Carl G. Anderson Jr. ’67, Alumnus and Trustee, on “The Product to Market Process”

Mr. Anderson is a partner in Cannondale Partners, LLP, a private investment company, and the former CEO of two manufacturing concerns, Arrow International and ABC School Supply. Mr. Anderson presented a case study of a medical device produced by Arrow, the triple lumen catheter kit, to illuminate the process of bringing a product to the market successfully.

He stressed the primary importance of knowing and listening to the customer—something he learned early in his career at Procter and Gamble. Arrow’s sales force constantly met with and listened to surgeons who were the consumers of the catheter kit. They spent hours observing operating rooms to understand how doctors and nurses used the product. In addition, before expanding into global markets, Arrow discovered key differences in procedures and personnel that led to country-specific design modifications that contributed to successful market entry and expansion.