Farewell and Thank You to Kevin Tanis: The Yoda of LIPUS and Exogen

Had Kevin Tanis not been one of the Fathers of Exogen, he would have been a good correspondent for 60 Minutes. If you have been here awhile, you have seen and heard Kevin ask the tough questions. He’s old school, like Mike Wallace or ABC’s Sam Donaldson, and like an onion, he has many layers as he remembers beginning his professional career more than 44 years ago.

“One of my first supervisors was Eugene De Llanos,” said Kevin. “He was a Cuban fighter pilot who left Cuba during the change in leadership from Batista to Castro. He defected in his fighter jet. I still remember his work ethic, personal love of the freedoms we have in the US and overall personal demeanor.”

Known by many as friend, colleague, boss and employee, Kevin has been the technical expert on the Exogen device and its operation. In fact, his association with the product goes back more than 20 years.

“I left EBI, now known as Biomet, to join a start-up called Meditron. They ran out of money so I left,” said Kevin. “I came back after Exogen went public, then was bought by Smith & Nephew and then was spun out to become Bioventus. Every time I speak to a patient who has had their fractures healed by using the Exogen device, I have a sense of pride for our work.”

“It is quite amazing how often it happens,” he added. “We were just doing some voice of the customer activity the other the day and a patient said, ‘Your device saved my arm.’”

Kevin will retire from Bioventus on November 13. Unless you are a pro athlete or entertainer, retirement usually only comes along once for most of us, and it goes without saying we all wish Kevin the best. He has collaborated with many of our colleagues across the business and we asked a few of them to share some memories.

From Andy Harrison, Research Director

I have found Kevin a great guy to work with. He is always responsive to any requests I have made and when we were doing Exogen research he and his team gave me great support. It is no understatement to say that I will truly miss him.

From Derek Hurdle – Director of US Marketing

Kevin has probably forgotten more about Exogen in the last 24 hours than most of us (including me) will ever know.  He is a walking LIPUS encyclopedia, a touchpoint on new projects and reincarnated ideas alike.  He was a market hawk that would bring intel to marketing.  But above all of that, what I will remember about Kevin is that you always knew exactly where you stood with him.  He called it how he saw it and he didn’t care if he was speaking to a custodian or the executive team and I think there is a lot to be said for that. I wish him all the best in this next stage of life.

From Mark Harbaugh – Senior Director of Professional Affairs

When Smith & Nephew acquired Exogen, I believe that Kevin was the only employee to make the move to Memphis. He is very knowledgeable about Exogen and the physics of LIPUS, he is like Yoda in that regard. Yoda with a bit of Jersey mixed in.

From Phil Stead, Vice President, AHT Sales

If you ever needed a history lesson on Exogen, LIPUS technology, bone stimulation or bone healing in general, Kevin Tanis had the answer, the perspective, and all with a healthy dose of humor. I met Kevin during my first trip to Memphis in January 2010 when signing on as a new Director of Sales.

Through the years, I’ve collaborated with Kevin on five-year strategic planning, product development assignments, countless technology assessments and due diligence efforts, all with many lessons learned. Kevin’s critical eye was always appreciated, never settling for status quo and always driving to meet the customer’s unmet need.

As a sales leader, I appreciated his push for innovation. He would frequently send me industry news – on competitor companies, new and emerging technologies; he was my source for this competitive intel to then bring to the field force and to the physicians alike. I truly valued the partnership and his technical backing.

I trust his license plate will now switch to read “LIPUS” or “20min” in retirement and he will look back on his career knowing that he helped shape the Exogen brand as the market leader in bone stimulation, helping countless patients along the way.

Thank you

Hail and farewell, Kevin Tanis – the impact you helped make is on the more than 1 million patients that have used Exogen to heal their fractures. Not too shabby.