The medical industry. Probably the most important industry in the world, when you look at life itself. Manufacturers like Medtronic help you stay alive when you are severely ill, or have certain diseases. Great medical manufacturers are so important to our country for so many reasons. Speaking of doing big things, you’re looking at the top medical manufacturer in the world. Medtronic ranked number 158 on the Fortune 500 with revenues of just under $16 billion.
Pretty remarkable to see where they are now, 63 years after Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law Palmer Hermundslie set up shop in a small garage in northeast Minneapolis. Medtronic is made up of six main business units which develop and manufacture devices and therapies that treat over 30 chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, spinal disorders, diabetes, heart failure, urinary incontinence, and obesity. Medtronic provides the total package, a great American story of success, Grade-A manufacturing, as well as continued hunger for innovation in an industry that still has many puzzles to solve.