Arthrex is not poison

If a company's going to make a big investment in your county, you'd better get its name right.

Naples-based medical manufacturer Arthrex recently announced plans to expand in neighboring Lee County, purchasing the former Robb & Stucky furniture headquarters in Fort Myers where it plans to locate its distribution center.

But at a Chamber of Southwest Florida gathering in Fort Myers recently, Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall referred to the company as “anthrax” on several occasions.
Michael Boose, the company's human-resources director who was on a panel discussion moderated by Hall, gently corrected the commissioner. “It's Arthrex,” he reminded her.

Privately held Arthrex, a leading manufacturer of surgical tools, is poised to achieve $1 billion in sales this year and has more than 1,000 employees in the region. The company's Fort Myers facility measures 240,000 square feet, or about four football fields.