OrthoWorx Announces Organizational Changes

OrthoWorx today announced that Cathy Limina has been promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer and that Sheryl Conley will be stepping down from her role as President and Chief Executive Officer on April 14, 2017 to devote more time and attention to the AcceLINX™ Musculoskeletal Health Business Accelerator.  AcceLINX was developed and launched as a separate entity by OrthoWorx as an outgrowth of its focus on the region’s innovation environment.

“Our efforts to alter the landscape for innovation and entrepreneurship have gained significant momentum and require more intensive management to realize the transformational progress we believe is possible,” said Toby Buck, CEO of Paragon Medical and chair of the OrthoWorx board. “Sheryl will still be a great partner for OrthoWorx, but she will now be spending more of her time providing focused leadership to the AcceLINX effort.  We are fortunate that Cathy is uniquely qualified to continue to drive important work at OrthoWorx.”

Ms. Limina joined OrthoWorx in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer and will continue to direct all financial aspects of the organization.  “Cathy has played a critical role with me in the leading OrthoWorx and has been directly involved in all of our highest impact initiatives,” said Ms. Conley.  “I’m confident that the organization won’t miss a beat in driving meaningful progress in our three key strategic focus areas.”

“We greatly appreciate Sheryl’s service and leadership to OrthoWorx over her five years as CEO,” said Mr. Buck.  “She has led the maturation of the organization and steered it to a very tight focus on three foundational strategic areas—talent development, talent attraction and innovation.  Among her most notable achievements is the establishment of the OrthoWorx University | Industry Advisory Board, which has made significant progress in bringing together the orthopedic cluster and Indiana universities, leading to very promising collaborations.”

For the purposes of launching AcceLINX, Ms. Conley is serving as president of the organization as well as a board member, along with the board chair, David Findlay, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lake City Bank, and Ms. Limina.  Ms. Conley will also continue to serve as Executive Director and a member of the board of directors of the Orthopedics Capital Foundation.  She will divide her time between working with OrthoWorx on the establishment and further development of the operational aspects of AcceLINX, including finalization and launch of an affiliated venture fund, and other personal interests.

Other OrthoWorx team members, who will continue in their roles, include the following:  Brad Bishop, Executive Director; Gennie Brissette-Tipton, Associate Manager, Communications & Projects; Laura Kernodle, Program Manager, Experiential Learning Initiatives; and Michele Picillo, Office Manager/Executive Assistant.

Ms. Limina has extensive experience in the orthopedic industry, having served in Finance and Field Sales Operations roles over her 22-year career with Zimmer, most recently as Vice President of Field Sales Operations for the Zimmer Americas business.  She began her orthopedic career at Zimmer Canada, where she held increasingly responsible positions in the finance area, and moved to Zimmer headquarters in Warsaw in 2004. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph and holds the designation of Certified Public Accountant/Management Accountant.

“I’m excited about working with our board and the OrthoWorx team to continue the momentum we’ve established as a unique catalyst and convener in partnership with industry, the educational community, governmental entities and the community broadly,” said Ms. Limina.  “We do important work that would not be possible if we had not been created with the vision and funding in 2009 of the Lilly Endowment”

A website designed to provide information about and promote engagement with AcceLINX was recently launched (www.accelinx.com). An additional AcceLINX-branded website has been established on the Venture360.co platform to facilitate receipt of start-up business plans and other critical company information. AcceLINX is currently housed in the OrthoWorx offices in in Warsaw, although a dedicated physical space may be developed or identified in the future depending on the needs of the start-ups that engage with AcceLINX.

About OrthoWorx

Formed in 2009 with initial funding from the Lilly Endowment, OrthoWorx (www.orthoworxindiana.com) is a community-based initiative that works strategically and collaboratively with the orthopedic industry and other stakeholders to ensure that the Warsaw region continues to reap the social and economic benefits that derive from its position as The Orthopedic Capital of the World.®

About AcceLINX

AcceLINX is a multi-stage, musculoskeletal health business accelerator that provides an unmatched level of industry-specific support to select inventors and entrepreneurs looking to enhance their prospects of business success. AcceLINX leverages the unprecedented concentration of medical device industry resources in northern Indiana and the deep industry expertise and global networks of its team members to provide a unique capacity to accelerate the results of start-ups it engages with. Additional information available at www.accelinx.com.