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Carrying on his father and grandfather's pharmaceutical legacy, Eli Lilly II was responsible for the company's dramatic transformation into a major player in the US healthcare industry.
Eli Lilly II - Building a Far-Reaching Family Business
The Lilly legacy began when the family patriarch, Colonel Eli Lilly , founded the company in 1876. He presided over the business with three employees: a medicine compounder, a bottler, and his son Josiah K. Lilly Sr., age 14.
Aside from Josiah Sr., the Colonel's two grandsons, Eli and Josiah Jr., would eventually serve as company president.Eli II, whose first job was manufacturing superintendent, joined the firm in 1907.
He had a management style unique from his father and brother. However, no matter who was at the helm, one thing never changed: employees were always regarded as the firm's most prized assets. To this day, this has remained the cornerstone of Eli Lilly's way of doing business.
The Lilly men are known for their philanthropy. They established Lilly Endowment Inc., one of the biggest privately held foundations in America. Aside from his involvement in numerous charitable endeavors, Eli II also set up the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
Eli Lilly & Company came into being because the Colonel, a chemist at age 38 and a Civil War veteran, was dissatisfied with the ineffective and shoddily prepared medicines of the time. This healthy spirit of dissatisfaction and wanting to do more lived on in the younger Eli. Lilly did not stop until the company gained a leading position in the American pharmaceutical industry.
Under Lilly's tenure from 1932 to 1969, development and innovation led to a steadily growing portfolio of products. The company expanded its research capabilities by working with the leading science organizations of the day.
Today, Eli Lilly & Company operates major R&D facilities in nine locations worldwide and performs trials in over 60 countries. It employs over 44,000 individuals around the globe and sells its products in over 140 countries.
The Eli Lilly II Quick Bio
Full name: Eli Lilly II
Birth date: 1885
Birthplace: Indiana
Company: Eli Lilly & Company
Industry: Healthcare
Key success traits: Respect for people; integrity in business dealings; healthy dissatisfaction and the desire to constantly improve.
Additional:
Lilly spent 70 fruitful years working at the family business and was its honorary chairman until he passed away in 1977.
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