Officers & Directors
Andrew A. Brooks, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Brooks founded Cardo Medical, LLC in May 2007, and has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and manager of Cardo Medical and of Accelerated Innovation, LLC. Dr. Brooks has been in the private practice of orthopedic surgery since 1994, specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy and joint reconstruction. He has previously served as a design consultant to major companies for joint reconstruction and sports medicine products. He currently maintains a part time surgical practice at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nuys, California.
Prior to founding Cardo Medical, Dr. Brooks built a successful track record in healthcare entrepreneurship. Most recently, Dr. Brooks founded Specialty Surgical Centers, a group of multi-specialty surgical centers based in Southern California. Specialty Surgical became the largest privately held surgical center company in California before being acquired by Symbion, Inc in August 2005 (NASDAQ:SMBI). Specialty Surgical Center has over 150 partner-physicians and continues to grow and operate successfully.
Dr. Brooks is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Southern California, and subsequently completed a fellowship in arthroscopic reconstructive surgery and sports medicine at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Brooks is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He is an active member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.
Michael Kvitnitsky
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
Mr. Kvitnitsky served as the Chief Operating Officer and manager of Cardo Medical, LLC and Accelerated Innovation, LLC. He also has served as the President and manager of Cervical Xpand, LLC, a developmental-stage spinal company, since July 2005, and of Uni-Knee, LLC, a developmental-stage orthopedic company, since May 2006. Mr. Kvitnitsky founded Accin Corporation, a medical device company, for which he has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director since February 2005. Prior to that, he served as the Vice President, Innovation and Business Development, of Stryker International, division of Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK), from 1998 until January 2005. His prior employment, during 1990 to 1998, included engineering and research positions with multinational medical device companies in the United States and, during 1986 to 1989, included research institutions in Ukraine.
Derrick Romine
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
Mr. Romine served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cardo Medical, LLC. Prior to joining Cardo, he worked for 18 years in all aspects of finance and strategy, including corporate restructuring, capital structure management and organizational development. Most recently, from 2004 to February 2008, Mr. Romine served as Controller for Specialty Surgical Centers, following its acquisition by Symbion Healthcare, Inc. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Romine held a key financial position at Doane Pet Care, Inc. As Doane’s Director of Financial Planning and Control, he orchestrated financial modeling for the largest private label pet food manufacturer globally. Prior to that, from 1997 to 2000, he worked in strategic projects as Director of Strategy & Analysis at Service Merchandise Corporation, a retail company, where he focused specifically on corporate restructure and capital management. Prior to 1997, Mr. Romine held various financial and operational positions in both the public and private sector and also has served seven years’ active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a Medical Service Corp Officer (including for a period in 2006 when he took a leave of absence as Controller of Specialty Surgical Centers).
Joseph Loggia
Director
Mr. Loggia serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Advanstar, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Advanstar Communications, Inc., a leading worldwide media company providing integrated marketing solutions for the fashion, life sciences and powersports industries, since January 2004. As Chief Executive Officer, he led Advanstar’s effort to develop and implement a new strategy, transforming the company from a traditional B2B publisher and trade show producer to a market-focused media company, culminating in a $1.14 billion sale of the company in 2007 to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, LLC, a private equity firm focusing on media, communications, information and education industries in North America and Europe. From 2001 through 2003, Mr. Loggia served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Advanstar, leading the company’s efforts to enhance its operating efficiencies and implementing state-of-the-art data systems, new business development procedures and rewards, and a new growth-based management compensation system. From 1995 through 1998, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of MAGIC International, producer of the MAGIC Marketplace apparel trade show, leading the acquisition of MAGIC by Advanstar in 1998. Prior to joining MAGIC, Mr. Loggia, who is a certified public accountant, was a manager at the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand in its fraud and financial investigations division, after having spent 10 years in law enforcement.
Thomas H. Morgan
Director
He is the managing member of Morgan Exploration, LLC, Morgan Marathon, LLC and Morgan United, LLC. Through these and other entities, since 1985, Mr. Morgan has owned and developed numerous shopping centers, apartment complexes, condo towers and luxury single-family residences throughout the United States. Since 1982, Mr. Morgan also has been the founder and President of Morgan Energy Corporation, an oil and gas exploration company. Prior to that, he worked for Conoco Oil Company and Gulf Oil Company. Mr. Morgan has drilled, developed and owned interests in thousands of oil and gas wells throughout the Rocky Mountain region, Texas and Oklahoma. Mr. Morgan is on the Board of Directors of the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity organization.
Ronald N. Richards, Esq.
Director
Mr. Richards has represented Specialty Surgical Centers, as one of its litigation counsel, and other medical professionals and clinics throughout Southern California. Since 2000, he was the senior partner of Ronald Richards & Associates based in Beverly Hills, California. Since 2003, Mr. Richards has served as Secretary of Sierra Towers Homeowners Association. Mr. Richards was a professor of law at the San Fernando Valley College of Law from 2006 to 2007. He has had numerous published opinions in the state courts and federal courts of appeal. Mr. Richards lectures to other attorneys on various legal matters and has published works on various related medical topics. In 2008, he obtained a Certificate of Management from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles . Mr. Richards received his law degree from University of La Verne in 1995 and his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1991.
Steven D. Rubin
Director
Mr. Rubin has served as Executive Vice President—Administration of Opko Health, Inc. (formerly known as eXegenics Inc.) (AMEX: OPK), a developmental-stage health care company, since May 2007 and a director of that company since February 2007. He is also a member of The Frost Group, LLC. He served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of IVAX Corporation from August 2001 until September 2006. Prior to joining IVAX, Mr. Rubin was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary with privately-held Telergy, Inc., a provider of business telecommunications and diverse optical network solutions, from January 2000 to August 2001. In addition, he was with the Miami law firm of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson from 1986 to 2000, in the Corporate and Securities Department. Mr. Rubin had been a shareholder of that firm since 1991 and a director from 1998 to 2000. In addition to serving as a director of Opko, Mr. Rubin currently serves on the Board of Directors of Dreams, Inc. (AMEX: DRJ), a vertically integrated sports licensing and products company, Safestitch Medical, Inc. (OTCBB: SFES), a medical device company, Ideation Acquisition Corp. (AMEX: IDI), a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of acquiring a business in the digital media sector, Modigene, Inc. (OTCBB: MODG), a developmental-stage biopharmaceutical company, and Longfoot Communications Corp. (OTCBB: LGFC), a public shell company that recently completed a merger with Kidville Holdings, LLC, an operator of upscale learning and play facilities for children.
Subbarao Uppaluri, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Uppaluri has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Opko Health, Inc. (formerly known as eXegenics Inc.) (AMEX: OPK), a developmental-stage health care company, since May 2007 and as a director of that company from February 9, 2007 through March 27, 2007. He is also a member of The Frost Group, LLC. He served as the Vice President, Strategic Planning and Treasurer of IVAX Corporation from February 1997 until December 2006. Before joining IVAX, from 1987 to August 1996, Dr. Uppaluri was Senior Vice President, Senior Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer with Intercontinental Bank, a publicly traded commercial bank in Florida. In addition, he served in various positions, including Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Controller, at Peninsula Federal Savings & Loan Association, a publicly traded Florida savings and loan, from October 1983 to 1987. His prior employment, during 1974 to 1983, included engineering, marketing and research positions with multinational companies and research institutes in India and the United States. In addition to serving as a director of Opko, Dr. Uppaluri currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ideation Acquisition Corp. (AMEX: IDI), a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of acquiring a business in the digital media sector, and Longfoot Communications Corp. (OTCBB: LGFC), a public shell company that recently completed a merger with Kidville Holdings, LLC, an operator of upscale learning and play facilities for children.