WARSAW, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biomet family is profoundly saddened by the passing of Dane A. Miller, Ph.D.
Dane was one of Biomet’s four founders and was our CEO from 1977 to 2006. It is impossible in one short statement to give justice to his impact on our company, on our industry, and on the communities where we operate – especially Warsaw and Winona Lake, Indiana. It is also impossible to describe adequately Dane’s impact on the lives of our Team Members and on the members of the orthopaedic community with whom he worked and developed friendships over many years.
Dane Miller was a true pioneer both in regard to the development of new technologies and in the management and development of Biomet’s unique work environment and culture. Under his leadership Biomet grew from a company with $17,000 in revenues in 1978, our first fiscal year of operation, to one with greater than $2 billion in sales in 2006.
On the technology front, Dane used his biomedical engineering background to drive advancements in biomaterials and implant design that helped patients around the world.
On the cultural front, Dane thought of himself as an “environmental engineer,” and he fostered an ownership culture where team members were empowered to make decisions, take reasonable risks and actively respond to the needs of our customers and their patients. Dane was one of industry’s first leaders to use the phrase “team member” to describe his company’s employees. He once told me that the best description of Biomet’s culture was that of a “can-do family.”
Dane’s influence will continue to be felt by our communities, our industry, and the people whose lives he touched. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dane’s family, and with those who loved him.
Jeff Binder
President and CEO
Biomet, Inc.
