Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Kathleen Passidomo can add one of Collier County’s largest employers to her list of backers.
Reinhold Schmieding, the president and founder of Arthrex, announced Tuesday he was endorsing Passidomo in the Senate District 28 race. The company, which manufactures medical devices, is based in Naples and employs more 1,400 people in Southwest Florida.
“I have had the pleasure of knowing Kathleen and her family for many years and have always known her to lead by example,” said Schmieding in a statement. “She’s a small business owner who gets it — she understands that pro-business policies have a positive impact and create more jobs for Florida families. Kathleen has my full support.”
Passidomo, a Naples Republican who was first elected to the Florida House in 2010, faces Matt Hudson, also a Naples Republican who has served in the Florida House since 2007, in the Senate District 28 primary.
“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of a business leader like Reinhold Schmieding,” said Passidomo. “Mr. Schmieding is the embodiment of the American Dream, whose innovation and entrepreneurship has brought thousands of jobs to Southwest Florida.”
In 2015, Arthrex was named one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States by Fortune magazine. The company also has been recognized as one of the 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back.
The company announced last week it planned to add 560 jobs and invest more than $63 million in Collier County.
The Republican primary is Aug. 30
