GMMDC RECEPTION HONORS MEDICAL DEVICE INDUSTRY LEADER

The first GMMDC Reception to honor and celebrate medical device industry leaders and their associated contractors was held on June 20^th at The Kitchen – Shelby Farms.

A crowd of over sixty company representatives attended the historic event as old and new friends enjoyed the reunion of an industry that began in Memphis during the early 1930’s. Since that time, the medical device industry is now Tennessee’s largest exporter and contributes $2.7 billion annual dollars to our economy.

Shelby County currently contains the second largest concentration of orthopedic and spinal medical device manufacturing companies in the United States. The Reception provided attendees an excellent forum to discuss the work being accomplished to increase medical device educational options for students and citizens in Shelby County.

One of the largest projects being constructed to help supply the needed pipeline of trained medical device employees is the TCAT – HAAS CNC Technology Center which will open in 2019. An architectural rendering of the new $7M Center was unveiled at the Reception and is being funded by the City of Bartlett, the Gene HAAS Educational Foundation and the State of Tennessee.  

When asked about the TCAT Center, Mayor Keith McDonald commented, “Serving as the epicenter for medical device manufacturers, The City of Bartlett is a proud supporter of the GMMDC and their innovative workforce development initiatives.   We’re particularly excited about the new TCAT – HAAS CNC Technology Center which will open in Bartlett in 2019.”

Serving as the GMMDC Board host for the evening, Ms. Jodie Gilmore, CEO of Onyx Medical opened the Reception and a presentation followed by Mr. Roy Smith, Executive Director of the organization. For more information about education or employment opportunities available through the GMMDC, contact Roy Smith at (901) 490-2578.