Pioneer Surgical staying in Marquette

Officials involved in a recent acquisition of a Upper Peninsula based company say its workforce in Marquette is staying put.

Pioneer Surgical is now part of RTI Surgical–a growing global surgical implant company.

Florida–based RTI says expansion is likely, but the 200 Marquette jobs are secure.

Combining the twenty year track record of Pioneer Surgical with that of RTI, the company is poised to corner a bigger market of the implant market.

“What we’re here to do today is to introduce RTI Surgical to the community of Marquette,” President and CEO of RTI Surgical Brian Hutchison said.  “A couple of months ago, RTI Biologics went through a transaction acquisition, if you will, of Pioneer Surgical.  Together we’ve created a company that we’re calling RTI Surgical.”
RTI is a leader in tissue-based innovation. RTI precisely shapes and sterilizes donated human tissue and animal tissue into allograft implants for use in surgeries.

In addition to the biologic products, there are lines of synthetic, plastic, and metal spine and trauma products.

All of these products are making a major medical difference.

“What is here is engineering talent, marketing talent, regulatory (talent), quality, and certainly manufacturing,” Hutchison said.  “And over time we expect to grow this segment of our overall business significantly.  Over the next many years we’d expect we will grow our employment base here, hopefully having all kinds of employees that can be good contributors to the community, be able to make a nice living and raise a family.”

The Pioneer Surgical sternal cable system was used in about 34,000 surgeries last year, and its products are sold in twenty-six counties.  Some 400,000 units were distributed last year.