Sheridan Snyder

Infobox Person
name = Sheridan Snyder
birth_date = birth date and age|1936|10|20|df=yes
birth_place = Long Island, New York
occupation = Chairman and CEO, BioCatalyst International

Dr. Sheridan Gray "Sherry" Snyder OBE, LLB (born October 20th, 1936), often referred to as Sherry Snyder, is a legendary entrepreneurial figure in the biotechnology industry and a philanthropist, who has also made significant contributions to the development of the game of tennis.

Beginnings

Education

Mr. Snyder graduated from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and is a 1958 graduate of The University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in French & Romance Languages. Snyder received an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree from the University of Dundee in 2002. [University of Dundee, "Laureation Mr Sheridan Snyder - by Professor Sir Philip Cohen" http://www.dundee.ac.uk/pressoffice/grad2002/snyder.html] .

Early Business Career

Upon graduation from UVA, Snyder began his career as a Credit Analyst for New York Trust Corporation. In 1962, Snyder founded his first venture, Cambridge Machine Corporation, which initiated the development and invention of high-speed mailing/envelope inserting machines. In 1971, Snyder founded a packaging company, Instapak, which markets “foam-in-place packaging” (revolutionary for its time) that creates a protective barrier for heavy, fragile instrumentation and computer systems. Snyder sold Cambridge Machine Corporation to Pitney-Bowes and he became the National Sales Account manager at Pitney-Bowes. Instapak is now the largest division of Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE: SEE), with more than 5,500 employees and revenues of $1 billion. [University of Dundee, "Laureation Mr Sheridan Snyder - by Professor Sir Philip Cohen" http://www.dundee.ac.uk/pressoffice/grad2002/snyder.html] .

Biotechnology

Genzyme

In 1981, Mr. Snyder founded Genzyme and served as Chairman/President/CEO. Genzyme’s business focused on enzyme deficiency diseases. It first produced diagnostic enzymes for victims of Gaucher's disease, a rare chronic disorder causing enormous enlargement of the spleen, a change in skin pigmentation and bone lesions. It afflicts 10,000 young Hasidic Jews each year. [http://Palm Beach Post: Scripps Begins to Spawn Start-Ups: www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/news/special_reports/scripps/c1a_snyder_0416.html] . It currently employs 10,000 people worldwide, with approximately $3.6 billion in revenues, with a market valuation of $20 billion. Genzyme (NASDAQ:GENZ) is the largest private employer in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1986, Mr. Snyder initiated the first sale of Genzyme stock shares (Initial Public Offering). [Scottish Enterprise, "International Advisory Board Members" http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/about_se/structure/structure-international_advisory_board/structure-internationaladvisoryboard-members.htm]

Biotage

Mr. Snyder founded Biotage in 1989 which focuses ono the development of novel drug development systmes. Biotage was acquired by the Swedish biotechnology company Pyrosequencing in 2004 which then took the name [http://www.biotage.com Biotage AB] .

Upstate

In 1994 Snyder founded Argonex a small biotech start-up in Charlottesville, VA. In 1996, Mr. Snyder founded and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Upstate Biotechnology Incorporated merging it with Argonex. Upstate Inc. develops innovative cell signaling products, technology platforms and services to accelerate life science research and drug discovery efforts. Upstate was sold to Serologicals Corporation in 2004 for $205 Million. [http://www.millipore.com/pressroom/cp3/6rjtwz] .

2004 - Current

BioCatalyst International

Biocatalyst International is the most recent of Mr. Snyder’s business enterprises, founded in 2005. Spearheaded by Sherry, with his expertise and insight of identifying technologies, Biocatalyst creates sustainable biotech companies in partnership with leading scientists. [BioCatalyst International, ":Sheridan G. Snyder" http://www.biocatalystintl.com/profile.php?pi=1 ]

Biocatalyst International to date incorporates three dynamic companies interfacing with diverse markets of the biotechnology world. These three prevailing and successful corporations were founded by Mr. Snyder, as he takes the biotechnology industry into the future. Biocatalyst International, Molecular MD and Xcovery are leading forces catapulting profitable biotech start-up ventures and expanding the boundaries of science today. [BioCatalyst International - http://www.biocatalystintl.com/] .

Mr. Snyder co-founded Xcovery with Dr. Chris Liang, Director of Medicinal Chemistry, Scripps Research Florida, and co-developer of Sutent, Pfizer’s first small molecule oncology drug. Xcovery has 5 lead compounds focused on cancer. [Xcovery - http://www.xcovery.com/] .

Molecular MD was co-founded with Dr. Brian Druker, inventor of Gleevec, Director of the Cancer Center at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Oregon. Gleevec is a revolutionary small molecule drug that prevents and stops the growth of cancer cells in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). MMD is a molecular diagnostic company in the world of personalized medicine utilizing highly sensitive detection systems. [Molecular MD - http://www.molecularmd.com/] .

Awards

In 1999, the State of Virginia honored Snyder with its Biotechnology Lifetime Achievement Award. [UVA - http://www.dailypress2.com/forums/showthread.php?p=30471] .

In 2003, he was appointed to Scotland’s International Advisory Board and serves as an advisor to the Scottish government on the development of its biotech sector. In this capacity, Snyder played a major role with the development of an 800,000 square foot bioscience translational center outside of Edinburgh. [http://International Advisory Board - www.scottish-enterprise.com/international-advisory-board-lifesciences] .

Mr. Snyder was honored OBE (Officer of the British Empire)in 2005 by Her Majestity, Queen Elizabeth II of England.

In 2008 Mr. Snyder was awarded the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement Award for achievements outside the game of tennis. [UVA News - http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=1575814] .

He is a member of the Ivy Charitable Foundation [UVA News - http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2005/20051212battles.html] . [NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/realestate/commercial/21life.html] .

Philanthropy

Snyder funded and developed the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), along with the encouragement and support of Arthur Ashe and Charles Pasarell. Snyder supported the NJTL for 15 years. This organization now operates, through the USTA, in 110 cities and reaches 250,000 inner-city youths. [National Junior Tennis League - http://www.usta.com/?sc_itemid=%7bF195FCAE-5DD1-40A6-A7D2-71FE122979B7%7d] .

In 1988, Snyder was the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Compuflo Inc., which developed a specialty high-end computer program used to analyze airflow to aid the design of aircraft and autos, a company donated to the University of Virginia to support its laboratories. Snyder also funded University Technology Corporation, where companies were formed with University of Virginia technology and the proceeds generated by these business ventures were donated back to the University. [ITA Award - http://www.itatennis.com/Assets/Sheridan+Snyder+Bio.pdf] .

In 1995 Snyder contributed to the construction of a new tennis center at the University of Virginia which was named the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center. [Sheridan G. Snyder Tennis Center http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=1134426&DB_OEM_ID=17800&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=17800&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=] .

Snyder's sale of Upstate from in 2004 resulted in a gift of US45 million to the University of Virginia Health Center which has used this gift to construct a new Children's Hospital, the Emily Couric Cancer Center and the Sheridan G. Snyder Translational Research Center. [Sheridan G. Snyder Translational Research Building - http://www.virginia.edu/vpr/snyder_building.html] .

References