Med-Tech CEOs turn passion into mission with boot camp for vets

It’s not surprising that Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) CEO Michael Minogue supports the troops. After all, the West Point grad is a former airborne infantry platoon leader and a Desert Storm veteran.

It is, however, a little surprising just how much time, energy and passion Minogue devotes to supporting those troops, given his full-time gig at the helm of a $125 million medical device company, which just achieved profitability for the first time in its 31-year history – and his other full-time gig, as a father of 5 who just welcomed a newborn baby boy to the world.

But Minogue, 46, is driven by a passion to help service members get a better shake when it comes to finding a job after their service is done. It’s a mission he says was borne of the frustrations he hears about campaigning for veterans’ organizations such as Wounded Warriors and The Mission Continues.

Vets tell Minogue that their time in the theater of battle isn’t translating well in corporate America, where HR managers look at their resumés and say they the professional experience needed to land the jobs they want in the civilian world. That, Minogue told MassDevice.com in an exclusive interview, is wrong.

"Whether you spend a year in combat time or in the hospital to recuperate, those are not easy things to go through. But there’s a lesson and education in every experience," he told us. "These lessons create men and women of character, who want to succeed."

"The medical devices industry already plays an important role in developing innovative products for the military and its veterans," FDA medical devices chief Dr. Jeffrey Shuren said in prepared remarks. "Creating a program that helps train and mentor veterans who may be interested in a career in medical technology is a laudable extension of this industry’s efforts."

Minogue has been working with his colleagues at AdvaMed for more than a year to make the medical device sector the most veteran-friendly industry in business, spearheading the launch of the MedTech Veterans Program (MVP) Boot Camp for Returning Heroes. It’s an on-boarding program for military veterans and wounded soldiers, sailors and Marines designed to ease their entry into the med-tech workforce.

The program, to be unveiled tonight at the MassDevice Big 100 Roundtable East, is being launched by AdvaMed (where Minogue is a board member). It’s slated to enroll its first class of about 25 vets this fall at the AdvaMed 2012 medical device conference in Boston.

The inaugural class will go through a 3-day boot camp and orientation program in October, where they’ll receive an overview of the medical device industry, tips on how to land jobs and internships in the industry and coaching on workplace behavior, skill translation, resumés, interview techniques and career transition. The veterans will then be assigned mentors from the industry, who will assist in building a network of med-tech contacts. Special consideration will be given to veterans who’ve been injured in combat.

“This training program was created to thank our returning heroes for their incredible service to our country, giving them access to industry executives, HR representatives and mentors,” said Stephen J. Ubl, AdvaMed president and CEO said in a prepared release. “Once they’ve gone through this intensive program, we believe our MVP Heroes will be strongly positioned for exciting and long-term careers in an innovative and growing industry.”

About 15 firms, including Abiomed, Baxter, Boston Scientific, Covidien, Johnson & Johnson and Edwards Lifesciences are backing the program. Many have ex-military members in leadership positions.

"There’s an informal fraternity of military vets in med-tech," Minogue said. "The key to this idea and this effort is that all of us have a sense that we want to do more, so we’re going to convert the informal network to a more formal network."

Click here for more information on the MedTech Veterans Program’s Boot Camp for Returning Heroes. Military veterans who wish to participate in the program are encouraged to email MVPHeroes@advamed.org.

The medical device industry and returning service members have a lot in common, he added. As in the military, device makers are singularly focused on achieving a mission, Minogue explained.

"The secret sauce of what we do in the industry is providing a service to patients," he told us. "There’s a great focus on our mission to help patients."

The medical device industry also makes perfect sense for the troops who have been wounded in combat, Minogue said.

"These people have spent extensive time in hospitals and know the importance of the caregivers and their dedication to patients. And they see the benefits of innovation in healthcare, especially through the advances we’ve made in prosthetics," he said. "It makes a lot of sense to the spirit of the industry."

Minogue said he was inspired by Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who’s still on active duty despite losing both legs in an IED attack in Iraq in 2007. Gadson and Minogue spent time together when Gadson spoke at Abiomed last year.

"I was very inspired by his focus on leadership and service to the country and that his service will continue outside the military by providing help to wounded warriors," he said.

Initially, Minogue said he wanted to launch the program by himself by funding a website, but soon decided to use his position at AdvaMed to help galvanize others.

"We’d like to see the med-tech industry become 1 of the largest veteran programs and one of the most successful in business," he said.