MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Rich Grant
With over 45 years in the medical device industry, Rich brings a wealth of experience in engineering, quality, and regulatory consulting. He co-founded Reach Surgical Inc. and Medennium, Inc., and has been an active angel investor with Queen City Angels since 2000.
Rich launched his career at Ethicon Inc. and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, establishing a strong foundation in medical innovation.
George Hagan
As a passionate entrepreneur, George has founded companies in healthcare, real estate, food service & technology, & is currently the principal at Hagan Enterprises. George has been involved in the healthcare industry for more than 25 years & has experience running organizations of all sizes.
One of the healthcare companies he launched is Providence Pavilion, a premier nursing & rehabilitation facility in Northern Kentucky. George is a University of Kentucky graduate.
Ardis Hoven, MD
Ardis has more than 30 years of experience as a practicing physician. Board-certified in internal medicine & infectious disease, she is a past president & long-term board member of the American Medical Association. Ardis was named one of the 25 top women in healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine & one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare.
Ardis received her undergraduate & medical degrees from the University of Kentucky & her internal medicine & infectious disease training at the University of North Carolina. Currently Ardis is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Kentucky & an Infectious Disease consultant to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
Troy Reiff, RN
Troy is a seasoned healthcare administrator with more than 20 years of experience in senior management positions at long-term acute-care hospitals and Post- Acute development. Troy also serves on advisory boards for various medical start-up companies.
Formerly the chief clinical officer at Solstice Medical, an Indianapolis-based maker of data analytics software, Troy is currently VP Post- Acute Service Development and Managed Care of American Senior Communities. Troy received his BS from Bellevue University and his RN from Ivy Tech Community College.
Bruce Rippe, Board Chairman & CEO
Bruce is a serial entrepreneur; he along with Trinity's management team took the Soteria Bed Barrier from concept to commercialization. Today, as a result, Soteria is the only 510-K cleared, hospital bed barrier on the market, providing an engineered solution for re-processing hospital mattresses and bed decks. As CEO, he oversees all operations of the company. He previously served as CEO of Romweber (Batesville, IN). Bruce has more than 30 years of experience in furniture manufacturing & product development, with twenty of those years spent developing patient room products for Hillrom and Med-Mizer.
In addition to his work at Trinity Guardion, Bruce serves as board chair for the Batesville Senior Café, a developer of affordable senior housing in Southeast Indiana that offers assisted living services and is a past board member of Margaret Mary Health. He also serves on the Board of Indiana Landmarks and the Finance Committee of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Bruce holds a BSBA in accounting from Xavier University.
Matt Sokany
Matt brings over 42 years of experience in the medical device industry. He began his career at Johnson & Johnson, advancing to senior roles in Sales and Marketing. He later led New Wave Surgical to a $115 million exit and Standard Bariatrics to a $300 million exit.
Today, Matt leverages his expertise as a consultant, supporting early-stage medical ventures.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
John McLaughlin, Vice President of Sales
John is a seasoned sales professional with over two decades of experience in the medical device and hospital sales industry. Throughout his career, he has held key leadership roles, totaling 10 years of leadership experience.
Passionate about fostering high-performing teams, John joined Trinity Guardion in 2024 to spearhead the US Sales Team. He is dedicated to assembling dynamic teams that challenge conventional norms, aiming to enhance patient outcomes while ensuring financial prudence for healthcare facilities.
His leadership journey encompasses both start-up ventures and established industry leaders, providing him with a diverse skill set to navigate various business landscapes. Prior to joining Trinity Guardion, John served as the Vice President of Sales at Carr Biosystems and Standard Bariatrics, which was later acquired by Teleflex in late 2022. John holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Central Missouri.
John Miller, Director of Operations
John, a Six Sigma Black Belt Senior Executive, brings more than 30 years experience leading internal & external manufacturing functions. His expertise includes the areas of advanced mechanical design & engineering, finance, HR, customer service, product quality, ISO 13485 certification & continuous improvement. The majority of his career has been devoted to healthcare design & innovation, & he holds 10 patents in the US, Europe & Japan for medical equipment, hospital beds, chair beds & mattress configurations.
As director of operations, John’s focus is on product development, quality & regulatory compliance, ISO 13485 certification, vendor management & HR. John holds a BS in Industrial Education from Western Kentucky University, a Masters of Science in Industrial Education from Texas A&M University, his MBA in International Business from Xavier University & his Black Belt Six Sigma certification from Purdue University.
Mary Ellen Rippe, Marketing/Communications
Mary Ellen is responsible for planning, preparation and execution of Board engagements. As the Corporate Secretary she provides internal & external communications on corporate initiatives to the executive team. With over 20 years of communication & marketing experience, she is responsible for social media campaigns, sales initiatives, eblast & webinar management, & for oversight of tradeshow planning & execution.
During her ten-year career as a successful small business owner, she also served on the board of many non-profits, assisting in business planning, marketing & communication for these organizations.
ADVISORS
Edmond Hooker, MD, DrPH, Clinical Advisor
Edmond Hooker teaches in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University. He also practices emergency medicine & conducts public health research at the University of Cincinnati Hospital, & serves as their residency research director, overseeing the clinical research coordination program. Edmond has authored more than 50 articles in leading journals & published numerous book chapters. He serves as an editor & has contributed numerous chapters for eMedicine, an online clinical knowledge base.
Edmond holds a BS degree from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia & a MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Louisville, then served as an associate professor & director of resident research there from 1991–1996. He then served on the faculty at the University of Virginia. In 2007, Edmond earned his Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Kentucky, & in 2015, was promoted to professor.
He has spent eight years researching infection risks associated with hospital beds & mattresses, which has led to numerous published articles & guest lectures on the topic.
Chris Ruberg, CPA, Strategic Planning
Chris leads an independent management consulting practice, Ruberg Advisory Services, LLC, focusing on strategy management, strategic planning, & financial planning & analysis. Prior to starting his consulting practice Chris held senior leadership positions with Hillenbrand Industries, Inc. in Batesville, IN & several operating divisions including Hillrom, a leading manufacturer of hospital beds & other medical equipment.
Other operating companies included Batesville Casket Co, Forethought Financial Services, American Tourister Luggage, & Medeco Security Locks. Chris is a CPA & holds a BA in accounting from Miami Univserity.
David Ulrich, Engineering
David is a medical device engineer with over 20 years experience in acute & ICU hospital bed & surface design & testing for market leaders. He has unique expertise in healthcare infection control, including hospital environmental services practices & FDA reprocessing guidance.
His expertise also extends to efficacy testing, chemical compatibility testing, custom product testing, product validation, effective use of design controls, application of IEC 60601-1 to product design, risk analysis, & FDA compliance. He has extensive knowledge of healthcare mattresses & beds, procedural chairs, & operating room equipment including surgical tables, OR surfaces, surgical tools 7 patient heater/coolers. He holds a BS from the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering & Applied Science.
