2015 Go Red For Women Luncheon to illustrate our commitment to employee wellness. Click the video below to play:

After a year’s worth of researching, planning and designing, the new state-of-the-art Digital Media workspace has arrived at Arthrex. A room filled with modern office design concepts is now available to a cross-functional team of software developers, designers and creatives. Many of the ideas that companies like Google brought forward have been adopted and incorporated into the space in an attempt to foster team collaboration, human interaction, productivity and innovation.

The new Digital Media area introduces the concept of “nomad workers,” where employees are no longer bound to just one workstation. Most team members are equipped with laptops instead of desktops which gives them the flexibility to change work locations at will. Besides featuring traditional workstations, the space introduces an open conference room, formal conference room, informal seating units, permanent high-tops, private offices that also serve as small meeting rooms, portable enclave units, and even a treadmill workstation. All desks are height-adjustable to allow for posture changes at a moment’s notice.

“The new work space is wonderful,” shared Mobile Developer Wyatt Blake. “It allows me the freedom to get up and move around. I can interact with the people in my group while kicking back in the common area. When brainstorming to solve problems, I feel like the treadmill desk helps to get my mind going much more then it would if I was stuck in one place all day. The new work space accommodates everyone's individual work style so that they can perform at their best. Lastly, the ability to move around has allowed me to reach my personal goal of 10,000 steps a day. This was hard to do before, when I spent the whole day sitting. Now, I feel great and have more energy even after the work day is over. It has increased my quality of life.”

The new Digital Media area takes full advantage of various WiFi-enabled solutions that encourage team members to move about the space and enjoy the different work environments that are available. Reliance on wired IT equipment is kept to a minimum. Video conferencing equipment and modern software collaboration tools are an integral part of the new space and help facilitate communication and collaboration between members of a geographically-dispersed team. The Digital Media team understands that Arthrex made an investment in them by providing everyone the tools needed to succeed. As a result, team morale has reached new heights.

You don’t have to work for Apple or Yahoo and live in California anymore if you are looking for a fulfilling, long-term career at a state-of-the-art company. It is not a coincidence that Arthrex was named one of the 2015 FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For®” in the country. Great people working together to help surgeons treat their patients better!

To view more photos of Arthrex's new Digital Media workspace, click here. 

Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart recently visited Arthrex to tour the manufacturing facilities at Arthrex Manufacturing North and congratulate the company on being named a FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For®." 

On Wednesday, April 29, Congressman Diaz-Balart stood before the Speaker of the U.S. Congress and officially recognized Arthrex as a top company and commended its exemplary service to the Naples community. This was recorded in the Congressional Record as seen here. The congressman presented Arthrex President and Founder Reinhold Schmieding with a copy of this document as well as an American flag that was flown over the United States Capitol.  

This Memorial Day, Arthrex is proud to honor veterans and the many employees in our company that have served in the military. Arthrex sponsors the Collier County Chapter of Honor Flight, an organization that provides war veterans a free trip to Washington D.C. to visit the National World War II Memorial and other memorials in the nation’s capital.

The local chapter raises funds and connects with veterans, guardians and companies to participate. Many Arthrex employees have welcomed veterans back from their flights and even supported the chapter as guardians on the flights. Arthrex Photography Supervisor Zach Johnson had the opportunity to join the fifth Honor Flight on Saturday, May 2, to document the WWII veterans' journey. 

"It's been a tremendous privilege to be a part of the Honor Flight and to get to know the veterans," said Zach. "On the most recent trip there was this great moment right by the Lincoln Memorial where a group of school-aged kids spotted some of our vets. It was really neat to watch them crowding around the veterans and lining up to shake hands with them. It really seemed to mean a lot to the veterans to be recognized and to once again be looked to as heroes."

For more information on Honor Flight, visit http://www.collierhonorflight.org/main/.

Mélissa Laflamme, MD, Etienne L. Belzile, MD, Luc Bédard, MD, Michel P. J. van den Bekerom, MD, Mark Glazebrook, MD, Stéphane Pelet, MD, PhD, FRCSC. Journal of Trauma - May 2015

Employees from locations throughout Southwest Florida and Califoria recently gathered for special employee appreciation parties to celebrate Arthrex being named one of the 2015 FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For®." Arthrex Founder and President Reinhold Schmieding thanked employees directly for their feedback, which was instrumental in Arthrex being recognized on the list, and shared exciting details about future plans for Arthrex's continued growth. 

“We are proud and honored to be included on the list and believe it’s a testament to our extraordinary work environment and commitment to Making People Better,” said Schmieding. “By investing in our employees’ well-being and professional development, we are investing in Arthrex’s long-term success.”   

No bones about it, today's kids are smart! Orthobiologics and Vet Systems Director David Shepard had the unique opportunity to present to Veterans Memorial Elementary kindergarten and first grade students in Naples on Wednesday, May 20, 2015.

"The kids are going through anatomy modules where they are learning about organ systems, so they had me cover the musculoskeletal system," said David. "I concentrated on bones, their function, basic biology, and what we can do to repair them. I brought in samples of different bones including 'Fred,' an actual human skull that is in my office. He was a big hit."

Arthrex is pleased to announce it's been recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the third year in a row for the company's efforts in creating a culture of health in the workplace through progressive leadership and employee wellness initiatives.  

“Fit-Friendly” companies apply for certification as Platinum, Gold and Community Innovation award levels based on meeting specific criteria such as offering physical activity options at the worksite, providing nutritional education and healthy food options and promoting a general culture of health at the workplace.

To achieve platinum-level status, a worksite must fulfill all gold-level criteria and demonstrate at least one behavior change, cost savings outcome or positive return on investment (as documented by supporting data).

"Our partnership with AHA has helped facilitate our investment in comprehensive wellness programs for employees that encourage positive lifestyle changes and long-term results," said Arthrex Wellness Coordinator Monica Dubroja. "In support of our commitment to employee wellness, Arthrex is proud to offer health-related educational opportunities as well as an on-site fitness program, gym membership reimbursement and healthy lunches prepared daily."

Arthrex has been recognized by the AHA as a Fit-Friendly Worksite for the past five years, beginning at the gold level in 2011 and 2012 and qualifying at the platinum level each year since 2013. 

As part of our corporate community mission of Making People Better, Arthrex is passionate about contributing to a stronger, healthier community. View the video below to learn more. 

Arthrex proudly sponsored the 2015 Inter-Club Challenge Golf Tournament to benefit The Immokalee Foundation once again this year, helping to raise $115,000 to support the nonprofit's youth programs. 

Golfers playing on behalf of Arthrex included Sports Clinical Specialist Marc Stoll, Upper Extremity Sr. Product Manager Tom Dooney, Distal Extremities Associate Product Manager Abigail Freigang and Research Technician Michael Morris, who took home first place in the tournament. Congrats to Team Arthrex! 

Last December, Arthrex launched a new project management software called Teradata as well as a new digital asset management (DAM) system called ADAM to provide solutions for managing marketing project requests and the review process and storage of assets created for product and corporate marketing materials. Since being implemented, more than 100,000 digital assets have been uploaded to the DAM and 800 project requests have already been received to service the marketing needs of all departments and product teams.    

Arthrex's unique integration between this new marketing resource management solution and digital asset management solution was recognized by Teradata with a 2015 Apex Award for Agility and Excellence. Last month, Marketing Operations Supervisor Jeannette Carr and GIS Business Solutions Lead Greg Kirchdorfer accepted the Apex award on behalf of Arthrex, and all implementation team members across various departments were recognized at a breakfast celebration event on Friday, May 29. Congratulations to the team for the hard work and effort of all involved! 

• Primary Visionary 
  • Marc Limano

• Steering Committee 
  • Cindy Obrecht
  • Uwe Kronewiter
  • Tim Hoover
  • Shawn Buskey
  • Ravi Chandran 
  • Mike Lasater
  • Dale Bondanza 
  • Wesley Bloemker 
  • Diana Mills

• Project Core Team
  • Jeannette Carr
  • Sandy Landry
  • Greg Kirchdorfer
  • Diana Fournier
  • Bala Raman
  • Yasar Arafat
  • Helene Costello 

• Project Extended Testing Team
  • Lindsay Sullivan
  • Jarrett Brown
  • Deborah Cecere
  • Diego Guzman
  • Marie Zamor ​​​

​​

• Project Infrastructure Team
  • Thomas Birch 
  • Chris Reyes 
  • Libert Riveron 
  • PJ Bimonte
  • Vijay Kingston

• Training Consultant
  • Maria Hernandez​

• International Representation  
  • ​Judith Kaiser            

Arthrex hosted 185 orthopaedic fellows for the 6th Annual Sports Medicine Fellowship Forum on May 28-29, 2015 and June 4-5, 2015. The comprehensive medical education meetings presented the latest advancements in sports medicine.   

During the Sports Medicine Fellowship Forum, fellows had the opportunity to interact with their future colleagues as well as renowned Arthrex faculty members and Arthrex Medical Education staff. Sessions included both didactic education and clinical practice in Arthrex’s state-of-the-art medical education wet labs to teach a variety of surgical techniques and key clinical and practice management skills.  

Orthopaedic fellows are surgeons who have completed residency training and have elected to receive further training in subspecialties in orthopaedics. The fellows in attendance represented nearly 100 sports medicine and shoulder fellowship programs from throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

Nearly 1,700 Arthrex employees and their family members came out to enjoy the fourth annual Arthrex Summer Family Fun Event at the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon on Saturday, June 7, 2014. The event provided fun for all ages with unlimited access to the park's pools, slides, lazy river, diving boards and children's water play areas.   

Families cooled off with Rita's Italian Ices and enjoyed varied menu items served from six different food trucks.

Thanks to the generous donations of attendees, five large collection boxes of nonperishable food items were filled for the St. Matthew's House Food Drive.