Word on the Street is that there have been some additional changes made at U.S. Spine. Yes, readers, TSB has substantiated that during the summer there were at least ten employees given their walking orders! Today, rumor has it that Darrell Jackson and another sales manager were let go within the last couple of weeks. Darrell, if you're out there we want to hear your side of the story!
TSB has to ask the $3 million dollar question, what happens when you have an investor that comes from a different industry, has never worked in the industry let alone ever developed a product, starts to mandate how the company should be run, and has totally unrealistic revenue expectations? TOTAL CHAOS! Hey no offense, but just because you're good at basketball doesn't mean you'll be a great football player. Success breeds insanity and sometimes incompetence! Oh, VC's I could hear you groveling!
TSB was willing to give US Spine a reprieve, but it seems that this company can't get out of its own way. Word is that they are having trouble ponying up cash and delivering product to distributors. How many useless press releases will there be? TSB wants to know what our readers have heard?
Ferrari Please...358 Italia would be nice.
ReplyDeleteThey do not pay their distributors or bills!
ReplyDeletethey pay their distributors. you don't know what you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI realize that sometimes people think that some of our commentators or TSB himself have an agenda or an axe to grind. We don't! Payback is a bitch when you treat people like dirt, step on their throats, and crush their spirit. Based on what former employees say, "Kolman and Sendro are a sham!" Spineophiles of the world UNITE!
ReplyDeleteYou claim payment to distributors, but I know for a fact that is not true. I am surprised any vendors want to work with them without cash up front!
ReplyDeleteThe Voice of the People says it all!
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting comment about outsiders coming in to run the show. This is what Keegan Harper of VertiFlex did prior to Earl Fender coming (not that he fixed anything, lol)
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Sendro, it appears he is great for coming in and draining the last bit of life/money out of troubled companies... re: Vertebron.
I agree, the agenda that Dris has/is to make sure her family (Trace and Kelly not sure if her husband) are on the payroll. She certainly has screwed a lot of people! Trace is a Benidict Armold for sure! BS in it's highest form!
ReplyDeleteObviously the person stating that they are paying their distributors is a company schill or NO SCROTUM John in finance. Note there was no comment on paying their vendors.
ReplyDeleteYou can be sure that Doris Blake and her relatives Kelly and Trace got their pay check. Guaranteed as soon as if and when they have children, the day they are born, they will be on the payroll.
No one can believe they are still there! You can tell when the family is lying, when their lips move, that would be Doris, Kelly, and particularly Trace. He is an absolute SB. The B stands for bag!
I had a recent discussion with one of the spine docs I am close with. He had passed along a story of his experience with US Spine at their booth at NASS. Supposedly there was maybe, at best, 2 or 3 people that knew what they were talking about and everyone else seemed to be 'parachuted in' to the company from something definitely NOT related to spine or orthopedics...and nary an engineer in site. As he mentioned during our chat, this was not exactly providing him with the confidence to use any of their products.
ReplyDeletewe brought over two of our spine docs and they were impressed with latest updates...they have signed up for surgeries in the next few weeks.We liked the javelin and had no probs with the US Spine reps...it seems small growing companies always have some issues but our hope is that their technology performs or we wont come back...
ReplyDeleteKolman is best to stick with casinos and real estate since he knows nothing about the medical device world
ReplyDeleteOuted blogger: cohen v. port. If there is a link back to this blog in association with any damages, the vail of secrecy is gone and you will get sued.
ReplyDeleteThey must pay some bills; nass isnt free, travel isnt free. Sometimes just sometimes, there are dead beat distributors that may even turn out to be just bad people. Imagine this, "Sales people that like to tell stories", that doesn't happen in spine.
ReplyDeleteMusculoskeletal: Please stop using my moniker. In addition, MM must ask those that critique everyone's anonymity, why do you choose to write anonymously? It's easy to pass judgement and malign others when you yourself take no accountability for your actions. Could so many people be wrong? Maybe if our industry exhibited the professionalism that it espouses, there wouldn't be people writing blogs. How many companies have underpaid distributors without notifying them in advance? How many companies still owe people money because they did not manage their money? How many early growth stage companies have attempted to steal cases from distributors? The fact remains that just because you are good are raising money or making money doesn't mean that you have people skills. Cohen v. Port v. Google, a looser.
ReplyDeleteSo many people CAN be and ARE wrong; Obama's in office, I'm certain you've pruchased stock on rumor and you probaby bought Enron like everyone else. People need to get to work and that doesnt mean blasting US spine or whomever. US is doing their spin, but I'm certain there are people just not cutting it on thier dime. The great thing about this market, poeple don;t have to pay for mediocrity anymore, including for poor distribution.
ReplyDeleteAs I'm certain many are quite happy to read about another company "potentially" having trouble. There is nothing wrong with cutting dead wood. There's nothing wrong with not paying for cases without PO's.
It's just sad; at least US spine is making an effort publicly etc, while you sit in the woods sniping at them from some position of authority. If anything it's humerous.
If US spine can prove that they have lost one case because a distributor felt threatened by your commentary over payments or other false allegations, they can sue you. And to this, I will applaud.
anonymous....a little spell check can assist in you making your point
ReplyDeleteYou have to have been there to fully understand the paranoia and lack of trust/communication that exists there.
ReplyDeletePeople have been given walking papers and quite a few have left because they wanted to.
They are slow to pay vendors as well as reimbursing their sales reps...ouch.
Sounds like a bunch of disgruntled former employees!! They would like nothing better than the company go down.
ReplyDeleteThe facts are that Doris and Co. were not managing the company and especially the cash flow well...also, the board of directors were not being told the whole truth. Koman sent in his people to investigate and found a mess. To rescue the company he placed his own people on the inside. They have since laid off under performing employees, established payment terms with vendors who were being paid late and restructured the sales force who were not performing at all!! (or who were making bad business deals with agencies).
The facet gun products have had issues in the past but they have done a good job on fixing this and the products now work very well.
I think if they get through the current challenges and sales pick up....it will be one to watch.
Change is always difficult...especially for those who cannot or decide not to change!!
One to watch - I will agree with you on that. Go down the tubes.
ReplyDeleteThen again, the "anonymous" current employee espousing the "new US Spine" management would best use his/her time looking for another job.....you will need one soon.
Sound a little bitter as you were let go!!
ReplyDeleteI hate to disappoint you, but keep watching the headlines the next couple of weeks, you are in for a surprise!
I'm not sure how anyone in the industry can believe what is stated in a future press release by this company. Where there's smoke there is .....
ReplyDelete