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Dymicron
Dymicron is an innovation-driven medical technology company that is advancing a new generation of orthopedic implant devices made from polycrystalline diamond (PCD)—one of the strongest substances known to man, and a material for which Dymicron has exclusive patented use in all human interbody applications.
Orthopedic Diamond™, the proprietary grade of PCD the company employs for its devices, boasts superior durability and wear characteristics in addition to proven biocompatibility. These attributes, combined with design advances that deliver significant kinematic and natural motion advantages, powerfully differentiate Dymicron’s devices from other offerings in the orthopedic implant market.
Founded in 1997, Dymicron consists of dedicated medical device, material science, clinical, and business professionals with the experience and the manufacturing capabilities to successfully commercialize this game-changing technology. The company’s first product is Triadyme-C™, a cervical total disc replacement (cTDR) device intended to enhance disc replacement surgery outcomes. With its CE mark for Triadyme-C in hand, the company plans to follow its European market introduction with PMA approval and sales in the United States. As Dymicron introduces next-generation devices for other applications in coming years, all of which will utilize the same advanced proprietary material, it expects to emerge as one of the world’s leading orthopedic implant device companies.
Bill J. Pope
Founder
Bill J. Pope is a former Professor of Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University and a successful entrepreneur who has started several synthetic diamond companies focused on industrial uses. It was later in his career that he became aware of limitations in the materials commonly used for orthopedic joint replacement and the debilitation that faced patients with failed implants. This led Dr. Pope to establish Dymicron in 1997 to research and commercialize the use of polycrystalline diamond in a new generation of orthopedic medical devices.
LEADERSHIP
Alan Layton
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board
Alan Layton is an accomplished business founder and leader. With companies engaged in construction, engineering, software development, resort development, and medical devices, he serves as chairman on several boards. A former Chairman of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and an original member of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Mr. Layton graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in Civil Engineering.
Jeff Bennett
President
Jeff Bennett is a medical device professional with expertise in product development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs as well as senior management. Before joining Dymicron he oversaw a 100 percent increase in revenue during his two-and-a-half-year tenure as General Manager of Merit Medical’s Richmond Division. Mr. Bennett has contributed to the development and commercialization of a variety of new medical device products that range from left-ventricular assist devices to in-vitro diagnostics.
Jeff K. Taylor
Chief Science & Technology Officer, Board Member
Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science and Technology Officer, co-founded Dymicron in 1997 with Dr. Pope. He has 30 years of experience in medical device development in the areas of adult reconstruction, spine, surgical robotics, and trauma. Dr. Taylor’s experience with synthetic diamond technology began in 1974 when he was a research assistant toDr. H. Tracy Hall, the inventor of man-made diamond. In 1992, he served as founding director of Consensus Orthopedics, a company specializing in total joint replacement products. A medical graduate of Johns Hopkins University in 1983, Dr. Taylor is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstructive surgery.
Duane Madsen
Vice Chairman
Duane Madsen has served on Dymicron’s Board of Directors since 2006. Prior to his retirement in 2008, he served as a Vice President and Senior Director at Goldman Sachs and Company. Mr. Madsen is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tim Stratford
Board Member
Mr. Stratford is managing partner in the Beijing office of Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. He advises international clients doing business in China and Chinese companies seeking to expand their businesses globally. Except for the five years he worked in Washington, D.C. as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative responsible for U.S. trade relations with China (2005-10), Mr. Stratford has lived and worked continuously in the greater China region since 1982, including as General Counsel for General Motors’ China operations, Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
Wayne Tew
Board Member
Wayne Tew has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Clark County Credit Union (CCCU) since 1986. With his background in accounting and dedication to providing members with a top quality financial institution, Tew helped transform CCCU into one of the strongest credit unions in Nevada. Tew has been heavily involved in the credit union industry, currently serving as Chairman of the Nevada Credit Union League Board, and previously as Chairman of the Client Group Board for SUMMIT Information Systems, a FiServ company that provides data processing software to credit unions. Tew also serves on the Advisory Board for American Share Insurance, the largest private deposit insurance company in the country. In addition to managing one of the region’s largest credit unions and devoting valuable time to strengthening the credit union industry, Tew is heavily involved in the community. He is co-owner of Ultimate Collision and Repair which has two locations in Las Vegas. He is an active member of the Vegas Valley Angels and serves on the board of Dimicron, an upstart company utilizing synthetic diamond in medical devices. He also manages a family LLC which invests in a variety of real estate ventures. He is also a Chairman of the Board for The Howard Center, a think tank focusing on issues involving the natural family. He has served in volunteer capacities for scouting and for his church. Tew earned his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Prior to joining CCCU, He served as Vice President and Controller for City-County Credit Union in Minneapolis, Controller for Minnesota Online, and Auditor for Arthur Andersen & Company in Minneapolis. Tew is married to Patrice Pope, currently a Trustee for the Clark County School District. They have four adult married children and eleven grandchildren.
Suzanne Winters
Board Member
Dr. Winters is a creative, energetic, and motivated leader with 30 years of diverse experience in technology research, development, commercialization, management, and strategic planning for businesses, universities and all levels of government. She has proven experience across areas as diverse as science research, policy, science education, technology economic development including new business start-up, and program implementation. Dr. Winters currently is the director of the Intermountain Healthcare Transformation Lab, developing innovative technologies, devices and processes to transform the quality, accessibility and delivery of healthcare at sustainable costs. Dr. Winters spent the first half of her career in the research and development of artificial organs and medical devices such as the Jarvik 7 Total Artificial Heart, an implantable artificial lung, the IVOX, and several other medical devices and diagnostics. Her primary responsibilities were in product development and moving technology from the research bench into marketable medical products. She served for eight years as the Utah State Science Advisor under the Leavitt administration, working at the intersection of science and public policy. During her tenure, significant issues facing the state, such as the destruction of stored chemical munitions, transportation of spent nuclear fuel rods and electro-magnetic radiation benefited from her input and leadership. She previously served as a Director of the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) and the Executive Director for the BioInnovations Gateway (BiG), a new model life science workforce training and business incubator. With a strong educational and technology development background, Dr. Winters brings both the breadth and depth of her professional experience from proactive program development to successful implementation of strategic goals. Her strong leadership skills have been demonstrated through building consensus among multiple parties with differing agendas and moving productively and cooperatively to mission accomplishment. She currently serves as the Utah Life Science Cluster Director in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, working to build a strong, vibrant and sustainable life science based industry cluster in Utah.
