a leading surgical implant provider. RTI Surgical has made great strides in creating artificial bone substitutes to be used in spinal surgery. Long said the organization is looking for companies with a promising idea that could be launched into a tangible market when deciding who gets space in The Hub. “Over 70 companies are under the roof of our incubator, and they’re made of people who like being around other entrepreneurs and exchanging ideas,” Long said. Long said there are over 1,600 incubators in the United States, but the success of UF Innovate has led other institutions to model their innovation centers after the University of Florida’s.
Infotech Infotech is located in Celebration Pointe and is made up of two businesses: Infotech Consulting and Infotech Systems. The latter develops software to assist in problem-solving for the infrastructure construction industry. One of Infotech’s most notable innovations is the software Appia, which helps firms streamline construction management into one centralized location. The software features daily reporting on the progress of the site, a fund tracking feature and other tools to boost efficiency. In Meriden, Connecticut, Howard Weissberg, the city’s director of public works, and his team conducted a case study in 2020. Construction inspectors using Appia found that inspectors in Meriden were spending 75% more time in the field, whereas before they were spending that time filling out manual logs and reporting back at their office. Infotech Systems’ products are paving the way of the future in infrastructure construction management by moving processes to a mobile and easily accessible platform. In 2020, Infotech was ranked No. 21 in the large company category in Florida Trend’s Best Companies to Work For list.
North Florida Regional Medical Center One of the core values of the North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) is innovation, according to the center’s website. Research and development teams at the center are committed to discovering and developing the best technologies to treat their patients.
Every year, NFRMC utilizes the highest-level research for patient care. In June 2020, the medical center was recognized by the American College ofCardiology for excellence in performing transcatheter valve replacement procedures. In the past year, NFRMC embarked on several clinical trials for structural heart disease. NFRMC was recognized as a leader in environmental sustainability practices with a Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award. The center was awarded for promoting conservation and making environmentally conscious resource purchases.
Exactech Exactech, which produces orthopedic implants and other technologies to assist in joint replacement for various diseases and injuries, was founded in Gainesville in 1985. Its mission is to improve outcomes for patients who need help with mobility. The company has made its most noteworthy impacts with its knee and shoulder products. Exactech’s knee implant has evolved over the years, beginning with the original Optetrak knee and moving forward to the Optetrak Logic. The most recent variation is the Truliant knee line. Since the first introduction of the Optetrak in 1997, more than 430,000 Exactech knee implants have been sold worldwide on five different continents. Exactech also has over 10% of the market share for shoulder implants. Since 2005, when the company introduced the Equinoxe Shoulder System, it has supplied over 180,000 shoulder implants for patients. The shoulder implant was the first stemless shoulder implant to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for 3D printing. Dr. Gary Miller, Exactech’s co-founder and executive vice president, started the company before Gainesville became a flourishing center for biotech and manufacturing companies. However, the company saw the community’s potential to serve as its home base. “We felt that Gainesville could and would support us in our efforts to build a company here,” Miller said. “The tech community has grown around us and with us.” Gainesville creations have spanned the tech, medical, retail and business sectors. As a growing city that constantly attracts people with fresh ideas and strong-willed motivation, there are sure to be more notable innovations to come.
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