David Floyd has a new job – keeping Warsaw, Indiana, as the “Orthopedic Capital of the World.”
Floyd was named the first CEO of OrthoWorx in Warsaw, Indiana, on August 30. The organization, formed in 2009 by orthopedic device manufacturers in Warsaw to “advance and support growth and innovation within the region’s uniquely concentrated, globally significant orthopedics device sector, ” turns to one of its founding members to lead the effort.
The collaborative effort between fierce market competitors was fostered and funded in part by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, .
Warsaw’s Challenge
“The Warsaw area must continue to advance and adapt to new global pressures if it is to retain its status as a world-class center of research, development and manufacturing. In its first two years, OrthoWorx has made excellent progress on a number of initiatives and has built important collaborative relationships with community stakeholders, ” said Floyd in an August 30 press announcement.
Floyd’s Local Roots
Floyd is no stranger to orthopedics or Warsaw, having started his career at a local company—Zimmer Holdings, Inc. in 1987. He then held several executive leadership positions, including president of Centerpulse Orthopedics and president and CEO of AxioMed Spine Corporation. After heading Abbott Spine’s worldwide spine business, he returned to Warsaw in 2007 to become U.S. president of DePuy Orthopaedics.
He is a graduate of the local college, Grace College in Winona Lake and is an alumnus of the Miller Graduate School of Business at Ball State University and the Kosciusko Leadership Academy. He also has family in the community.
Orthopedic Experience
Floyd became available for the OrthoWorx position after he resigned from DePuy earlier in the year.
Zimmer Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer Cheryl Blanchard, Ph.D., chair of OrthoWorx’s board, said Floyd’s industry experience as head of a global billion dollar enterprise, personal ties to the community and work in helping launch OrthoWorx, make him ideally suited for the job.
Floyd said the orthopedic industry has been a great Indiana success story and believes it can continue to be a powerful driver of the region’s overall economy.
With competition from Memphis, Tennessee, and new orthopedic device manufacturing plants in Asia, Floyd, OrthoWorx and the collective orthopedics community in the Warsaw region will need every bit of coordination and cooperation to remain at the top of the heap.
Now the collaborative effort has an experienced industry leader and skillful spokesperson to take on the challengers.
