Dinosaurs and survivors

In reply to post 60, if you were in the Tri-Cities in the early 70's then your initials are E. F. If so, it is good to hear from you. Believe it or not, Ron Hall is still around, living on Norris lake. Heck, he seemed old when I was hire in 1969. Best regards, Ray

 

Ray, you got it right! Glad to hear about Ron, he must be up there some, does his son still practice med. I remember when you joined and when you departed. Looking back, it was probably the best career move you made when you went into another business. To this day I remember your quote "right now it is not who sell the most product but loses less business." Poor Jim H. nearly drove everybody crazy, except Pete.

Sure is glad to hear from you and keep in touch from time to time.

 

Re: Dinosaurs and survivors and White Eagle

In response to your question about the pension after working for Winthrop. GE Healthcare now has responsibility and your pension has been turned into an anuity. I did have the number but unfortunately I no longer have the number. However, if you call GE switchboard and explain oyur situation, they will direct you to the right people.

I started with WInthrop in 1983, went through 9 name changes and almost 20 years of service. I moved to Eli Lilly and now with Schering-Plough. I can't remember our President's name but he was an old account type. Think his first name was Bill and he had the shiniest navy blue suit I have ever seen. AFter a few years Joe Scarlata become our President. Then I was switched over to launch Omnipaque and Visipaque. Prior to that I too, remember our Hypaque/Renografin wars, along with the tubex and carpuject wars.

The manager, who hired me was Ron Wolf from the old Cleveland Dvvision. I still keep in touch with some of the people. Most are unhappy in their situations with GE Helthcare.

I didn't read through all of the messages but am sure would have recognized someone if I had. ANd by the way, good "ole" Herb Smith was the VP. I think the saying, "horses ass," has his picture with the definition.

 

The last time I saw Rodger was at the Pittsburgh Airport. We used to call him Rodger the Dodger, because we couldn't get a straight answer from him .When he went from RM to DM, he was my manager for a year or so. A good DM and a nice all around guy. Then he got promoted into a GPO position and had responsibility for VHA, now Novation. He was doing quite well the last time we talked. As far as I know, he is still doing the same thing with GE Healthcare.

 

I was told Rodger retired last fall when GE Healthcare made some top level personnel changes (Dan Peters also retired as head of the diagnostic business, and let's just say it wasn't a planned retirement). Rodger was my first RM when I entered the business in 1983 in Dallas and is one of the good guys.

The diagnostic imaging business, especially GE's, has been on the ropes and from one of my pals still with some contacts at the home office, is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I remember when Rodger got reassigned as a DM under some pretty rotten reasons in the early 80's (no fault of his own; some corporate gamesmanship at 90 Park). Most folks would have been pretty bitter about it, but he did a great job as DM and moved into national accounts soon after.

 

Ed F. Good to hear from you and hope you are doing well. Please email me your contact info @ rmrawlins1@gmail.com and maybe we can catch up.

Best regards,

Ray

 

I started with Winthrop in Milwaukee in February, 1976. Frank "Koz" hired me, but Fred Okun was my immediate supervisor. I have fond and many memories of Winthrop since it was my first job in pharma. Those were the days when reps "knew there stuff" and doctors listened! We did not have lunch money, computers, fm radios in cars, or phone mail. We did have samples we could leave basically anywhere without a paperwork trail. All company cars had vinyl seats. We sold a qid drug called NegGram, Danocrine, Talwin, and of course...Talwin Compound. We also had responsiblities for OTC products like NeoSynephrine, NTZ Spray, and pHisoDerm. We sold directly to the drug stores as well as the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" wholesaler promotions every quarter! The company cars had eight cylinder engines, gas was expensed, and no one had a credit card except a travel card for managers. I loved it. I was promoted two years later to hospital sales in Omaha and a year and half later to DSM in Upstate NY. No matter what anyone says, I was given opportunity and will never regret coming to Winthrop. I left in 1985 for Glaxo, then Burroughs Wellcome in 89, and then, doesn't it figure, Glaxo buys BW in 95. I left the industry in 2000 for other ventures but have since returned with Endo Pharmaceuticals in 2006. You folks have mentioned some folks who I have had the pleasure in meeting as well as working with. Let's not forget Jerry Olszewski, Jim Malwitz, Byron Wigodner, and Al Binaghi. I have not heard from these guys in many, many years. Be well, old Winthrop friends, and email me anytime. jczajkow@nycap.rr.com

 

I was told Fred Okun retired from GE Healthcare (he ended up going the Winthrop-Nycomed-Amersham-GE route) a year or so ago. Great guy!

 

What ever happened to Al Binaghi????

 

Re: Dinosaurs and survivors and White Eagle

Call GE Healthcare Medical Imaging (was Nycomed/Amersham) in Princeton NJ at 609-514-6000 for pension info.

When GE came into play (a dark, dark day for that business), I was at a meeting where we had a guy from some GE subsidiary whose entire purpose was to manage the pension, 401K and benefit plans from companies GE acquired. That's the day I realized that the world had changed ... and not for the better.

 

Just say today's (7/27) San Antonio Express News ... Clint Williams was among four San Antonio Wheatly HS athletes inducted into the Prairie View Interscholastic League Hall of Fame at a banquet Saturday night.

(PVIL was the athletic association for predominately black schools in the days before desegregation of Texas public schools, it ceased to exist in the mid-1960's when those schools were integrated into the Texas public school system).

Will have to try and look up Clint in the next few days.

 

Re: Dinosaurs and survivors and White Eagle

Sanofi also has responsibility for some of the former Winthrop pensions; depends which way you went back in 1994 ... Imaging (Nycomed/Amersham/GE) is separate from Pharmaceuticals (Sanofi).

Heard a rumor that a couple imaging guys, Dennis Carrick (Charlotte; former DM) and Gene Stanglein (Orlando, I think; may have been a DM) are retiring from the imaging (GE) side of the business.

 

Another retirement .... Wayne Danos (New Orleans) is retiring from GE/Amersham/Nycomed/Winthrop in September after 34+ years ... one of the really good guys!

 

Was he originally in Lafayette?

 

He ended up at inVentiv Health...I believe in Business Development.

 

Here's a survivor bit of business:
Jerry Liebrand, who started out carrying a bag in Connecticut back in the '80s, then moved into 90 Park, first working for Jack Pickering, then Joe Scodari launching Omnipaque... He has most recently been named the President of Surgical Devices for Covidien.
They must've taught him something to get started on the right foot.
Not a bad deal for an ex-Winthropian.

 

I remember that Jerry met his wife, an anesthesiologist from CT, who started using Inocor in cardiovascular surgery ... forget her name ...

 

Roberta Hines

 

Lot's of Winthrop folks have done well in very senior positions. Peters, Scodari, Palacios, Savage, Talley, Deluccia, Welch, Liebrand, Berte, Hoyes, Millian, Fitzgerald, Silver, Battam, Corneille, Zachow to name a few. Great training in pharma at Winthrop and many, many good mentors. Wouldn't trade starting there for anything. Lot's of memories.

 

Ahhh, lots of names that bring back memories.

Dan Peters ... left GE (former Nycomed/Amersham) a couple years back; saw he's on the board of a new startup co. He used to call on one of my key contacts years ago; when they converted to Omnipaque/Visipaque, he called the doctor to thank him for the business.

John Cornille and another guy left to Bracco. I remember my Bracco competitor telling of the first Bracco national meeting they were at ... said it was like seeing the head of Coke give the best Pepsi salesman award.

Jack Talley ... I can remember working a pharmacists convention in Dallas with him and we had a reception one night. While the room was overflowing, we were in the lobby and I lost count of all the bottles of Dom Perninon that he ordered.

Those were the good old days ...