News

Henry Schein acquires European companies in dental, medical and veterinary markets
Melville, N.Y.-based Henry Schein announced the acquisition of leading companies serving the veterinary, dental and medical markets in certain European countries. Together these three companies had 2008 sales of approximately EUR 110 million ($150 million). Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. The transactions recently closed and are expected to be accretive to Henry Schein’s 2009 financial results.
“The acquisitions of Noviko, DNA Anthos Impianti and Medka further strengthen our leading presence in Europe and bring Henry Schein new veterinary, dental and medical customers,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein. “We look forward to sharing best practices between these newly-acquired organizations and our existing operations, and to using our combined strengths to enhance our Pan-European presence.”

Natura Pet Products promotes Don Scott to president
San Jose, Calif.-based Natura Pet Products promoted Don Scott to president and COO. Scott will be responsible for the day-to-day management and leadership of Natura Pet Products, including sales, marketing, operations and administration. Scott previously served as the president of Natura Manufacturing, Inc. (NMI), and was its VP from 2002 until 2007. He has been instrumental in the design and development of the dry pet food production facility in Fremont, Neb., which established more than 100 quality-control checks that set the benchmark for the pet food industry. He also directed significant product development and research activities for Natura.
“Under Don’s leadership, NMI became a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that is unparalleled in the industry,” said Peter Atkins, who had been president of Natura since 2007, and will be the company’s CEO. “His steadfast commitment to quality, safety and innovation in manufacturing significantly contributed to producing products that gained us legions of loyal customers. He will now help to take Natura to the next level, by expanding that customer base and enhancing our overall business operations.”

Summit VetPharm appoints new director to lead sales team
Fort Lee, N.J.-based Summit VetPharm appointed Rich Shavelson to director of sales, where he will be responsible for leading the U.S. sales organization. Before joining Summit VetPharm, Shavelson led the U.S. veterinary sales organization at Vétoquinol, a veterinary pharmaceutical company. He was the head of their Veterinary Division’s marketing team prior to becoming their director of sales. At Vétoquinol, Shavelson handled the marketing and launch of a canine urinary incontinence drug, Propalin™, and was involved in the sales and marketing of the company’s renal and pain management products. Previously, Shavelson held marketing and sales positions at Pfizer Animal Health. He also owned and operated his own business for six years, and consulted for major corporations and brands in animal health, such as Pfizer, Heinz and Iams. Shavelson is also a member of the American Veterinary Distributor Association (AVDA). Shavelson and his wife, Susie, live in Cherry Hill, N.J. Shavelson is a graduate of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla., and attended Hood Graduate School in Frederick, Md.

Vétoquinol names Passantino to national sales manager
Fort Worth, Texas-based Vétoquinol USA named Charlie Passantino as its national sales manager. Passantino brings more than 20 years of animal health experience, including business and sales management, to Vétoquinol USA. He will be responsible for the company’s veterinary channel sales activities. Prior to joining Vétoquinol, Passantino was VP of sales for Mars Symbioscience, the veterinary division of Mars, Inc., where he was responsible for managing sales and marketing efforts, including product pricing, packaging, display distribution and new product launches in the United States and United Kingdom. Passantino’s previous experience also includes business development, sales and marketing management positions with Bayer Animal Health, Pfizer Animal Health, Beecham Animal Health, J.R. Simplot and Innovex, Inc. He graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Passantino will be based at Vétoquinol USA’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

Spectrum Surgical Instruments achieves ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 13485:2003 certifications
Stow, Ohio-based Spectrum Surgical Instruments recently achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification and ISO 13485:2003 certification (medical devices). The registration process involved an extensive audit of the company’s Quality Management System, and verified that the management system conforms to the requirements specified in the ISO standards. Spectrum Surgical departmental supervisors Tom Pecka and Jeff Menta managed the certification process. Spectrum Surgical also recently became a member of ASQ, the American Society for Quality, and has implemented CQI (Certified Quality Inspector) certification for its Clinical Instrument Repair Consultants.

Midmark announces Phase I CARB compliancy
Versailles, Ohio-based Midmark Corp. announced that all of its products manufactured with composite wood components are now in compliance with the California Air Resource Board (CARB) airborne toxic control measure to control formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. “We are proud to announce our recent compliancy with the California Air Resource Board airborne toxic control measure,” said Anne Eiting Klamar, MD, Midmark president and CEO. “As a healthcare company, we are committed to continuously improving our products and services to positively impact our customers. CARB compliancy is just one step in a companywide movement to a ‘greener’, more environmentally-friendly approach to our current and future products.”
Effective Jan. 1, 2009, Title 17 of the California Code of regulations reduces formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products and finished goods that contain composite wood products that are sold, offered for sale, supplied, used or manufactured for sale in the state of California, including hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium density fiberboard. The California regulation requires manufacturers to maintain chain of custody records and label all finished goods containing this board type in order to show compliancy with California law. All affected Midmark and Ritter products manufactured at Midmark’s Versailles, Ohio, and Glasgow, Ky., locations are CARB compliant effective immediately. These finished goods will now include labeling to identify them as CARB compliant Phase I and will include the product’s build date as well on the labeling.

Western Veterinary Conference hosts more than 13,000 in industry attendance
The 81st Annual Western Veterinary Conference, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas Feb. 15-19, 2009, welcomed more than 13,000 veterinarians, veterinary technicians, practice managers, and others associated with the veterinary profession. Attendees enjoyed diverse and varied opportunities for continuing education, hands-on learning, contact with commercial exhibitors, and celebrity performances by Bill Cosby and Jim Belushi & the Sacred Hearts.
The highlight of this year’s WVC was the Grand Opening of the new Oquendo Center for Clinical Education. Over 300 VIP’s and guests participated in the evening’s festivities which featured tours of the facility, a short program honoring those most closely involved in planning and construction efforts, and a celebratory “confetti canon” moment to christen the building.

Current WVC President Ann Johnson, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS, awarded Special Recognition Awards to Dr. Ron D. Anderson, Ms. Geni Wren, and Ms. Debbie Weinstein. Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Michael and Paula Gaughan and Dr. Randy Ezell. Throughout the week, the Oquendo Center hosted over 55 hands-on labs, including small animal, equine, bovine, small ruminant and more.

Dr. Guy Pidgeon, WVC’s CEO, said the Center was conceived and equipped to “enrich the Conference’s lab experience, which it clearly has done,” and to enable WVC to offer interactive educational programming throughout the year. (Additional information regarding Oquendo Center courses is available at www.oquendocenter.org.)
WVC 2009 featured nearly 1,000 hours of CE instruction. Sponsored symposia included presentations on anesthesia, behavior, cardiology, dental wellness, dermatology, financial management, imaging, nutrition, oncology. New this year were Lunch & Learn Seminars, which enabled small groups of registrants to experience direct interaction with renowned instructors along with a midday meal. In addition, more than 430 vendor booths in the expansive Mandalay Bay Convention Center Exhibit Hall attracted Conference attendees, who were able to meet with company representatives and benefit from many on-site discounts and special offers.