Striking Rein-Gold: A profile of Reinhold Schmieding and Arthrex

Then came a group picture, including Schmieding’s nemesis of five years before, Commissioner Hiller. At the meeting, she joined with the commissioners in approving $572,970 in incentives for an Arthrex project, a 161,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant in Ave Maria. Hiller says that once county law was changed and Arthrex met the legal qualifications, she was happy to support its request.

“We’re both very committed, very strong people,” Hiller says of Schmieding. “He wasn’t happy at the moment” during their battle over incentives in 2011, she says, but they have since reconciled. He donated $1,000 to support her bid this year to be elected clerk of courts and comptroller.

“Reinhold is an incredible businessman, an outstanding entrepreneur and nothing short of a creative genius, and what he’s done for the community is remarkable, his capital investment and investment in our citizens.” As much as a politician and business head can be, “We’re best friends,” she says.

Research at Arthrex

Arthrex invests heavily in internal and external research in collaboration with surgeons and institutions worldwide. The firm has research staff and laboratories in both Germany and Naples, where the research department was recently renovated and approximately tripled in size. The research ranges from investigations of ortho-biologic treatments to tests of the firm’s shoulder replacement systems for mechanical soundness. The research department completes more than 350 internal research studies a year and carries out more than 100 external research projects each year with surgeons and health care institutions. One major area of research involves efforts to complement less-invasive surgery with biologic solutions — ways to enhance the body’s own ability to heal itself. The firm hopes that its research will lead to successful treatments for osteoarthritis, tendonitis and other joint conditions.

R&D

Arthrex was one of the leading recipients of patents granted to Florida entities in 2015 and is also one of the leading recipients of patents in the state from 2011-15, with 105 patents during that five-year period. The top 20 recipients in 2015:

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Tags: Research & Development, Research Florida