The Path Begins…
In 2004, Path4 was created by three executives from Centerpulse Orthopedics, Inc., in Austin, Texas: Jerry DeVries was the head of marketing, Jim Rogan was the head of sales, and Steve Whitlock was the head of R&D.

A few years earlier, in 2000, Centerpulse had been faced with the largest product recall ever in the orthopaedics industry. As experts in the three most critical areas for a medical device company, DeVries, Rogan and Whitlock were brought in to the executive team that accomplished a two-year turnaround project and a successful recovery for Centerpulse.

During this time, the trio made great strides working as a team and were recognized by industry watchdogs and consultants for their strong performance. As a result, Centerpulse became one of the fastest growing companies in orthopaedics.

DeVries, Rogan and Whitlock helped to restore confidence in the surgeon community. They worked closely with the sales force to communicate company actions that would enable sales representatives to better support their surgeons. Much of this resulted from integrated strategies that leveraged the power of three areas identified as critically important in the industry: Relationships, Innovation and Education.

This team led the creation of strategies to rebound Centerpulse from the recall. They then actively and aggressively executed these strategies in the customer-facing roles each had. They relied on each other’s strengths and became a well-respected, cohesive team known for working closely with surgeons and the sales force.

The perseverance and recovery of Centerpulse was so auspicious that the company became an attractive target for takeover. Smith & Nephew and Zimmer both expressed interest in the flourishing company. Zimmer purchased Centerpulse, and closed the sale in October 2003.

In the tides of change, DeVries, Rogan and Whitlock saw opportunities of their own. The team believed they could create an exciting new company that identified, created and developed opportunities in the medical device arena.