OC Insider: Show Stoppers

Pro-Dex CEO Rick Van Kirk once stopped Seattle’s landmark Space Needle from spinning. It’s more mechanically plausible than it sounds. Van Kirk, who has served as CEO of the Irvine-based medical-device manufacturer since 2015, was just 9 years old when he rode to the top of the Space Needle’s original revolving restaurant 500 feet above the ground, called The Eye of the Needle. At the time, it had a relatively small electric motor driving its rotating floor, which spun 360 degrees approximately every hour. Van Kirk stuck his foot in the motor, stopping its momentum. He went to the hospital and was fine, but it’s an experience he says he’ll never forget. Van Kirk shared the story last week to Business Journal Editor-in-Chief Rob Smith (a recent Seattle-to-OC transplant), during a celebratory dinner at Fashion Island’s Ocean 48, honoring the winners of our 16th-annual Innovator of the Year Award winners, held last month.

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