Humble Beginnings
Tony, Marc and John are the sons of parents Giovanni and Anna Viscogliosi. They have one other sibling, older sister Lori. As Marc described his sister, “Our sister is the oldest of my siblings and she’s the one who is a doctor…she got the looks and the brains in our family! She is a pyschopharmacologist with specialization in treating physicians and adolescent children. She graduated with an M.D. from Johns Hopkins and did her residency at Harvard and MGH. She is an innovator in her own right, having established one of the largest ketamine IV treatment practices in the Northeast.”
Their father was an entrepreneur who, over the years, owned several businesses including an auto collision shop in Detroit and a pub/restaurant in a Detroit suburb.
Their father, Giovanni Viscogliosi, came to the U.S. in 1956 when he was 20 years old. In Marc’s words, “He believed in the American Dream and always instilled in us the value of entrepreneurship, hard work and never giving up. We grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. Mom was born in the U.S. although her family immigrated the year before she was born. Our Mom really taught us all of our values of integrity, love and making a difference in other peoples’ lives.”
Tony adds, “So many people don’t use their names in the naming of their business. We chose specifically to call our business Viscogliosi Brothers. First because we are three brothers and we’re in business together. Secondly, because our name carries with it the requirement to operate with honor and dignity in such a manner that we always try to do what’s best and do what’s right.”
All three attended Dearborn High School outside of Detroit, Michigan.
Tony, the second oldest, graduated from the University of Michigan where he majored in economics. In addition to his academic work, Tony entered the U.S. Navy where, as part of his service to his country, he graduated from the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School where he was awarded the Navy Aviation Warfare Qualification as a supply officer designation. He fought in the Bosnian wars and served as assistant officer in charge and supply officer for the U.S. Navy and his final command was with the office of Naval Intelligence at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
In 2008, Tony was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters-Honors Causa (DH.L) from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine.
Lt. Commander Anthony Viscogliosi served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for more than 20 years.
Marc graduated from New York University where he majored in economics and political science. John, the youngest, graduated from Wayne State University and majored in criminal justice.
Immediately before forming their own company, the three brothers worked at the New York office of St. Louis based investment banking firm, Stifel Nicholas. As the millennium was coming to an end, Wall Street was going through a bear Market and most firms were laying people off—including Stifel Nicholas. Along with many other Wall Street workers, Marc and John got the pink slip.
In retrospect, the timing was close to perfect. At the same time that Wall Street was going through one of its periodic downswings, the brothers were working on bringing spine arthroplasty to the world and were negotiating with both Waldemar Link and B. Braun Aesculap to form a spine business dedicated to total disc replacement—Spine Solutions, Inc.
The brothers offered the opportunity to pioneer disc arthroplasty to their employer, Stifel Nicolas. Stifel, not being in the venture capital business, passed.
Timing was perfect. Tony then negotiated his way out of Stifel but into Stifel’s New York office at 59th and Park Avenue. Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC have been at 505 Park Avenue ever since.
