This week I read about pharmaceutical company that reported first year's sales of $4.5K. Yep, that's a K. Not a M - or a B. $4470. Doesn't sound like much of a year - until you know that the year was 1876. And the founder was Eli Lilly. Lilly's first products included gelatin capsules, quinine, and fruit flavors for pills to make them easier to consume. Bad experiences with drugs that he had received during the Civil War caused him to have an intense focus on quality control, and his reputation as a drug manufacturer grew quickly. Now Lilly's brands include Prozac, Cialis, Methadone and Cymbalta, and annual sales have now passed $22B - with a B. I also learned that Lilly is not your typical mega-pharmaceutical company. In 1879, just three years after its inception, Eli Lilly became the primary patron for the Charity Organization Society in Indianapolis, which was a forerunner to United Way. Now the Lilly Endowment is one of the top 10 wealthiest non-profit philanthropies in the world with $11.7B in assets. Grant recipients include Emory University's Youth Theological Initiative here in Atlanta. The summer program for high school students encourages them to explore the Christian faith and how it can be a powerful force in today's world. Kudo's to Eli Lilly for establishing a company that still values giving back as one of its founding principles.
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