Cook, Fishers Mayor Discuss Leadership, Entrepreneurship

An event Wednesday at the Indiana IoT Lab in Fishers showcased one of Indiana’s highest-profile life sciences companies. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness hosted Bloomington-based Cook Group Inc. Chairman Steve Ferguson and Cook Group President Pete Yonkman for a discussion on executive leadership. Yonkman says the event offered an opportunity to learn more about innovation and entrepreneurship at the IoT lab and nearby Launch Fishers coworking space.

Yonkman told Multimedia Journalist Mary-Rachel Redman the story of Cook Group began as a startup. "(Co-founder) Bill Cook was an incredible entrepreneur, so people think of Cook Medical as a very large company, and it is, but it’s really made up of lots of smaller companies and lots of individual businesses," he said. "We have companies ranging in size from 10,000 down to five people, so we’re still a startup company." He says the company’s wealth of experience can offer lessons and best practices to entrepreneurs and leaders throughout the state.

The discussion also included thoughts on how failure can play into ultimate success, the company’s culture and business climate in Indiana.