[WRE | SPOTLIGHT]
Operation Backbone: DELIVERING SPECIALIZED CARE TO SOLDIERS IN NEED
M
ike Sformo is the founder and CEO of Operation Backbone—a non- profi t organization serving as a medical care substitute for active-duty men and women, as well as veterans, who are struggling within the current system to fi nd surgical treatment for brain and spine injuries.
T e U.S. Navy and Gulf War veteran has worked in submarine welding, wire rope, and radio. But now he solves problems for American military service members across the country and around the world.
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE (WRE) had the chance to ask Sformo about his connection to the wire rope industry, and how it led to his inspiring eff orts with Operation Backbone.
WRE: Before Operation Backbone, your early career found you out West.
Sformo: Yes—I was stationed in San Diego from ‘91– ’95, and became a submarine welder. We did a lot of nuclear transportation; it took me all over the world. It was fascinating work. Along the way, I met some civilian guys at American Rigging in San Diego, and we started talking. T ey didn’t have anyone with the capability to work on subs. T ere were a lot of tough qualifi cations that I already had, so we agreed that when I got out, I’d start working for them.
WRE: How did your role evolve at American Rigging?
Sformo: I started in the shop and really loved it— got to work with wire rope and learned so much. T e experience in the Navy was really the key. We did all the crane work, the rigging, the rope, transport—it was incredible what we were able to do all in one place. I took that experience with me to the shop—and I spent a couple years there. But ultimately, I moved into a
sales position, which allowed me to reach out to a lot of my old contacts.
WRE: After over a decade in the industry, with companies like CERTEX, SLINGMAX®, and West Coast Wire Rope, you and your wife moved “home” to Buff alo, and you began a new career.
Sformo: Yes. I developed a radio show focused on entrepreneurship and overcoming setbacks in life. But in 2011, my father passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer. My desire to shine a light on cancer research and treatment led us to D.C., where I started another radio show. And then one day in the gym, I was squatting and heard something snap like a twig, and my body went cold. I’d cracked my spine.
WRE: You ended up being okay, thankfully, but you realized something alarming about the treatment process for this injury.
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE JULY-AUGUST 2014 17
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