While the Marc Cohn song bearing the same name as this Editor’s Letter title was a one-hit wonder out of the 90s, the 2026 ODT Forum will hopefully be another smash in its series. The ODT team is thrilled to return to the region for the fourth edition of the event. It is once again taking place at the FedEx Institute of Technology on the campus of the University of Memphis.
Memphis serves as a fantastic host to the industry based in the area, with the enormous FedEx facility within a stone’s throw and a wealth of both OEMs and service providers ready to support them. It’s second only to the Warsaw region for orthopedic device manufacturing in the U.S. As such, it’s only natural we’d elect to return to the location to revisit with familiar faces, provide another educational line-up, and establish opportunities for members of industry to network.
Speaking of familiar faces, we’ll kick things off with one from our previous event. Giving the Welcome Address for the second time in a row will be Vernon Hartdegen, vice president of R&D for Trauma, CMF, Sports, and Extremities at DePuy Synthes. He’ll delve deeper into how Memphis became the orthopedic device manufacturing hub it is today. Additionally, as a member of the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council (GMMDC), he has his finger on the pulse of where the industry stands within the region. He’ll offer an update on that as well…