BIOLASE, Inc. announced it has appointed veteran sales executive James (Jim) D. Surek as its Vice President of Sales for the Americas, effective March 13, 2017. He will report to BIOLASE President and CEO Harold C. Flynn, Jr.
Surek, 49, brings with him more than 24 years of experience in medical device sales and sales leadership in start-up, turnaround, and high-growth environments.
Most recently, Surek served as the Vice President of Sales for Entellus Medical, Inc., a venture-backed startup. Since joining the company in 2010, he built a 150-person top-performing sales organization, went head-to-head against market leaders Johnson and Johnson and Medtronic, built a 65% market share in the office procedure market, and elevated sales growth, leading to a successful IPO in 2015.
“Jim has deep experience in medical device sales leadership,” Flynn says. “He has built strong teams and has rapidly grown revenue in challenging markets and against formidable competitors. At this very exciting time at BIOLASE, with the recent launch of two new game-changing laser products, it is important to have a veteran medical device executive like Jim overseeing our most important market. We expect his contributions to our results in the Americas to have a significant positive impact on the achievement of our near and long term corporate objectives. We are pleased to welcome him to the BIOLASE leadership team.”
In 2003, Surek was recruited to join Advanced Bionics as Vice President of Sales for their Neuromodulation/Pain Management Division. In this role, he not only built a 285-member sales organization, but also unseated competitors such as Medtronic and ANS, growing sales from zero to $198 million and market share from zero to 31%. His efforts were pivotal in positioning Advanced Bionics for successful sale to Boston Scientific. When the Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant Division was spun off from the company, Surek was asked to serve as Vice President of Sales. In that capacity, he was charged with rapidly advancing the sales culture and training by developing a solid sales and messaging process that helped drive revenue and led to the acquisition of Advanced Bionics by Sonova Medical.
Prior to Advanced Bionics, Surek held positions of increasing responsibility at Medtronic/Sofamor Danek Group from 1994 to 2003, including Vice President, Sales and Development; Group Director, Sales, Great Lakes Region; and District Area Sales Manager. Surek began his career in sales as a sales representative and, after turning one of the most challenging areas for Sofamor Danek into one of the most successful areas, he became the first direct district sales manager for the company.
Surek holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago and a Master of International Management degree from the American Graduate School of International Management, Thunderbird Campus.
