Velesco Pharmaceutical Services plans to double staff in Ann Arbor

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | Source: Concentrate

In the bowels of Ann Arbor SPARK's wetlab incubator on Huron Parkway is a company composed of a happy little band of Pfizer refugees who are not only trying to make it, they're beginning to make it big.

Say hello to Velesco Pharmaceutical Services, a firm started by ex-Pfizerites Gerry Cox and David Barnes. The two worked at Pfizer's Ann Arbor campus until the pharma giant decided not to work there anymore.

The move prompted Cox and Barnes to round up a few of their co-workers and begin Velesco earlier this year. Today their company stands six people strong.

"We saw a real opportunity to provide high-quality pharmaceutical consulting and laboratory services to companies," says Cox, who is now Velesco's Chief Operating Officer.

The firm has taken on a number of clients in Michigan, and is now aiming for out of state contracts. Recognizing that most of the big pharmaceutical companies are located on the coasts, Velesco has aimed its focus east and west but remains committed to the Midwest. If all goes as planned, it expects to double the number of employees by the end of year.

Source: Gerry Cox, chief operating officer for Velesco Pharmaceutical Services
Writer: Jon Zemke