Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> November 24, 2003
CLINTON SEVERSON is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Abaxis, Inc., of Union City, California, a manufacturer of point-of-care
blood chemistry analyzers for both the medical and veterinary markets
worldwide. Mr. Severson has over 28 years of experience in building and
managing successful businesses in the in vitro diagnostic field under
difficult operating environments. Under his management since 1996,
Abaxis has seen increasing sales growth and profits, with a turnaround
in margin growth, while continuing to expand the business into new
markets. Prior to Abaxis, Mr. Severson was President and CEO of MAST
Immunosystems, Inc., of Mountain View, California, a medical diagnostic
company focused on the manufacture and distribution of reagent and
instrument systems, where he was responsible for seven years of
profitable sales growth and increasing net earnings and cash flow.
Before MAST, Mr. Severson held various management positions with 3M
Diagnostic Systems of Santa Clara, California, ending as General
Manager, where he brought the company from operating loss to
profitability. Profile
TWST: We'd like to begin with a brief historical sketch of ABAXIS, Inc.,and a picture of things as they are now.
Mr. Severson: ABAXIS is a point-of-care blood chemistry company, so we
provide