orthofix international began in a small farmhouse in verona italy in 1980 when orthopedic researcher giovanni de bastiani recognized the bone’s natural repair capability, a concept he called “dynamization” and with that in mind, he created the first external fixation device. today, orthofix has grown to more than 900 employees with locations in the u.s., italy, germany, france, the uk, brazil, australia and puerto rico. our products help patients in 70 countries around the world. the company is comprised of four strategic business units; biostim, biologics, extremity fixation and spine fixation. our products are widely distributed via the company's sales representatives, distributors and subsidiaries. at orthofix we are committed to clinical research and driven by new product introductions. we are proud of our strong partnerships with organizations such as the texas scottish rite hospital for children in dallas and the musculoskeletal transplant foundation. we take pride in developing