medical device universe. I was looking for a growth company with a
great technology that was not in danger of going under anytime soon.
I was also looking for a company where I could have a significant
impact, and where there wasn't a lot of bureaucracy and politics.
Enter ArthroCare.
Along came ArthroCare
ArthroCare was a breath of fresh air and delivered on all the criteria that
were important to me. The company's core technology, Coblation, was
clearly a disruptive technology that had huge potential. Unlike standard
cautery devices, single-use Coblation devices precisely removed tissue
without damaging or disrupting adjacent tissue. The company had built a
large position in the sports medicine market — primarily in shoulder
arthroscopy — and was looking to repeat that success in the ENT, spine
and cosmetic surgery markets. The CEO was the most dynamic, passion-
ate, articulate and mesmerizing executive I'd ever met. When he personal-
ly called me after interviewing me and said I was exactly what they were
looking for and that he hoped I would join the company, I was hooked. In
a twist of fate, the vice president of sales I had worked with at KeraVision
lived next door to the ArthroCare executive to whom I would report.
When he asked my former colleague what he thought of me, he said,
"Hire him." Clearly, this was meant to be.
I was hired to be vice president and general manager for the cosmetic
surgery business. The ArthroCare culture was a great fit for me. Even
though it had been a public company for a number of years and had
2001 revenue of $83 million, it had many of the traits of a privately-held
startup. The employee ranks were thin — there was always more work
to do than employees to do it — there was little bureaucracy, decisions
were made quickly and politics were nil. In short, it was a fun place to
work.
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