October 2008

Download  Proteos, Inc. – Success Story as PDF 

Proteos, Inc., founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2003 by Robert L. Heinrikson, Ph.D., and Clark W. Smith, Ph.D., is a center of excellence for the production of high-quality proteins and peptides. The scientific and management staff of Proteos, which includes multiple scientific leaders recognized internationally in this field, worked together for over twenty years in a large pharmaceutical company where they were actively involved in recombinant expression and purification of proteins in addition to the chemical synthesis of peptides.

Upon the close of the Pfizer acquisition of Pharmacia, the founders of Proteos decided to launch their own enterprise that would address the growing industry need for efficiently produced, yet high-quality

proteins and peptides. By April of 2004, Proteos scientists had secured the funding, laboratory space, and equipment necessary to address their first contracts. In less than four years of operations Proteos' customer base includes most of the major pharmaceutical companies in the United States, many biotech companies, and several universities and governmental institutions.

While establishing itself as an industry leader in the burgeoning life sciences' CRO market, Proteos has been recognized as one of the "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch" and is now poised for a 2008 graduation from the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center (SMIC). The Michigan SBTDC, in a true partnership between the Kalamazoo-based Regional Office and the statewide Technology Team, has played an integral role throughout all phases of Proteos' successful growth path. At inception, the SBTDC Regional Director helped the company with its initial business plan, provided guidance in setting up financial controls, made key referrals and assisted with capital formation. As the company grew, the Technology Team engaged with Proteos on SBIR reviews, and assisted with growth and capital formation issues.

In 2007, Proteos, demonstrating the trust that had been established with the SBTDC over the years, asked the Technology Team to facilitate its second-stage strategic planning process. This deep engagement, which included an update to the business plan and the facilitation of multiple planning sessions, helped Proteos to clearly and concisely hone its strategy into a one-page strategic plan. They consistently refer to this document and test most key business decisions against it. The company is now poised for stable, long-term growth, and management believes strongly that the strategy they crafted, with the support and assistance of the SBTDC, played a key role in paving this promising path forward.

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