Spinal Elements

Todd E. Andres, a founder of Spinal Elements (formerly Quantum Orthopedics), has been in executive leadership roles since 1998. Prior to founding Spinal Elements, Andres was the founder, president and CEO of HP Plastics Corporation, a manufacturer of high-performance, high-purity polymer components. HP Plastics served the medical device, semiconductor, and aerospace/defense markets. Following HP Plastics' acquisition by CoorsTek of Golden, Colorado, Andres worked as an executive contract employee of CoorsTek prior to founding Spinal Elements in 2003. Andres has experience in marketing of PEEK materials, used extensively in the spine market, for Victrex USA (now Invibio). Andres worked in sales, marketing and engineering roles for Hoechst AG (now Aventis) prior to joining the Victrex team. Andres earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston.

Jason Blain, a founder of Spinal Elements, has nearly 20 years experience in orthopedics, including hip replacements, knee replacements, trauma and spine products. He has extensive experience in product development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance from his roles with Smith & Nephew, Alphatec, and Nuvasive Inc. Blain earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.

Steve McGowan, a founder of Spinal Elements, has 20 years experience as CFO for venture-backed start-up medical device companies. Prior to founding Spinal Elements, he spent three years as the CFO for NuVasive Inc., a spine products company. He gained extensive experience obtaining equity and debt financing and establishing financial and operating systems working for medical device companies including Novatrix Inc. and Intramed Laboratories Inc. McGowan also previously worked at Science Applications International Corporation and Ernst & Young. A Certified Public Accountant, he received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Science degree in accounting from San Diego State University.

Robert Mitchell White, the Vice President of Sales, has nearly 20 years of spine and orthopedics sales leadership experience. Most recently, White was a Region Vice President of sales for Apatech, where he earned accolades such as RVP of the Year, Region of the Year, and highest dollar growth. White has been a top performer and award winner in positions at companies such as NuVasive, Stryker, and Osteotech. White earned a bachelor's degree in English at The Colorado College. White is a competitive kart racer, winning the 2005 US KART Championship, and the 2007 World Karting Championship.