Remembering a Great American Entrepreneur

I am fortunate and humbled to have spent my career working at a company that I believe epitomizes a true American success story. Mylan was founded in 1961 as Milan by Don Panoz and Milan "Mike" Puskar in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The two Army buddies shared a love of business and an entrepreneurial spirit, and together they created from scratch a distribution network to ensure access to affordable medicine in difficult-to-reach communities. That commitment to providing access to medicine and setting new standards in healthcare remains a pillar of Mylan today.

I was deeply saddened to learn of Don’s passing early Tuesday. An innovator to his core, Don was a tireless worker, strong leader and generous benefactor.

After co-founding Mylan with Mike Puskar, Don would help the company to grow and expand our mission until 1969, when he moved his family to Ireland, where he founded élan Corporation. He quickly created innovation at Elan, including advancements in transdermal drug delivery.

Following his success in the pharmaceutical industry, Don turned his attention and talents to major entrepreneurial endeavors in fields as far ranging as resorts, motorsports, wine and philanthropy.

Less than two years ago, I hosted a very special one-on-one session with Don at our birthplace in White Sulphur Springs at a global leadership meeting. Don joined us for about an hour and told the story about how he and Mike set up shop in that abandoned roller skating rink whose site was a short distance from the very stage we sat on. Hearing him articulate the Mylan mission from the start was an inspiring reminder that providing access to patients is fundamental to who we are.

In honor of Don’s life and achievements, and together with our 35,000-strong family around the world, we recommit ourselves to Mylan’s mission to provide the world’s 7 billion people access to medicine. Thanks to his vision, Don’s legacy will endure for lifetimes to come.

Please visit Mylan's website to view this video in remembrance of Don.