Mentor (company)

Mentor Worldwide LLC

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Medical equipment
Founded	Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (1969)
Headquarters	Santa Barbara, California, USA
Key people	Joshua H. Levine, CEO Edward S. Northup, COO Michael O'Neill, CFO
Products	ContourProfile Gel breast implants MemoryGel breast implants NIA 24 skincare See complete products listing.
Revenue	$302 million USD (2007)
Net income	$57.6 million USD (2007)[1]
Employees	2,000 (2007)
Parent	Ethicon
Website	mentorwwllc.com

Mentor Worldwide LLC is a leading supplier of surgical aesthetics products to plastic surgeons worldwide. The company is based in Santa Barbara, California. It produces one of two federally approved silicone gel breast implants. Titled, MemoryGel, the product was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 17, 2006. The other FDA-approved product is developed by competitor Allergan. Mentor also produces a range of lipoplasty equipment for liposuction procedures as well as a Niacin based skincare product line called NIA 24.

History

Mentor Corporation was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1969 by Christopher Conway, Eugene Glover, and Thomas Hauser. Mentor went public in 1970 and its first product line consisted of electronic laboratory instruments for the detection and measurement of the electrical activity of nerve cells and neural systems. The introduction of special urethral catheters for the treatment of urinary retention in 1975 marked the beginning of the company’s growth.

After acquiring the Heyer-Schulte division of American Hospital Supply in 1984, Mentor moved its headquarters to Santa Barabara, California in 1985. The acquisition provided Mentor with a position in the plastic surgery market with Heyer-Schulte’s implantable products including breast implants.^[2]

On Jan 23, 2009, Mentor was acquired by Johnson & Johnson and is a stand-alone business unit reporting through Ethicon, Inc. a Johnson & Johnson company and leading provider of suture, mesh, hemostats and other products for a wide range of surgical procedures. By joining forces, the company aspired to be the trusted global leader in aesthetic medicine among both consumers and professionals by providing a broad range of innovative, science and clinical-based solutions to maintain, enhance, and restore self-esteem and quality of life.

Notes and references

1. ^ "Mentor Corporation 2007 Annual Report View". http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76343/Mentor.2007AR.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
2. ^ "Mentor Corporation History". mentorcorp.com. http://www.mentorcorp.com/about/about_history.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 

• “US FDA/CDRH: Breast Implants - Silicone Gel Implant Approvals (2006)” FDA http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/siliconegel.html
• “Mentor Corporation Official Web Site” Mentor Corporation http://www.mentorcorp.com/

External links

• Official website
• LoveYourLook.com – Patient Education website
• YourBreastOptions.com - USA Breast cancer patient education website
• YourBreastOptions.co.uk - UK Breast cancer patient education website
• Yahoo! – Mentor Corp. Company Profile