Manufacturing is central to Flowood’s foundation, and Zavation is a proud, Flowood-based company carrying that legacy forward. Founded in 2012 by Flowood resident Jeffrey Johnson, Zavation employs local families and exports medical products used by spinal surgeons worldwide — products designed to improve patient care and quality of life.

Though its facility sits quietly near Flowood neighborhoods and ballfields, the company’s impact reaches far beyond Mississippi, placing Flowood at the forefront of medical manufacturing.

Inside the headquarters, science and innovation are on full display, with engineers designing, modeling, and 3D printing products and tools before they ever reach production. Once a product makes it out of the design phase, precision machines shape each metal component to exact specifications. Each metal component goes through an electrochemical process that permanently alters the metal’s surface to color-code each product, allowing surgeons to easily identify and organize products during procedures without the use of dyes or coatings that could compromise sterility. Laser engraving systems mark each product with the Zavation logo and a unique part number, ensuring full traceability throughout the product’s lifecycle.

Zavation continues to expand its portfolio with multiple new product releases each year. Each product moves through rigorous testing, inspection, and validation processes aligned with strict regulatory and quality standards before ever reaching a surgeon’s hands.

Some of the nation’s most respected spine surgeons are flown into Flowood year-round for full-scale surgical training in Zavation’s bio-skills labs, where they view products and provide hands-on feedback to ensure each solution meets the evolving needs of the field.

From engineering and quality control to research, testing, customer service, and sales, Zavation proudly brings world-class medical manufacturing to life in Flowood.

Since its founding, Zavation has outgrown its space three times, continuing to reinvest in the Flowood community with each expansion. Today, the company is headquartered in a newly remodeled 75,000-square-foot facility — once a vacant warehouse, now home to high-tech machinery and a constant stream of innovation shaping the future of spinal surgical tools and products.

In 2023, Zavation acquired CoreLink, a surgical device manufacturer based in St. Louis, bringing the company to the next level while maintaining strong roots in Flowood. Spinal surgical products are manufactured in Flowood and St. Louis and are distributed through Flowood facility, with the company proudly remaining vertically integrated, producing all U.S.-made products in-house.

On January 21, 2026, Zavation’s newly appointed CEO, Derek Kuyper, hosted an official tour of the facility and presented Flowood Mayor Kathy Smith with a commemorative token in appreciation of the partnership between Zavation and the City of Flowood.

At its core, Zavation is dedicated to improving patient care and enhancing quality of life for people around the world. Along the way, this homegrown company continues to operate at the cutting edge of innovation, proving that world-class manufacturing can thrive right here in Flowood, Mississippi.

Learn more about Zavation and its innovative spine-care solutions, visit zavation.com or call 601-919-1119.