Fox Chapel’s John Miclot recalled for entrepreneurship and volunteerism

Friends of John Miclot are recalling the Fox Chapel businessman as a visionary who was generous with his time and leadership.

The former president and CEO of Respironics served on the board of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and the St. Margaret Foundation and was an active volunteer at the Fox Chapel Volunteer Fire Department.

Miclot died on March 18 at 66. The cause of death was not immediately available.

“While he was only a firefighter for a short period of time, he made a big impact, not just locally but globally,” said Mike Daniher, chief at Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services.

“With his medical background, he worried about firefighter safety from exposures to carcinogens and started health initiatives locally for firefighters and also on a national level. I have a lot of respect for him just jumping in to help anywhere he could.”

Mary Lee Gannon, president of the St. Margaret Foundation, said Miclot was an early adopter of the nonprofit’s Patient Crisis Care Endowment, which is now nearing $3 million.

“His legacy lives on indefinitely to help patients in crisis get the medicine, medical equipment and services they need to heal and remain independent,” she said.

Fox Chapel Manager Gary Koehler said Miclot was a great asset to the borough.

“His role on the public safety assistance committee, where he was a liaison between the fire department and the borough team, is one of many areas that he will be missed,” Koehler said.

Miclot earned a bachelor of business administration in marketing from the University of Iowa and had a passion for education.

He established the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and the John L. Miclot School and Lab of Sales — the first of its kind in the country. He also holds the first endowed Chair in Sleep Science at the University of Pennsylvania, according to the school.

Miclot had a distinguished career in healthcare innovation.

Prior to his decade at Respironics, he held executive positions at Healthdyne Technologies Inc., Medex, Ohmeda, Baxter Edwards and DeRoyal Industries.

He was an Executive in Residence at Warburg Pincus, served as CEO of CCS Medical, led Tengion Inc. in its mission to advance tissue regeneration and served as CEO of LinguaFlex, a company focused on sleep-disordered breathing, according to the company website.

In addition to his volunteer work with Fox Chapel VFD, Miclot was a national safety officer with the Fire Department Safety Officers Association and served on the board of the First Responders Center of Excellence (FRCE), associated with the National Firefighters Association.

Frank Leeb, managing director of the FRCE, shared his thoughts on social media, saying, “(Miclot) was fully engaged. He was always willing to share his expertise, connect people and ideas, and champion our mission.

“As with several initiatives, when John heard we were holding a two-day conference at the FDNY Fire Academy, John offered to attend and took the stage to welcome attendees and emphasize the critical importance of firefighter health, wellness and physical fitness. His passion, leadership and kindness were truly inspiring.”

Gannon said she met Miclot during his tenure at Respironics.

“I immediately noticed his servant leader perspective, intelligence and compassion,” Gannon said. “He helped us in many ways, both with generosity and leadership.”

She said the St. Margaret Foundation board was delighted to have him join their efforts.

“He saw through the fluff to what was important, created sincere connections and effectively crafted a way to make it happen,” Gannon said. “He was also uncompromisingly kind and gentle in the way he did it. You wanted to be in his sphere. He is greatly missed.”

Miclot is survived by his wife, Cathy Rinchetti; three children; and several grandchildren. A celebration of life is scheduled for May 18. Details will be released at a later date.