Xomed GmbH

The company I have been employed by since 1996 and written by my boss, Tino Schuler, who took charge in December of that year.

The German subsidiary of a comparatively small Jacksonville, Florida, USA Ear Nose & Throat device making specialist company but #2 in the ENT world. It was run by medical/engineering enthusiasts had been through all sorts of financial troubles but was back in 1996 making a determined effort to get out of the "family-run" image and make it to the big time.

Tino is an American born in Munich of an American father and German mother who very soon afterwards left for Japan and other parts where his Texas Instruments working dad took him. After college in the USA, he ended up with Xomed & was sent to Europe to specialise in marketing one specific line of products.

In the early days of 1996 when he popped into the German office, I got to know him & I guess bonded by the common language, we got on great. That helped when he became MD a few months later in difficult circumstances.

He built the team and together we took Xomed Germany from being youngest and smallest international subsidiary to being number #1 and winning the Chairman's prize in 1999.

With our success in helping Xomed to go public on NASDAQ, we sadly also encouraged the big boys & in 2000 we were taken over by the huge Medtronic Inc medical device company. Slowly things got broken up and by 2002 the Munich office was closed. I turned down a relocation to Medtronic's offices in Düsseldorf and took redundancy.

Tino together with his German wife & Munich born first daughter were recalled to Xomed's HQ's and started a new life in Jacksonville (USA largest city - in sq miles terms).

Those 3 years 97/98/99 were tough. Lots of blood, sweat & even tears but as a team, we had great fun. Probably the best working days of my life.