Francis Dirksmeier
Chief Executive Officer
Performance Health is a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the rehabilitation and sports medicine markets. The company’s products are sold to leading healthcare facilities and practitioners such as physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors, as well as direct to consumers. Its market-leading brands, which are sold in over 100 countries, include TheraBand®, Cramer®, Sammons Preston®, and Rolyan®. Performance Health is headquartered in the greater Chicago, Illinois area, with significant operations both in the US and internationally.
We help people feel good, perform better and live their best.
To be a global leader in rehabilitation, recovery, and sports performance.
We always operate with the highest integrity.
We work collaboratively.
We are passionate about achieving results.
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Fran Dirksmeier brings more than 30 years of experience in medical product manufacturing and distribution to his position as CEO of Performance Health. He is recognized in the healthcare industry as a visionary leader and a strategic entrepreneur, with a proven track record of building high-performance teams while driving customer focused growth and operational excellence.
Dirksmeier was formerly the President of Henry Schein Animal Health, a $2 billion market leading distributor of animal health products and services. During his tenure, he established new distribution strategies and a customer centric culture which resulted in the company achieving double digit revenue and operating margin growth.
Previously, Dirksmeier co-founded Agility Healthcare Solutions where he served as Chief Executive Officer and grew the company into a multi-million-dollar venture that solved critical equipment management and patient flow problems. Under his leadership, the company developed the web-based mobile asset inventory management system, The AgileTrac™. This innovative solution provided enterprise visibility and management of patient flow, assets, beds and rooms, staff, emergency department activities, and surgical services processes in an integrated, modular application.
As a result of Agility’s success, GE Healthcare acquired the company in 2008 and appointed Dirksmeier as leader of integrated solutions and general manager of global asset management and hospital operations management. Under his leadership, Dirksmeier and his team tackled more than $100 billion of operational waste in the global healthcare system. As a result, the team was recognized with Frost & Sullivan’s 2012 award for Customer Value Enhancement in Hospital Operations Management.
Prior to co-founding Agility, Dirksmeier was President of McKesson Medical-Surgical, a $3 billion medical supply distribution company and division of McKesson Corporation (MCK). As president, he focused the company’s growth strategies on a platform of operational excellence and customer satisfaction for its acute care, primary care and long-term care business segments.
Dirksmeier’s additional executive management experience includes positions as President and COO of Baker APS, owned by McKesson; Vice President of Strategic Business Services for McKesson Medical Surgical; and President of acute care for McKesson Medical Surgical, and Division Vice President for Owens & Minor.
Dirksmeier holds a BA in Business Management from Assumption College.
Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief Human Resources Officer
Laurie has over 20 years of experience in the field of Talent Management, Organization Development, Learning Development, Corporate and Executive Talent Acquisition, Global University Relations, Global Mobility and Workforce Planning.
Laurie joined Performance Health as the global leader of Human Resources. Prior to Performance Health, Laurie served as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at LifeWatch AG; a global medical device company headquartered in Zug Switzerland.
Prior to LifeWatch, Laurie was the VP of Talent Management for Catamaran, a $21B company headquartered in Schaumburg, IL; a rapidly growing company at the center of the changing healthcare landscape. Laurie was responsible for all recruitment, leadership and employee development, learning management and succession planning for this leader in Pharmacy Benefit Management solutions recently acquired by UnitedHealth Group/Optum.
Prior to Catamaran, Laurie spent 5 years as the VP of Global Staffing and Talent Development for Stryker, a $9B global leader in medical technology and device overseeing the talent management of over 22,000 employees in 80 countries. Prior Stryker and founding Honor Roll, Laurie spent 9 years as principal for Lab Consulting, a Strategic Human Resources consulting firm, whose client list included such companies as Baxter Healthcare, Dade/Behring, Alliant Foods and Biogenex.
Laurie was the Director of Staffing for U.S Distribution (formally Hospital Sales & Distribution) of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, IL. She was responsible for all entry level through senior level internal and external talent acquisition, leadership development rotation programs and internal mobility, as well as the largest segment of university relations for this global medical technology company.
General Counsel
General Counsel
As General Counsel, Jameson is responsible for coordinating all legal activities of the Company and minimizing its potential liability and exposure. Jameson joined Performance Health in November 2016 as Senior Counsel. Jameson began his law career in service to the U.S. government as Honors Program Attorney while in law school and then Attorney to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, followed by roles as Staff Attorney and Senior Attorney for the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2008, Jameson joined Fermilab, A 501(c)(3) consortium operating a $500M+ federal research laboratory as Senior Staff Attorney and was promoted to Deputy General Counsel in 2006. In 2011, Jameson joined GEA Farm Technologies, an $860mm global manufacturer of on-farm livestock and milk production equipment, as General Counsel and progressed through positions as Regional General Counsel and added responsibility as VP Human Resources in 2013. Jameson holds a B.S. in Political Science from Illinois State University and a J.D., cum laude from University of Wisconsin at Madison. He earned full admission to the Wisconsin State Bar in 2002, Illinois Bar since 2009 and served in the Illinois Army National Guard from 1994 – 2002
Chief Procurement Officer
Chief Procurement Officer
Joy Gallo is the Chief Procurement Officer at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine and rehabilitation markets. In her role, Joy is responsible for leading all global procurement, strategic sourcing, demand planning and inventory management for the company. She is a collaborative leader with a proven track record in supply chain excellence, cost savings and inventory optimization. Gallo has over 20 years’ experience leading global distribution and manufacturing operations.
Prior to joining Performance Health, Gallo was the Vice President of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement for Covetrus. She led the strategic sourcing, procurement and demand planning for the $4B company in the animal health area. She also spent 1996 – 2016 with Ashland Inc and during her tenure, she has held numerous roles increasing in responsibility that focused on strategic sourcing, procurement, commercial sales, and supply chain. In 2014, Gallo was named the Global Director of Procurement for the Ashland Performance Materials business. In this position, Gallo was responsible for Ashland’s global procurement for direct chemicals, indirect, bulk and rail logistics in addition to all tolling and sub-contracting manufacturing. She managed $1.4 billion in global responsibility with teams located in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. Gallo has been instrumental in creating a balanced supplier portfolio and strategic planning.
Joy received her Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and executive finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She currently serves on the national board of Women for Economic Leadership Development (WELD) in Columbus, Ohio.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance
Paul Hanneman is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance for Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Its market-leading brands, which are sold in over 100 countries, include Biofreeze®, TheraBand®, TheraPearl®, Cramer®, Sammons Preston®, and Rolyan®. In his role, Paul is responsible for leading Performance Health’s compliance to international regulations, and driving quality excellence.
Prior to joining Performance Health, Paul was the Vice President Quality & Regulatory at BioTelemetry Inc. BioTelemetry is the leading remote medical technology company focused on delivery of health information to improve quality of life and reduce cost of care through providing remote cardiac monitoring, remote blood glucose monitoring, centralized core lab services for clinical trials and original equipment manufacturing that serves both healthcare and clinical research customers. At BioTelemetry Paul had global responsibility for regulatory registrations, compliance, and quality improvement across 6 sites including various contract manufacturers. Under his leadership, Paul successfully led the integration of multiple acquired businesses into a single harmonized quality system/organization, and also the closure of acquired company LifeWatch’s warning letter.
Prior to BioTelemetry, Paul held various senior Quality leadership roles at Baxter Healthcare, and most notably directed the redesign of Baxter’s quality system which directly contributed the successful remediation of the FDA’s Consent Decree. Paul also redesigned Baxter’s postmarked surveillance process and organization of over 300 employees that significantly reduced the average age and number of complaints in 1 year.
Before joining Baxter, Paul held Quality, 6 Sigma Black Belt, and Operations leadership positions within GE Healthcare’s Patient Monitoring and Cardiology businesses. Paul started his career at General Motors (Delco Electronics) in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering roles supporting the design and manufacturing of Space, Avionics and Automotive electronic products.
Paul received his Master’s degree in Engineering Management, and Bachelor of Science In Mechanical Engineering Technology degree with high honors both from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Marketing Officer
Tracy Howard is the Chief Marketing Officer for Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Tracy is responsible for leading our marketing, eCommerce, and customer experience teams.
Tracy previously served as Vice President, Marketing for Henry Schein Animal Health (now Covetrus). She led marketing for the North American segment. In this role, she implemented a three-channel strategy to market and sell distributed and proprietary products, develop business solutions that increase customer loyalty, and led the ecommerce strategy.
Tracy also spent 1999 -2016 with Cardinal Health where she held numerous leadership roles of increasing responsibility. As Vice President, Global Services Commercialization Strategy, after the company’s acquisition of an RFID company she spearheaded commercial expansion of the RFID effort, including service development, pricing, GTM planning, and results tracking.
Prior to this role, she served as the VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning for the Ambulatory Care business at Cardinal Health. In this role, Tracy was responsible for channel management, digital marketing, product/category management, promotional events, ecommerce, and sales enablement. Prior to joining Cardinal, Tracy worked in the educational sector in consumer marketing.
Tracy is a big proponent of working cross-functionally to build a strategy. She focuses on the voice of customers and gaining a strong understanding of how they use our products and what they need. She is highly strategic and enjoys developing high-performing teams. Tracy holds a B.S. in Communications and Public Relations from Ohio University and resides in Dublin, Ohio with her husband and 2 children.
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Greg Nulty is the Chief Financial Officer at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Greg has spent the past 16 years with Novartis Group, most recently serving as CFO of Sandoz’s nearly $4 billion North America business in Princeton, NJ since 2016. Prior to this, Greg was the head of Business Planning and Analysis for Sandoz globally from 2013 – 2016 in Munich, Germany, and between 2011 and 2013, he served as CFO of Sandoz’s Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Prior to this, Greg served as head of Business Planning and Analysis globally at Novartis’s Consumer Health division from 2009- 2011, after serving as CFO of Western Europe for Sandoz from 2005-2007. Greg began his career with Novartis as a senior controller. Prior to joining Novartis, he worked in corporate finance with Andersen and as an Auditor with Ernst & Young, both in his native South Africa, as well as with Merrill Lynch in London. Greg received his MBA from INSEAD and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Cape Town, where he graduated with high distinction.
Chief Sales Officer
Chief Sales Officer
Jim Plewa is the Chief Sales Officer for Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Jim leads our sales, distributor, and sports channels.
Prior to Performance Health, Jim was the Chief Executive Officer for Pacific Brain & Spine Medical Group, an independent neurosurgical group practice. He led all aspects of the business with a focus on patient-centered care, education, innovation, and determining future strategic direction.
Jim previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Sanarus Technologies where he helped relaunch the company and commercialize the company's cryoablation treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Before this, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer for DataPhysics Research leading commercial initiatives for the next generation Cloud SaaS technology company. He successfully negotiated strategic partnerships and marketing agreements while signing new customer contracts.
Jim has been successful in many other previous roles in many organizations including, Board Member of ReSurge International (a non-profit provider of healthcare services and support for developing countries), VP of Global Sales and Customer Care at NDS Surgical Imaging, Senior VP of Cardinal Health/Allegiance Healthcare, and Corporate Area VP of American Hospital Supply/ Baxter Healthcare.
Jim is a customer-focused relationship builder who leads with collaboration, trust, and loyalty. He’s a good listener, great at executing, and enjoys working cross-functionally. Jim holds a B.S. in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is married and has one daughter and lives in San Ramon, California.
Chief Information Officer
Chief Information Officer
Adam Shapiro is the Chief Information Officer at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Prior to Performance Health, Adam served as the Vice President of Information Technology at Dover Corporation; a global $8B conglomerate of industrial products headquartered in Downers Grove, IL.
Prior to Dover Corporation, Adam was the Sr. Director of Global Information Technology for Avery Dennison, a $7B company headquartered in Glendale, CA; a global leader of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials, apparel labels and tags. Adam was responsible for supply chain, manufacturing and Finance IT leadership driving innovative technology initiatives across complex global landscapes.
Prior to Avery Dennison, Adam spent over 10 years with various operational and IT leadership roles with Boston Scientific, ThinkFlood,Inc and Geerlings & Wade. His mix of start-up and Fortune 500 experience has delivered both foundational and transformational value across a wide spectrum of complex global environments. Adam’s ability to achieve the right balance of people, process and technology has been critical in delivering a cohesive IT strategy that delivers key operational and process benefits.Adam earned a BS in Marketing and Communication from Indiana University and an MBA from Tulane University.Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations
Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations
Mr. Toney joined Performance Health in 1998 and was promoted to VP, Global Manufacturing Operations in 2008. He is a member of the Global Leadership team and responsible for manufacturing and engineering. During his 21 years with the Company, he has held several positions progressing from project engineer to engineering manager in 1999 and technical director in 2003. Mr. Toney has 25 years of manufacturing and technical leadership experience taking products from concept to commercialization and developing and improving manufacturing processes. Prior to joining Performance Health, Mr. Toney held both engineering and manufacturing positions with Gould Electronics and the Swagelok Company. Mr. Toney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Polymer Engineering Specialization at the University of Akron. In addition, Mr. Toney holds an MBA from Bowling Green State University.
Chairman
Chairman
Mr. Kraemer is the Chairman of Performance Health's board, an Executive Partner at MDP, and also a Clinical Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baxter International. Mr. Kraemer serves on the Boards of Directors of Leidos Corporation, Option Care, and Sirona Dental Systems. He is the former currently Chairman of VWR International. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University, The Conference Board, NorthShore University Healthsystem, and the Archdiocese of Chicago Finance Committee and School Board. He is a member of the Dean's Global Advisory Board of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is also a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Economics Club of Chicago. Mr. Kraemer graduated summa cum laude from Lawrence University of Wisconsin in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics. He received an MBA degree in finance and accounting from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 1979.
Board Member
Board Member
Mr. Brocke-Benz is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of VWR. From July 25, 2012 to January 3, 2013, Mr. Brocke-Benz served as VWR’s interim Chief Executive Officer, while also serving as the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Lab and Distribution Services, a position he held since January 2006. Prior to assuming his position as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Lab and Distribution Services, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Continental Europe from 2003 to 2005 and as Corporate Senior Vice President, Process Excellence from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Brocke-Benz initially joined the Company in 1987. He serves on the Board of VWR. Mr. Brocke-Benz earned a law degree from Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany.
Board Member
Board Member
Mr. Brown is President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Sage Products. A 33-year veteran of the healthcare industry, he came to Sage in 1981 as the company’s first New England Sales Representative and helped establish the company’s presence on the East Coast. Scott moved his way up the Sage ladder in various leadership roles within Sales, Marketing, and Corporate Accounts – working to develop and maintain Sage’s status as a leader within the healthcare industry. Mr. Brown’s dedication to Sage culminated with his promotion to President and COO in 2006. Upon the sale of Sage to Madison Dearborn Partners in 2012 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer. He serves on the Boards of The Family Health Partnership Clinic, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Crystal Lake Bank & Trust – a Wintrust Bank and the Advisory Boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Sage YMCA. Scott graduated from Boston College in 1979.
Board Member
Board Member
Fran Dirksmeier brings more than 30 years of experience in medical product manufacturing and distribution to his position as CEO of Performance Health. He is recognized in the healthcare industry as a visionary leader and a strategic entrepreneur, with a proven track record of building high-performance teams while driving customer focused growth and operational excellence.
Dirksmeier was formerly the President of Henry Schein Animal Health, a $2 billion market leading distributor of animal health products and services. During his tenure, he established new distribution strategies and a customer centric culture which resulted in the company achieving double digit revenue and operating margin growth.
Previously, Dirksmeier co-founded Agility Healthcare Solutions where he served as Chief Executive Officer and grew the company into a multi-million-dollar venture that solved critical equipment management and patient flow problems. Under his leadership, the company developed the web-based mobile asset inventory management system, The AgileTrac™. This innovative solution provided enterprise visibility and management of patient flow, assets, beds and rooms, staff, emergency department activities, and surgical services processes in an integrated, modular application.
As a result of Agility’s success, GE Healthcare acquired the company in 2008 and appointed Dirksmeier as leader of integrated solutions and general manager of global asset management and hospital operations management. Under his leadership, Dirksmeier and his team tackled more than $100 billion of operational waste in the global healthcare system. As a result, the team was recognized with Frost & Sullivan’s 2012 award for Customer Value Enhancement in Hospital Operations Management.
Prior to co-founding Agility, Dirksmeier was President of McKesson Medical-Surgical, a $3 billion medical supply distribution company and division of McKesson Corporation (MCK). As president, he focused the company’s growth strategies on a platform of operational excellence and customer satisfaction for its acute care, primary care and long-term care business segments.
Dirksmeier’s additional executive management experience includes positions as President and COO of Baker APS, owned by McKesson; Vice President of Strategic Business Services for McKesson Medical Surgical; and President of acute care for McKesson Medical Surgical, and Division Vice President for Owens & Minor.
Dirksmeier holds a BA in Business Management from Assumption College.
Board Member
Board Member
Mr. Shideler is a Director on the MDP Health Care team. Mr. Shideler joined MDP in 2006 as an Associate and re-joined after business school in 2010. Prior to MDP, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Health Care Group at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Shideler serves on the Board of Directors of Performance Health and Kaufman Hall. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of Ikaria and Sage Products, and was actively involved in MDP's investment in VWR. Mr. Shideler holds a B.S. from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Board Member
Board Member
Mr. Sullivan is a Managing Director and Head of the MDP Health Care team. Prior to co-founding MDP, Mr. Sullivan was with First Chicago Venture Capital for four years after having served in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Sullivan currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Performance Health, Kaufman Hall and Option Care and has formerly served on the Board of Directors of numerous former MDP portfolio companies. He also serves on the Boards of Trustees of Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, The United States Naval Academy Foundation, Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council and The Big Shoulders Fund. Additionally, he serves on the Finance and Investment Committees of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Investment Committee of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Mr. Sullivan holds a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, and M.S. from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.