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INVESTING IN THE REGION
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By Debra Solomon Baker
 JAMES MILLER
general manager,
Centocor Biologics
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As a leader in what he describes as a highly competitive and very risky business, James Miller, general manager of Centocor Biologics, believes in the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, valuing people—and in celebrating success.
Centocor, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, creates, acquires, and markets medicines. Miller joined Centocor in April, when the company acquired Wyeth BioPharma’s St. Louis site, where Miller had previously served as managing director.
While Miller acknowledges that in its 18-year history, it has been difficult for the St. Louis site to remain viable under a single pharmaceutical company, he is very optimistic about the future with Centocor and Johnson & Johnson.
“I think that a number of successes are going to be realized in the coming years,” Miller says. “There is a lot of advancement in the technology and that is going to help get great products to market sooner.”
For Miller, who had dreamed of running a business ever since he was a teenager, getting a product to market is his biggest challenge, but also the greatest reward. Despite the legal, scientific, technical, and business complexities (out of every 10 discovered, only one will get to market, according to Miller), it is this challenge that inspires him, and, he says, most everyone around him, to remain in the business. After all, for those in the biopharmaceutical industry, success brings with it not only personal pride, but also a sense of greater good, by providing medicines that improve the quality of life for patients.
Through his affiliation with organizations such as the Center
for Emerging Technologies and
the Missouri Biotechnology Association, Miller helps to ensure that the St. Louis region will continue to grow as a biotechnology community. He partners with high schools and universities to help them customize their programs so that they can better train individuals for careers in biotechnology.
In some regards, Miller has had an unusual career. Not many of his colleagues have remained planted in one city. A graduate of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Miller earned a bachelor’s in business administration, with a specialization in management science. Although he has contemplated leaving several times, he has spent more than 20 years—his entire career—here in St. Louis.
For this, he says he is fortunate. But maybe his success has more to do with what he calls one of his trademark qualities... persistence.
Debra Solomon Baker is a St. Louis-based
freelance writer.
WHAT BOOK HAS MOST INFLUENCED YOU AS A LEADER?
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“The book that has influenced me the most is Image by Kenneth Boulding. The lesson is that perceptions are more important than facts in understanding people’s behavior and decisions. Facts are more important than perceptions in determining the consequences of that behavior. How to bring our images in line with reality can be a leadership challenge.”
GERALD E. DANIELS
vice chairman and CEO,
Engineered Support Systems |
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“Most recently, I have found the book Good To Great, by Jim Collins, very insightful. At this time in Enterprise Rent-A-Car history, the message in this book is very relevant and valuable.”
ANDREW C. TAYLOR
chairman and CEO,
Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
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“Donald’s Lincoln is a great book for learning about leadership, and describes a leadership style that I find comfortable: ‘Point to point navigation.’ It takes a steady view of ultimate objectives and the drive to keep pushing forward on several fronts at the same time. And nothing works without people. As Casey Stengel said on the occasion of his receiving the Manager of the Year award, ‘I couldn’t have done it without the team.’”
PETER H. RAVEN
director,
Missouri Botanical Garden |
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