Experience in the field

• Energy based ablation – RF Electrosurgical generators, Cryo, Microwave & Ultrasonic ablation
• Bipolar electrosurgical instruments
• Handheld surgical instruments
• Ligasure™ – Electrosurgical vessel welding system
• Medical grade ammeter
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery systems
• Gastroenterological surgical devices
• Ultrasonic Doppler system
• Patient thermal management
• Infusion pumps (ambulatory & hospital based)
• Medication sorting, packaging, storage, security & retrieval systems
• Various blood glucose monitoring systems
• Insulin pumps
• Surgical Navigation systems for cardiac & neurosurgery
• IVD – fluorescence microscopy for clinical lab and point of care
• Consumer medical products (diabetes management drug interaction)
• Lab on chip systems for clinical lab, point of care and consumer applications
• Endoscopic systems

What is your vision and mission for Tensentric?

I want us to continue becoming the best medical device development company in the world, and I want every client to be delighted with the results of the work we do for them. It seems to me that the only honest way to measure their delight, is to look at return business and the referrals our clients send to Tensentric. One of my goals in creating Tensentric was to build a creative outlet for our team, and to create lasting value for the team. The medical industry is such a close-knit community so it’s crucial that we build real relationships with our clients and our team contributors. While things don’t always work out perfectly, relationships are never expendable.

What are the key differentiators of Tensentric?

We have a unique way of properly aligning our company’s goals, our client’s goals and our team members’ goals. With incentives built into the right places, our clients’ projects are done as efficiently as possible, so they receive increased value for each development dollar. We’ve demonstrated that with aligned incentives, we can expect increased positive outcomes for everyone. This even extends to our clients’ end customers, because we built our Phase Zero process to make sure their voice is clearly heard as well. When you match incentives with the unusual level of experience and expertise, it really sets Tensentric apart in the medical device development marketplace.

What are the key things you look for when hiring employees?

We’ve set the bar very high, and our team continues to raise that bar. They know the people we add to our team will be working alongside them for a very long time. I look for very experienced people, who excel at their disciplines, but who can immediately established respectful relationships with their peers and our clients’ team. People need to like working with them. They need to be able to cut through all of the “noise” so they can determine what really needs to happen. Bottom line, they need to be able to get stuff done, regardless of the curve balls that are thrown at them.

What defines success for Tensentric?

If our clients are happy, our team members are happy and our business is healthy, I think we’ve achieved success. This lines up with my vision that our clients will increasingly think of us as the best medical device company in the world.

What’s the most interesting Medical Device project you’ve worked on and why?

I’ve been fortunate to work on several fascinating projects, but I’m going to say Valleylab’s LigaSure system. When you consider that LigaSure is used in tens of millions of procedures each year, the system has had a profound impact on the quality of care that surgeons provide their patients and has had a huge impact on the Valleylab business. It’s an honor to have contributed!

What unique set of skills do you bring to Tensentric?

I think I have an ability to see things from many viewpoints, to make uncommon connections and help pull those perspectives together into a vision that a team can rally around. The team often uses me as a facilitator, as I can help to draw out and balance multiple perspectives, while keeping end goals in mind, and then get people fired up and passionate to get things done.

If you could work on any type of medical device project, what would it be and why?

The X PRIZE Foundation recently came out with an announcement that they want people to work toward a Medical “Tricorder” that can inexpensively diagnose patients by combining expert systems and medical point-of-care data. We already working on some systems that incorporate parts of this, but fully closing the loop would be really fun and rewarding. And the idea that it’s a “Tricorder” and can diagnose anything puts the idea pretty far out there…

If you weren’t an engineer, what would you be doing?

Maybe a doctor. Being able to participate in so many advanced medical systems piqued my interest in medical, but it was long after I was firmly an engineer. Then again, being a businessman is a lot of fun, and our team is likely affecting far more people than if I was a doctor.

Where are you from and how did you end up in Colorado?

I grew up in London, Ontario, Canada, and came to the US for school. At the time, opportunities were fantastic in the US, and while I still love Canada, living in the mountains of Colorado hooked me immediately. I like the Rocky Mountain culture, the people are great, and the skiing is unmatched.