Entrepreneur Randy Theken's next step is as hectic as ever (Crains Cleveland)
Selling three spinal implant companies for $200 million just wasn't enough for Randy Theken.
So he started three new companies, hired 25 people and bought a 3-D printer that can make things out of titanium.
Now he's about to start building a highly automated manufacturing plant in Akron. It'll be right next to the Theken Terminal — a former airport terminal that houses the so-called “NextStep” family of companies.
The $12 million plant will serve as the center of operations for one of his new companies, NextStep AM, which stands for “additive manufacturing.”
That company already is making 3-D printed titanium parts for Theken's new medical implant company, NextStep Arthropedics, but it's also talking to other potential customers, including SpaceX, which designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.
NextStep Arthropedics plans to make some parts for the ultra-ambitious spacecraft manufacturing company, which is led by PayPal cofounder Elon Musk, but it has yet to finalize a formal agreement.
Theken (pronounced “taken”) spent $1.2 million on his new Arcam 3-D printer.
Why? Through eb...
