Kalexsyn president next speaker in Entrepreneurship Forum

Contact: Mark Schwerin
Photo of Robert .

Gadwood

KALAMAZOO—The leader of one of the area's foremost emerging life science companies will be the next presenter in a speaker series at Western Michigan University focusing on entrepreneurship.

Dr. Robert Gadwood, co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Kalexsyn Inc., will speak at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in 2150 Schneider Hall, as part of the Haworth College of Business Entrepreneurship Forum. The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059. Free parking is available.

Kalexsyn Inc., a contract research laboratory specializing in solving chemistry problems for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, is involved in research to find new medicines for use in various therapeutic areas such as infectious diseases, cancer and diabetes. The company has distinguished itself for its ability to solve difficult problems both in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Robert Gadwood

Before founding Kalexsyn, Gadwood was associate director of medicinal chemistry at Pharmacia where he supervised a staff of 19 chemists, who worked on multiple projects in both the infectious diseases and central nervous system therapeutic areas. Gadwood joined Upjohn in 1986 and remained with the company until the Pfizer acquisition in 2003.

Prior to working in the pharmaceutical industry, he was an assistant professor of chemistry at Northwestern University. Gadwood earned a bachelor's degree from Marquette University in 1974 and a doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1978. He has 42 publications and 18 patents to his credit.

Gadwood co-founded Kalexsyn in 2003. Since then, the company has grown to a staff of 37 employees with a customer base that includes both small and large companies located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Its success has resulted in Gadwood and his company being named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 and Best Small Business of the Year in 2004 by the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center.

For more information on the Entrepreneurship Forum, visit wmich.edu/business or contact the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-6059.