In 1960, Medtronic’s founders read an article about the implantable pulse generator with interest and soon contacted the researchers.  Palmer Hermundslie flew his own plane to Buffalo to meet Drs. William Chardack and Wilson Greatbatch at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Buffalo, New York. Hermundslie signed a contract giving Medtronic exclusive rights to produce and market the Chardack-Greatbatch implantable pulse generator.

Within two months of beginning production in late 1960, Medtronic had received orders for 50 of the $375 implantable units.