The Ledger / Reinhold Schmieding
Reinhold Schmieding
◼ Origin
Austrian-born entrepreneur who founded Arthrex Inc. in Munich in 1981 and relocated it to Naples, Florida, in 1991; built Arthrex into one of the world's largest privately held orthopedic surgical device companies with $4B+ in estimated annual revenue, 10,000+ employees, and 14,000+ products used in hospitals globally.
◼ Self-Made Verdict — YES
Founded Arthrex in Munich in 1981 and relocated it to the US without any inherited business; built one of the world's largest private orthopedic device companies from a standing start.
◼ Documented marks
01
Founded Arthrex Inc. in 1981 and built it into a private orthopedic surgical device company with $4B+ in estimated revenue, 10,000+ employees, and 14,000+ products spanning sports medicine, shoulder, knee, hip, and trauma surgery; Arthrex's PEEK suture anchors and shoulder repair systems are market leaders.
02
Arthrex paid $26M to the US Department of Justice in 2020 to resolve allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to orthopedic surgeons — including consulting fees, royalties, and payments for courses held at a private ski resort — to induce physicians to use Arthrex products. The company denied wrongdoing. As the private owner, Schmieding bore ultimate responsibility for the conduct.
03
Arthrex's private ownership structure means it is not required to disclose revenue, profit, executive compensation, or enforcement actions in public filings; its business practices and pricing power in hospital contracting operate without the transparency required of publicly traded device companies.
No inheritance, or primary accounts documented for this billionaire yet.
◼ List of charges
Total sentence
0–0 years
That is
0.0–0.0 life sentences
(using 78 years as one life)
These are moral charges, not legal ones. The actual legal system has not — and will not — bring them.
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