When Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley swung by Orr Elementary School in Washington, D.C., recently, he explained to the 100 kids circled around him that he’d already exercised that day.FORT WAYNE – Not content to wait for orders, a Whitley County manufacturer Tuesday announced plans to create its own customers.
Columbia City-based Micropulse Inc., which makes orthopedic implants and surgical instruments, has formed a business incubator called the OrthoVation Center.
Four startups are tenants in the 2,000-square-foot space at 5865 E. Indiana 14, a portion of the building Micropulse added to its headquarters in an $8 million expansion about two years ago.
Del Palma Orthopedics LLC, Nanovis LLC, BioSpine LLC and Sites Medical LLC each target a separate market niche. The center can expand as the companies grow, potentially reaching 15,000 square feet, Micropulse President and CEO Brian Emerick said.
Combined, the tenants employ about 12, plus consultants. Emerick sees the potential to create 40 to 50 jobs in the next few years.
Micropulse, which employs about 190, has assigned about 10 workers to provide support services for the companies, including administration, accounting, information technology, product design, testing, prototyping, distribution and inventory management. The company offers the same services to some of its established clients, Emerick said.
When the startup companies receive orders, Micropulse will get first shot at manufacturing the finished products.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” Emerick said. “It’s mutually beneficial.”
The entrepreneur began working with startup design companies in 2004. He prefers to own a stake in each fledgling company. Micropulse also does work for larger clients.
Neighboring Kosciusko County is home to several orthopedics heavyweights, including Zimmer Holdings Inc., DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. and Biomet Orthopedics Inc., which manufacture 60 percent to 70 percent of their own products. They outsource the rest.
Alan Tio, president of the Whitley County Economic Development Corp., hailed the OrthoVation Center as a way for his county to strengthen ties to the orthopedics industry, whose sales have been growing at a double-digit rate.
“I can’t overstate the importance of what this project means to Whitley County,” he said.
Founded by Emerick in 1988, Micropulse was one of three area firms named in 2008 to the state’s 50 Companies to Watch list.
The honor was presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., its Small Business Development Centers network, Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation. The list recognizes the state’s top privately held businesses with up to 150 employees and $750,000 to $100 million in annual revenue or working capital.
