Innovation & Job News

Great Lakes Drug Development turns old Pfizer expertise into start-up gold

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

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Ann Arbor

Another happy band of ex-Pfizerites made the jump from corporate paychecks to start-up riches. But the guys at Great Lakes Drug Development didn�t travel the same road as most other start-ups.

The 10 guys at the Brighton-based life sciences firm originally opened the office for deCODE genetics a little bit before Pfizer closed its Ann Arbor campus in 2007. That didn�t work out the way they expected, and they decided the idea of working for someone else might not be all its cracked up to be.

"We wanted to do our own thing and take our destiny into our hands," says Kevin Hershberger, COO of Great Lakes Drug Development.

Today their year-old firm manages the development of drug compounds and provides consulting service. The original 10 are now nine, but there are a couple of independent contractors helping push the company forward.

Great Lakes Drug Development hopes to go on growth spurt within the next year or two now that it's established its footing. That could mean another 5-6 hires as more and more work comes in.

"We're expanding very nicely," Hershberger says.

It also wants more of a piece of an action. The company wants to evolve from a straight consulting firm to one that takes part ownership the intellectual property and drugs that its helps build at the onset.

"We'd like to have a little more ownership in the game," Hershberger says.

Source: Kevin Hershberger, COO of Great Lakes Drug Development
Writer: Jon Zemke