Strategic Consulting’s principals offer a breadth and depth of industry knowledge and primary research essential to improving the focus of business development activities for industrial diagnostics.
Thomas R. Weschler, Founder and President
Over his 30-year career in international management in the industrial marketplace, Mr. Weschler has created, implemented, and redirected numerous businesses, with demonstrable successes in venture capital backed start-ups, publicly traded companies, transformation of underachieving companies, and technology acquisitions.
Prior to founding Strategic Consulting, Mr. Weschler established and served as president of IDEXX’s Food & Environmental Division, where he grew revenues from $1 million to over $40 million, and created a market leadership position in the food and environmental diagnostics market. Mr. Weschler directed the introduction of several innovative, technology-leading products including SNAP, LIGHTNING and COLIERT, each of which gained dominant market share positions.
Other leadership positions in the industrial market include:
- Vice president and General Manager of Roche/ CompuChem, a leading U.S. environmental testing lab network
- President and Chief Operating Officer of Orion Research, Inc., a world leader in electrochemical-based measurement systems
- President and General Manager of Fiskars Electronics, a telecommunications power equipment and instrumentation company.
- Founder and President of MicroPure, a manufacturer of in-line process instrumentation for detection of particles and other impurities.
- Group product manager at Millipore Corporation, a leading analytical filtration company specializing in water microbiology, beverage microbiology and general industrial applications.
Mr. Weschler received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in economics/accounting from Villanova University in Philadelphia.
Robert J. Ferguson, Managing Director
With more than 30 years in industrial and environmental diagnostics and laboratory businesses, Mr. Ferguson has demonstrated success in accelerating growth, international business development, sales force implementation and improvement, business turnarounds, M&A, and new product development in businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.
Prior to joining Strategic Consulting as Managing Director, Mr. Ferguson was Worldwide Vice President and General Manager for Becton Dickinson’s (BD) Industrial Microbiology and Clinical Media Business Unit; a $350M global business serving the clinical and industrial diagnostic markets in food safety, pharmaceutical, personal care and medical devices, with customers in more than 100 countries around the world. Mr. Ferguson managed a worldwide team of more than 100, and was responsible for more than 500 in manufacturing, planning, logistics, supply chain and other functions.
Other leadership positions in the industrial microbiology, water and environmental markets include:
- Vice President at NSF International responsible for global water certification programs, including oversight and development of national standards and certification programs for a wide variety of manufactured products, chemicals and analytical devices, as well as food safety training programs, sustainability programs, and engineering and research programs with laboratories, customers and business partners in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
- Business Unit Director for water and environmental diagnostic products for Strategic Diagnostics, Inc., developing immunoassay, biological toxicity testing and other diagnostic tests in multiple formats.
- Director of Sales at W.R. Grace & Co., developing innovative environmental bioremediation and biological water treatment technologies.
Mr. Ferguson received his MBA from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a BS in Microbiology from Pennsylvania State University.
Molly Pickett, PhD, Consultant
Molly Pickett, PhD, has more than 30 years of experience in clinical and OTC diagnostics, life sciences, and industrial microbiology including many years developing rapid microbiology systems.
Dr. Pickett’s hands-on and management experience ranges from research and development, manufacturing and quality control to multiple, successful product launches over her career at Millipore Corporation, Cambridge Bio-tech, Hygeia Sciences, and Tambrands Inc. (OTC Diagnostics).
Dr. Pickett has worked closely with U.S. regulatory and guidance organizations including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), and the American Public Health Association; and with international organizations including the European Commission (EC), the Japanese Pharmaceutical Association (JPA), and ASTM International (previously the American Society for Testing and Materials). She is well versed in regulated manufacturing and product requirements, and in developing submissions and standards.
Dr. Pickett also is experienced in technology market research, due diligence and strategic business development. She offers a broad background in applied microbiology and biotechnology combined with a pragmatic approach based on her years of direct experience in these fields.
Dr. Pickett received her PhD in Applied Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her BA in Biology at Marlboro College.
Mary S. Hawkins, Consultant
Mary Hawkins has 25+ years of experience in marketing, PR and communications in the science, medical and technology fields. Her background includes leadership, strategy development/direction, implementation and hands-on production in organizations ranging from large, academic institutions to small, privately held companies, startups and nonprofits.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Hawkins has planned and executed successful programs to meet strategic objectives through effective use of the latest marketing tools and techniques in:
- business-to-business,
- business-to-consumer,
- corporate and internal communications.
Recent projects include website development, PR and content marketing for a biotech startup; media tracking, comparative analysis and reporting; and hospital branding and marketing.
A creative and skilled writer and editor, Ms. Hawkins is adept at translating scientific and technical topics for a lay audience, and at articulating key messages and brand value. She is experienced in developing content from ad copy and email solicitations to websites and white papers, news releases and blog articles.
Ms. Hawkins received her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia.