Twenty Statewide Companies Honored Today at Awards Ceremony in Tallahassee for Contributions to the State’s Economy
RTI Biologics Inc. (RTI) (Nasdaq:RTIX), the Florida-based processor of orthopedic, dental, hernia and other biologic implants, was awarded the 2009 Governor’s Business Expansion Award from Florida Governor Charlie Crist today.
RTI received the award for business expansion in the major market category at an awards luncheon at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. and was among twenty Florida companies that received 2009 Governor’s Business Diversification Awards. RTI was chosen for this award based on exceptional contributions toward statewide economic diversification through job creation and distinctive community involvement and investment.
“This Governor’s Business Expansion Award is a wonderful recognition for RTI, and we are honored to be recognized at this level," said Brian K. Hutchison, chairman and CEO for RTI. "This award further demonstrates our commitment to growth and recognizes continued success following the 2008 merger of Regeneration Technologies, Inc. and Tutogen Medical, Inc."
The awards program is sponsored annually by Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) in conjunction with Florida’s Industry Appreciation Week held September 14-18, 2009, which promotes outstanding accomplishments made by the state’s businesses.
“These awards acknowledge the successes of a wide range of business leaders whose accomplishments have benefited our economy," said Enterprise Florida President & CEO John Adams Jr. "Therefore, Industry Appreciation Week and the awards program celebrate their exemplary efforts and the attributes that brought them about: innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, and volunteerism.”
Companies vied in six categories: Business Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Export Excellence, Innovation, Newcomer and Green-to-Gold. Each nominee competed with other companies, organizations, universities and colleges in similarly sized markets, including Mid Market (county population up to 150,000); Major Market (county population 150,001 to 800,000) and Mega Market (county population 800,001 and higher).
Winners were chosen for demonstrating a commitment to creating jobs for Floridians, increasing capital investment and promoting corporate citizenship.
About Enterprise Florida
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida''s business and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida. Headquartered in Orlando, EFI’s mission is to diversify Florida’s economy and create better-paying jobs for its citizens by supporting, attracting and helping to create businesses in innovative, high-growth industries. In pursuit of its mission, EFI works closely with a statewide network of economic development partners and is funded both by the State of Florida and by private-sector businesses.
About RTI Biologics Inc.
RTI Biologics, Inc. is the leading provider of sterile biological implants for surgeries around the world with a commitment to advancing science, safety and innovation. RTI prepares human donated tissue and bovine tissue for transplantation through extensive testing and screening, precision shaping and proprietary, validated sterilization processes. These allograft and xenograft implants are used in orthopedic, dental, hernia and other specialty surgeries.
RTI’s innovations continuously raise the bar of science and safety for biologics - from being the first company to offer precision-tooled bone implants and assembled technology to maximize each gift of donation, to inventing validated sterilization processes that include viral inactivation steps. Two such processes - the BioCleanse® Tissue Sterilization Process and the Tutoplast® Tissue Sterilization Process - have a combined record of more than two million implants distributed with zero incidence of allograft-associated infection. These processes have been validated by tissue type to penetrate tissue, inactivate or remove viruses and a wide range of organisms using worst-case testing and maintain tissue biocompatibility and functionality.
RTI’s worldwide corporate headquarters are located in Alachua, Fla., with international facilities in Neunkirchen, Germany, and Aix-en-Provence, France. The company is accredited in the U.S. by the American Association of Tissue Banks.
Contacts:
RTI Biologics Inc., Alachua
Wendy Crites Wacker, APR, Corporate
Communications, 386-418-8888
wwacker@rtix.com
