Aspen Surgical taps longtime med device industry exec as new CEO

Aspen Surgical taps longtime med device industry exec as new CEO
Steve Blazejewski, CEO of Aspen Surgical. (COURTESY PHOTO)

CALEDONIA — Aspen Surgical Products Inc. has named Steve Blazejewski as CEO as part of an executive succession plan. 

A veteran executive with nearly 30 years of experience in the medical device industry, Blazejewski succeeds Jason Krieser, who is retiring as CEO and will retain a seat on the Caledonia-based Aspen Surgical’s board of directors.

Blazejewski has served for a year as an independent director on the Aspen Surgical board and previously was CEO for Katena Products, a New Jersey-based maker of ophthalmic products that was acquired in December 2021 by Corza Medical in Chicago, which produces advanced surgical technologies.

Under Krieser’s leadership, the private equity-owned Aspen Surgical closed six acquisitions, tripled revenue, expanded its sales coverage and broadened product offerings to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and other health care facilities. The company’s most recent acquisition came in October 2022 with a deal for Nashville, Tenn.-based Symmetry Surgical Inc., a maker of surgical and specialty instrumentation, electrosurgery products, and minimally invasive surgical devices. 

“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,” Blazejewski said in an announcement on his appointment. “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.”

Blazejewski also has held global president roles at Cardinal Health Inc., Medtronic plc, and Covidien.

Aspen Surgical is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity, which originally invested in the company in 2019 and made a follow-on investment in 2022 to support organic growth and M&A.

“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,” Audax Senior Managing Director David Wong said in a statement. “Steve brings the right vision and proven experience to help Aspen continue its momentum and accelerate into new markets.”