Friends of Exactech,
I sincerely hope you are well despite the pandemic and its massive impact on the health of our nation and world. Our employees, surgeon customers and their patients around the globe are at the forefront of our minds as we empathize with the monumental changes you are all confronting.
As a result of COVID-19, the vast majority of elective joint replacement procedures have been postponed. We realize that for patients suffering from painful hip, knee, shoulder or ankle arthritis, these procedures feel anything but “elective,” and I want you to have full confidence that Exactech stands ready to support you when scheduling resumes. We are continuing to build instruments and implants to be ready when this time comes — and it will come. We are also aggressively charging forward with the highest priority product development initiatives and training that will position us to rebound once the pandemic is over. I want to share how we’re doing our part and the plans we have in place to continue helping patients get back to what they love.
We have taken swift action to help ensure we weather this storm and emerge stronger in support of our surgeon customers and patients worldwide. To continue providing high quality products to our customers, it is of the utmost importance that we first support the health of our employees around the globe. On March 16, we transitioned the majority of our workforce to remote work and grounded all but truly essential travel. For the Gainesville, FL and Sarasota, FL-based operational employees whose positions did not allow the opportunity to work from home, we swiftly spread our work shifts to facilitate social distancing. We also implemented four-point health screenings, including daily temperature checks, as employees enter our Florida campuses.
Like so many other companies, we have had to make extremely difficult decisions to cut costs and focus only on top priorities to protect our business at this volatile time. I have the utmost respect for other business leaders and great appreciation for all employees who are making similar sacrifices. When it came time to deliver our “Survive COVID-19 And Recover Stronger” business continuity plan to the employees of Exactech, I used the acronym “SCARS.” Every patient treated with one of our joint replacement implants ends up with a scar. Some perceive scars as negative, aesthetic blemishes. I look at a scar and see recovery. I know something traumatic happened to cause that scar but that traumatic event wasn’t the end of the story. I wholeheartedly believe this extraordinary pandemic we are suffering through will one day just be a scar — we will never forget it, and we will always bear the mark of these awful days. But we will emerge from this and recover — and be even better having gone through this together.
As we navigate this uncertain time together, know we are here to support you. Our team at Exactech will continue to work tirelessly to bring clinically relevant products and pertinent information that will help us all emerge stronger on the other side.
Stay safe and well,
Darin Johnson, CEO