Business college speaker to address startup culture

KALAMAZOO—The top executive of a leading manufacturer of surgical implants for minimally disruptive spinal surgery will lead off the 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series sponsored by Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business.

Keith C. Valentine, president and chief operating officer of NuVasive Inc., will discuss "The Culture of a $1 Billion Startup" at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Schneider Hall. Attendees should register by Friday, Sept. 28. The free talk will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

NuVasive's technology allows spinal surgery patients to leave the hospital after only one or two days, with most patients having reduced blood loss during surgery and experiencing a full recovery within six to eight weeks.

Keith C. Valentine

Prior to being named president and COO in 2007, Valentine served as NuVasive's president, and between January 2002 and December 2004, he was executive vice president. He also has served as senior vice president of marketing and development.

Valentine has more than 15 years of experience in the orthopedic industry. He was vice president of marketing at ORATEC Interventions Inc., a medical device company that was later acquired by Smith & Nephew PLC. In addition, he spent eight years with Medtronic Sofamor Danek, holding such positions as vice president of marketing for the Rods Division and group director for the BMP biologics program, the interbody sales development effort, and international sales and marketing. He started his career in orthopedics with Stryker Corp. in 1990.

Valentine earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management in 1990 from WMU, where he also studied biomedical sciences. He has participated as a Haworth College of Business Professor of the Day for WMU's Department of Management.

For more information or to register for Keith Valentine's talk, contact WMU's Cyntia Reeves at @email or (269) 387-5050.