Biolase Beefs Up its Marketing Team

Biolase Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of dental lasers, put a new team in charge of its updated branding efforts.

Company bass has created a “global commercialization team” and hired two marketing vets to lead the firm’s global sales efforts. Clark Barousse has been named senior vice president for worldwide sales and account management, and Orlando P. Rodrigues has been named vice president and chief marketing officer.

“The transformation of Biolase that is underway requires the entire organization to build a single-minded competency focused on dental and medical practitioners and their patients in order to deliver a best-in-class experience,” said Jeffrey M. Nugent, board member and acting CEO. “I’m confident that these changes, and our new global commercialization team, will help drive our growth and turnaround strategy.

Barousse most recently served as president of Hybridge, a network of dental practices that works with clinicians to improve their practices, where he helped drive revenue growth at dental centers. From 2008 through 2012, he served as the senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Biohorizons, and more than doubled sales from $45 million in 2008 to $100 million in 2012, while reversing an $8 million loss into a $20 million operating profit over the same time frame, according to a release from Biolase.

Prior to Biohorizons, Barousse was vice president of global marketing, professional affairs and business development for Smith & Nephew Orthopedics from 2006-2008. From 2002 through 2005 he worked in the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon Inc., where he was sequentially the group director of global marketing and director of marketing for Biosurgical Discovery, and later vice president of Biosurgical Research and Development.

In his new role, Barousse will be responsible for Biolase’s customer acquisition and customer retention through stronger account management and customer care.

“I believe my background and the Biolase product offering are an exceptional fit,” said Barousse. “I’ll be drawing on my dental practice growth experience, as well as my experiences in sales, marketing and R&D roles at Biohorizons, Smith & Nephew Orthopedics, Ethicon and Genzyme as I lead the Biolase sales team.”

Rodrigues, was vice president of marketing for I-Flow Corp. from 2002-2010, during which time revenues grew six fold. He created brand awareness and marketing campaigns that motivated surgeons and anesthesiologists to adopt I-Flow’s ON-Q post-surgical pain relief product as the standard of care. By the time I-Flow was acquired by Kimberly Clark in November 2009 for $325 million, it had a sales force of approximately 300 individuals in 170 sales territories.

Previously, Rodrigues was vice president of marketing for Laser Diagnostic Technologies Inc., a laser medical device company serving ophthalmologists and optometrists.

“I’m excited to return to Biolase, a company where dental and medical market opportunities coexist,” Mr. Rodrigues. “Biolase has market leading dental products and clinically significant technologies with practice-enhancing benefits that have been under-marketed to date. We will work hard to ensure that our customers, prospective customers, and patients understand the benefits and value that Waterlase and other Biolase products uniquely provide them.”

Irvine, Calif.-based makes lasers for dentistry and also distributes 2-D and 3-D digital imaging equipment, CAD/CAM intra-oral scanners, and in-office milling machines and 3-D printers.