CALEDONIA, Mich.– Aspen Surgical Products, Inc. (“Aspen”), a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity (“Audax”) and a leader in disposable surgical products, announced today the appointment of Steve Blazejewski as Chief Executive Officer. Blazejewski succeeds Jason Krieser, who is retiring from the role and will continue as a Board Member.
After completing its corporate carve-out under Krieser’s leadership in 2019, Aspen completed six acquisitions and grew revenue three-fold, expanding its sales coverage and broadening its product offerings to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and other health care facilities, becoming the premier provider of surgical consumables to acute care settings. New CEO Blazejewski will lead the strategic direction of the global company as it enters a new phase of growth.
Blazejewski has nearly 30 years of medical device industry experience leading large, complex global teams and over a decade of work with products and solutions focused on enhancing surgical and operating-room outcomes. He has spent the last year as an independent board member for Aspen Surgical, and previously served as CEO for Katena Products and held global president roles at Cardinal Health, Medtronic, and Covidien, building a track record for commercial excellence and organic growth.
“I am excited to lead Aspen into this new transformative phase as we bring our latest and largest acquisition, Symmetry Surgical, into our business and portfolio,” noted Steve Blazejewski. “Aspen has a proud history and a strong foundation for growth, and we expect to bring even more value to our global customers with a broad, clinically relevant portfolio.”
Krieser will remain on the Aspen Board of Directors and continue to advise Audax Private Equity, which originally invested in Aspen in 2019 and made an additional investment in 2022 through a continuation fund to support the company’s ongoing organic growth and M&A activities.
“We are grateful for Jason’s leadership over the past three years, during which time he stewarded the company through COVID-19 and a period of extraordinary growth, built an exceptional management team, and positioned Aspen for sustained future success,” said Audax Senior Managing Director David Wong. “Steve brings the right vision and proven experience to help Aspen continue its momentum and accelerate into new markets.”
