Encision CEO Perner dies suddenly

BOULDER – Encision Inc. leader Fred Perner died unexpectedly Saturday, Aug. 31, from an apparent heart attack. He was 59.

Perner joined Boulder-based Encision (ECIA: PK) in September 2011 as chief executive. Encision makes medical devices used in minimally invasive surgeries.

Encision’s board of directors named Pat Pace to serve as company chairman and executive chairman of the board of directors, following Perner’s death, according to a press statement. Pace is an adviser at EDG Partners LLC, in Alexandria, Virginia, a private equity firm focusing on health care.

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“Fred’s leadership, energy and vision, which he dedicated to helping save patients’ lives, will be severely missed,” Pace said in a press statement.

At the end of July, Encision said the company had product revenue of $2.6 million and service revenue of $63,000. The company’s patented surgical technology helps prevent stray electrosurgical burns in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery.

In April and May, Encision reduced its workforce by an unspecified number to align expenses with revenue, the company said at the time. In the same quarter, Encision announced an agreement with Virtual Ports in Caesarea, Israel, to distribute its laparoscopic organ retraction products in the United States.

Perner had more than 30 years of experience in health care, including years working with electrosurgery and endoscopy technologies. He held bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University and a law degree from the University of Denver.

Services for Perner have not been announced. A call to a company spokeswoman was not immediately returned by press time Tuesday.