Vision, Grit, and Growth: How Dr. Walter Leise Built Himself and Sarasota Medical Products from the Ground Up

Dr. Walter Francis Leise III was once the kid that teachers wrote off.

Diagnosed with dyslexia early on, he lagged behind in reading. His school performance led some educators to believe he wouldn't catch up, a label that stuck painfully, even though it couldn't have been further from the truth. "I could read a word on a flashcard just fine," Leise recalls. "But when I looked at a page, it was just noise: multiple focal points, jumbled text. It didn't come together."

Everything changed when he was referred to a specialist who trained his eyes to focus, an intervention that would prove life-changing not only in the classroom but eventually in the cockpit of a helicopter. What began as a struggle to make sense of the written word turned into a lifelong lesson in focus, discipline, and belief in oneself.

Today, Dr. Leise is the CEO, President, and 'Chief Scientific Officer' of Sarasota Medical Products, Inc., a Florida-based medical device company he co-founded in 2010. With five degrees (including a PhD and MBA), a background in biotech innovation, and a distinguished military service record, his journey is anything but typical. But it is defined by a clear through-line: the slow, steady building of confidence and the refusal to let early failures write his story.

Growing up, academics never felt like a place he could thrive in. Sports, however, did. Leise threw himself into pole vaulting, wrestling, and football, anything that allowed him to lead with physicality and drive. "Sports were my lifeline in school," he shares. But that path was cut short.

So, the day after graduation, Leise went searching for direction. He visited every military recruitment office and took the ASVAB test. His scores were impressive, surprisingly so for someone who had always doubted his intellect. When he asked which branch had the fastest promotion cycle, they told him: the Army.

He enlisted that day.

At just 18, he returned home and announced the decision to his parents. They were stunned. But for Leise, it was the first real leap into taking control of his future.

In the Army, Leise became a decorated combat veteran, eventually serving as a squad leader and Cobra helicopter crew chief in Germany and Panama. It was in the military that his view of himself started to shift.

One night stands out: he had kitchen duty and a critical test the next day. Failure didn't mean a bad grade; it meant starting the course over. So for the first time in his life, he studied. He passed with a perfect score. "I realized: if I actually read and prepare, I can succeed," he says. "That moment completely rewired how I saw myself."

From there, he began taking extra classes, earned a GED just to reinforce what he missed in high school, and started thinking seriously about college.

He bartended to pay for his education and enrolled in community college, stacking five challenging science courses in his first semester. "I told myself if I get Cs or better, I'll keep going." He got straight A's and a scholarship.

That newfound academic confidence snowballed. He earned degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology, conducted groundbreaking research during his PhD (including a key discovery about cell migration and proliferation tied to cancer development), and eventually landed at a renowned laboratory company, where he helped bridge the gap between research and manufacturing.

He was rising fast but feeling lost in the crowd. "I was employee number 7-something-million. And I felt like it," he says. "I didn't feel like a person. I wanted more leadership, more purpose."

So he pivoted. Leise earned his MBA, earned a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and co-founded Sarasota Medical Products, Inc. (SMP) in 2010. Since then, he's transformed the business from an idea into a respected player in the medical device market. Every career step, he says, has been less about the goal and more about growing in confidence. "You build confidence by failing, learning, applying, and getting better."

Now in his 50s, Leise continues to push himself, both mentally and physically. He exercises daily, lifts weights each morning, and trains in Krav Maga with plans to earn his black belt and become an instructor. "Physical fitness teaches discipline, confidence, humility; all things that help you lead," he says.

He also gives back through mentoring, particularly women in business. "All of my direct reports are women. I think it's important to help people overcome the barriers they think they have. Often, these barriers are not real; just internal narratives that need rewriting."

One of the biggest influences in his life was his grandfather, a gruff, no-nonsense Navy veteran who drilled into him the value of hard work. "I couldn't stand him as a teenager," Leise recalls. "But he taught me that you should be proud of effort. If you're dirty and sweaty from a hard day's work, walk into that store with your head high."

Looking back, Leise doesn't romanticize the challenges, but he does recognize their value. Dyslexia, rejection, academic insecurity, being underestimated: none of it stopped him. "If I can help one or two people break through what they think is holding them back," he says, "then I've had a successful life."