March 28, 2024

Entrepreneurs

Trendsetters: Entrepreneurs

Mike Vogel | 11/1/2008

Compound Interest

Derek Hennecke
Derek Hennecke
Xcelience
CEO, President
Tampa

“This is one of the best businesses to be in,” says Derek Hennecke, 42, CEO of drug development services company Xcelience. Drug companies hire Xcelience to take their discoveries and turn the compounds into formulations and manufacture them for use in clinical trials. Pharmaceutical companies increasingly outsource such work. The business was part of Ontario-based healthcare multinational MDS Pharma Services until 2006. Hennecke, a Canada native who had worked as a manager in Egypt, Canada, Holland and Mexico for a Dutch conglomerate, and his managers bought it.

“Oh, there’s been a learning curve,” he says of being on his own after a career in multinationals. Xcelience’s staff now numbers 80, up from 45 at the buyout. Its seven Ph.D.s, along with master’s degree holders, chemists and other scientists, handle 40 to 50 compounds a year for clients. “We want to keep growing but grow at a rate that doesn’t affect the most important things for our clients, which are quality and speed.”

 

Bobra Bush
Entrepreneurial Ambassador

Bobra Bush, 44, owner of telecom consulting and contingency-based bill auditing firm Telcom and customer retention company Telcare in Boca Raton, was honored as a “small business champion” by the National Federation of Independent Business for her activism in Tallahassee on behalf of entrepreneurs.


 

Dr. Roland Staud
Chad Perce
Dr. Roland Staud
Clint Drawdy

Florida natives Chad Perce, 37, and Clint Drawdy, 36, co-founded Hire Methods in Jacksonville in 2004. Hire Methods is the parent company of healthcare staffing company Medical Methods, which is focused primarily on physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, and technical staffing company iMethods Technical Recruiting, which is focused primarily on healthcare technologists. They expect $4 million to $4.5 million in revenue this year.

Tags: Trendsetters, Business Services

Florida Business News

Florida News Releases

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

Ballot Box

Should Congress ban the popular social media app TikTok in the U.S.?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Need more details
  • What is TikTok?
  • Other (Comment below)

See Results

Florida Trend Media Company
490 1st Ave S
St Petersburg, FL 33701
727.821.5800

© Copyright 2024 Trend Magazines Inc. All rights reserved.