Founder Fred Eshelman
with Star on Walk of Fame
Article in Lumina News, scroll to page 5
Star News Article 09-24-2009 on Fred Eshelman
Star News article on Celebrate Wilmington honoring Fred Eshelman
July 28, 2009
Celebrate Wilmington! to Honor PPD
Founder Fred Eshelman
with Star on Walk of Fame
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Celebrate Wilmington!
Inc. will dedicate a star on the city’s Walk of Fame to Fred
Eshelman, founder and executive chairman of PPD, Inc., a leading
global contract research organization based in Wilmington, N.C.
The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Cotton Exchange in downtown Wilmington. The Walk of Fame is a prestigious permanent record of notables who have lived, worked and/or enriched the Cape Fear Coast community.
Under Dr. Eshelman’s leadership, PPD has grown from a one-person consulting firm into a global organization with offices in 38 countries and more than 10,000 professionals. PPD provides discovery, development and post-approval services, as well as compound partnering programs, to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. Dr. Eshelman moved the company to Wilmington in 1986, a year after he founded PPD.
“I came to Wilmington 23 years ago to put down roots, raise a family and grow a business,” said Dr. Eshelman. “I quickly discovered this is a wonderful community with a rich history and talented people, and I am truly honored to be recognized alongside others who have given their time and resources to make this a great place to live and work.”
Karen Whipple, president of Celebrate Wilmington! Inc. added, “Dr. Eshelman’s tremendous success supporting the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, the impact PPD has had on Wilmington, its global influence, and his commitment to community involvement make him an outstanding choice for the Walk of Fame. On behalf of the Celebrate Wilmington committee, we are truly pleased to present Dr. Eshelman with this recognition.”
Walk of Fame inductees are selected by Celebrate Wilmington’s volunteer board. Previous recipients recognized by the non-profit organization include journalist David Brinkley, filmmaker Frank Capra Jr., musicians Charlie Daniels and Percy Heath, business executive Jim Goodnight, and athletes such as Althea Gibson, Roman Gabriel, Sonny Jurgensen and Meadowlark Lemon.
Recipients must have been born in the Cape Fear region or have spent their formative or creative years in the community. They must be nationally recognized within their fields for their accomplishments.
PPD is recognized globally for developing drug therapies to save, extend and improve lives. The company is an economic and community outreach leader in Wilmington and other locations around the world where its offices are located. In 2008, PPD’s net revenue grew 11 percent to $1.6 billion, and it was again selected by Forbes for its Platinum 400 list of the best big companies in America and as the best managed company in health care equipment and services. PPD was also added to the prestigious Nasdaq-100 Index last year. Dr. Eshelman, PPD and its employees are active volunteers and contributors to a variety of civic and educational programs in the Wilmington area. The PPD headquarters on the Cape Fear River stands out as one of the city’s most distinctive new landmarks.
Celebrate Wilmington! adopted the Walk of Fame as its project in 1997 to recognize Wilmingtonians who have attained national and international fame in their field.
These fields include the arts, business, education, literature, broadcasting, journalism, sports, science, medicine, religion, politics/goverment and the military.
The Walk is located in the Walk of Fame Plaza, Water Street entrance of the Cotton Exchange, downtown Wilmington.
Celebrate Wilmington is governed by a volunteer board and is cosponsored by the community, the Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Anyone may nominate someone for the Walk of Fame, but inductees are only honored if the Celebrate Wilmington! executive committee has their permission or the permission of the families in the case of a deceased recipient.
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