Successful Women in Chemistry - ACS Publications - American

Chapter 8

Sharon V. Vercellotti, Company President: A Business of One's Own Rita S. Majerle

Downloaded by AUBURN UNIV on December 24, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 28, 2005 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2005-0907.ch008

Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104

A diverse and varied background is essential when starting up and running a small business. This profile details how a woman with a wide variety of research experience obtained the business knowledge and acumen to start her own business in a cross-cutting field.

In the field o f complex carbohydrate chemistry and biopolymers, Sharon Vercellotti is a well-established presence. Sharon is the founder, owner and president of V - L A B S , INC, an independent, private consulting and manufacturing firm in Covington, Louisiana, established in 1979. They manufacture carbohydrates, polysaccharides, and glycosidic enzymes for research in the food, biochemical, and pharmaceutical industries; as well as in universities and research institutions. V - L A B S has utilized membrane separations in the isolation of natural polysaccharides and has developed molecular weight standards of these polysaccharides. Sharon's energy and drive have made V - L A B S a successful venture. Sharon started V - L A B S because she saw a special need for biopolymers. Her vision was to make products and services available to researchers in biotechnology, biochemistry, and in the rapidly developing field of glycobiology. Sharon's business has expanded globally and she has made international agreements to distribute biologically active cell surface recognition molecules that are much in demand in frontier research. She has also made available carbohydrate enzymes for use in structural studies and analysis of key biomolecules.

© 2005 American Chemical Society

Hinkle and Kocsis; Successful Women in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.

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Sharon V. Vercellotti (Courtesy ofSharon V. Vercellotti.)


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Education and Professional Experience Sharon is the daughter of a blacksmith and a nurse and has always enjoyed science in spite of her early experiences. " M y beginning chemistry classes weren't very good in retrospect. I almost went into physics," she mused. Fortunately, curiosity and coming from a hands-on background fueled her interest in the sciences and led her into chemistry. She attended Louisiana State University as an undergraduate, majoring in chemistry. While she was there, Sharon was selected to participate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored research experience for undergraduates summer program (NSF-REU). She was one of thirty students, selected from all parts of the country, to go to the University of Arkansas for the summer. "It was exciting. There were things to be done! I got to work with graduate students and research professors too. It is a great program and opportunity and I think everyone should take advantage of it," said Sharon enthusiastically. It was this summer research experience that led her to pursue graduate work. Sharon went on to attend The Ohio State University and obtained her M.S. degree in chemistry in 1965 under former American Chemical Society president Daryle H . Busch. Her research there focused on synthetic transition metal chelation complexes. After finishing graduate school, Sharon undertook a series of research positions both in research institutes and at various universities. Her biochemical research projects have resulted in papers on subjects such as blood proteins, nucleic acid base pair thermodynamics, protease mechanism determination, dehydrogenase purification, and pyridine nucleotide analog synthesis. She has also been successful with active site specific reagents for dehydrogenases based on novel nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diazonium salts. During her 16 years as president of V - L A B S , Sharon has worked on both the synthesis and analysis of carbohydrates, and the isolation and modification of polysaccharides. She has gained extensive experience in the application of membrane separation to biopolymers. She has also developed membrane purification methods for the isolation of polysaccharides from seaweed and hemicellulose from corncobs. These membranes have also been used by Sharon for the fractionation of maltodextrins and insulin into different molecular weight ranges; which are sold for use as standards in membrane filtration systems. As a consultant to many food, surgical supply, and pharmaceutical companies, Sharon has solved packaging and shelf-life problems in a wide range of products. She has also developed reliable procedures for scaling up immunomodulating polysaccharides and supplies them to user companies. Additionally, Sharon has prepared and purified chitin and chitosan from shrimp and crayfish and has prepared several N-carboxymethyl and sulfated N carboxymethyl derivatives. The latter compound has been shown to be active



54 against HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS, in human tissue culture. She has worked with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University on this project. She has also prepared a number of sulfated polysaccharides such as xylan sulfates and amylose sulfates as commercial products, useful in therapeutic applications. Sharon has authored or co-authored over two-dozen publications and has been the recipient of numerous grants and contracts. Iota Sigma Pi, an honorary society for women chemists, recognized her with its 1999 Triennial Award for Professional Excellence. She was also given the honor of Employer of the Year in 1993-94 by Covington High School. Sharon's work in community programs and projects includes participation in economic development and educational outreach. As far as continuing education, Sharon said that the series of small businesses courses she took at Virginia Tech after she had finished graduate school were inspirational and very informative.

Work and Life Balance In 1978, however, Sharon decided it was time to return to Louisiana. She opened V - L A B S in an old building kitty-cornered from her father's blacksmith shop. Here family support was available on all levels, from her parents to her husband, who is the vice president and senior chemist at V - L A B S , to her two young children. "The kids grew up in the lab. They were always running around there!" laughed Sharon. Her son eventually became an integral part of V - L A B S and installed the computer network system for the company, establishing data bases for lab results, supply ordering, etc. Sharon believes that a balance of work and family life is key to personal satisfaction and success.

Success Sharon also said, "To be successful is to be challenged every day and learn something new as you are doing it." In addition, she is adamant that networking is essential for success in business. Learning how to secure funding, for her business or many of the symposiums that she has chaired, has been a key to her success. Funding from the NSF-Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) has helped make V - L A B S what it is today. She in turn has given back to the program as an advisor on a national visiting committee and has served on the program's advisory board.


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Mentoring Mentoring has played a role in her successes too. Sharon credits Dr. Elias Kline, of the University of Kentucky at Louisville, as being a strong mentor. He influenced her development of membrane usage for polysaccharide applications. Also Sharon herself has been a mentor to a number of high school and college students at her laboratory. She has supported internships for the Gifted and Talented Program with the St. Tammany Parish Schools, from 1992 to the present. Many of these students have pursued studies and careers in the sciences.


Final Thoughts Times have changed since Sharon opened V - L A B S , Inc. "I don't get calls asking to speak to the person in charge anymore!" Sharon laughs. She is a vibrant and passionate woman and an advocate for pursuing small business opportunities. "80% of all biotech and pharmaceutical companies are small businesses. In 2002 more graduates were hired into small businesses than large and 58% of all employees work for small businesses." Her final words of advice were: "Be willing to take risks. Be confident that the call will come. Balance security and risk taking." Advice that has worked well for Sharon Vercellotti.


Successful Women in Chemistry - ACS Publications - American

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