Sunrise's Rossnagel: A Year of Change and More Ahead

LONGMONT, Colo. — It's been a year of change for Sunrise Medical and more of the same likely lies ahead, according to Thomas Rossnagel, the Longmont, Colo.-based company's new president and CEO.

As HME manufacturers and providers attempt to navigate the industry's treacherous waters and avoid running aground, some, like Sunrise, are resetting their courses. Last year, Sunrise took a hard look at its business, decided to focus on mobility and seating and in November divested its U.S. and Canadian Guardian product line (sold to Medline Industries). In May, the company announced it was exiting the Group 2 wheelchair market to focus on complex rehab.

And this month, Rossnagel took the helm at Sunrise, succeeding Michael N. Cannizzaro (who will continue as chairman of the board of directors).

So where does Sunrise go from here?

Rossnagel, who earned kudos for being an excellent strategist as the senior vice president and managing director of Sunrise Europe, sees some rough waters ahead, he told HomeCare Monday, but he believes Sunrise is now in a better position to ride them out.

Q: What are your goals for Sunrise in the coming year?

Rossnagel: Sunrise is a dynamic company and continuously improving what we are doing. I believe that change, per se, is a good thing, if it is to the better. The recent changes [at Sunrise], the divestiture of certain businesses and exiting certain product lines, were predominantly geared around our U.S. business. These activities help us become a more focused and more profitable company in the U.S.

Our customers in the U.S., on a broad basis, applauded us for this and have assured us of their continued support. You could say that this speaks for itself. On that basis, we are confident to become even stronger in the U.S. with regard to our core rehab manual, rehab power and seating/positioning business.

Q: Can you talk about what the next level is for your company?

Rossnagel: The future will show what else we will have to do in order to grow further, both top-line and profit-wise. In the U.S., the market has followed all the changes our U.S. commercial team ... has implemented, and we are feeling the increasing trust of our customers in what we do on an almost daily basis.