Their views, of course, affect the fortunes of Parexel, PPD, Charles River Laboratories, Covance and many others.

FORBES: Whither Contract Research Organizations: A Glass Half Full?

Eshelman is a stickler for low head counts and multitasking: The responsibilities of PPD's recently departed president will be redistributed among existing executives, for example.

FORBES: The Best Of The Best

Earnings growth has averaged 27% over the last five years, and a year ago PPD introduced the first and, to date, only dividend in the contract research industry.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Hungry entrepreneurialism has turned PPD into one of the largest and leanest providers of clinical trial services to the drug and biotech industries (Covance and private Quintiles are the biggest overall).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Even though the bill may contain provisions that are problematic, it opens the door for business to ask Congress to limit the reach of the EO and PPD-21 by requiring all cybersecurity regulations to be specifically authorized by Congress.

FORBES: Obama's Cybersecurity Action Reaches Too Far

PPD's debt-to-capital ratio is only 6%.

FORBES: The Best Of The Best

Hungry entrepreneurialism has turned PPD into one of the largest and leanest providers of clinical trial services to the drug and biotech industries ( Covance (nyse: CVD - news - people ) and private Quintiles are the biggest overall).

FORBES: The Best Of The Best

For anyone following events in Puerto Rico, this was the year, of course, that Puerto Rico formally voted to reject its status quo identity as a commonwealth of the US while simultaneously voting in as governor a leader of the PPD, the party most closely identified with defending the status quo.

FORBES: 'The Fifth Floor' (El Quinto Piso): Who Will Rebuild the House of Puerto Rico?