What started as a passion for designing molecular graphics software has led to one of the leading drug discovery research and chemistry companies in the world, and serves as an example of St. Louis’ emergence as the center of the BioBelt.

Dr. John P. McAlister, III holds a B.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and X-Ray Crystallography. His tenure with Tripos began under contract in 1982, supervising software development for molecular graphics applications. He currently serves as president, chief executive officer and is a member of the company’s board of directors.

Dr. McAlister describes himself as “possessing a strong competitive desire to perform.” He seeks practical applications for his research and “looks for validation of ideas from the marketplace versus the academia setting, where peer review and feedback takes longer than the test of the marketplace.”

For more than 22 years Tripos has provided customers worldwide with powerful solutions for drug discovery. Their unique technologies, developed on the solid foundation of computer informatics, work together to solve customer research problems and save valuable time in the race to bring new drugs to market.

Tripos, with 300 employees, 180 of whom work in St. Louis, provides a fully integrated program of informatics, molecular design, data analysis and experimental chemistry. While they have competitors in each product and service line, no single company can claim to have Tripos’ entire range of capabilities. Their operation in Bude, Cornwall, England is the largest employer in that city and a perfect example of full program integration.

Their entire package of information-driven technologies works together to uniquely position them throughout the world as the discovery partner that can transform data into the knowledge that guides its customers to effective decision-making. This integrated approach recognizes and rewards Tripos with financial results and an enriched pipeline of new long-term business opportunities.

For example, the relationship between Tripos and Pfizer encompasses all these business areas in deep collaboration and exemplifies the type of partnership that undoubtedly means success for Tripos in the future.

Tripos’ customers include Bayer, Bristol Myers, Merck, Pfizer, Schering, A.G., and Squibb, just to name a few. “Essentially, our customer base includes the top 100 pharmaceutical companies, as well as the top 300 biotechnology companies in the world,” McAlister says.

Dr. McAlister firmly believes that recruitment and retention of valuable people is of paramount importance to Tripos’ success. An avid outdoorsman, he encourages employees to play outside the office as hard as they work inside. He also believes you must hire excellent people, develop their talents, and increase their responsibilities within the organization. Tripos empowers employees to conduct experimental research, both in informatics and chemistry, and to partner with leading pharmaceutical companies to discover breakthrough drugs.

Tripos recognizes its role as a corporate citizen by inviting its employees to determine which are the most important social needs in their communities. This is accomplished through numerous scholarship programs at several universities, as well as a matching gift program for employee contributions to charities in their respective communities.