People are our Chemistry

At Eurofins Bio-Pharma Product Testing, we believe that our people provide our strength. Their dedication to quality, professional competence and hard work are the key elements in the company’s success. In this regular feature, we introduce you to some of the people who have helped make Eurofins an industry leader.

Bringing more than 15 years of product testing experience to lead the new Raw Materials Labs at Eurofins BPT Portage, Josh Lenartowicz loves being part of this new in-house start-up. “It’s exciting to be onboarding new instruments, techniques and capabilities to support clients’ growing raw materials testing needs that complement Lancaster’s services,” says Josh. “While challenging initially to build the state-of-the- art labs and bring the team’s training and knowledge on par with Lancaster’s, we were very fortunate to learn from their decades of experience and expertise. And it’s gratifying mentoring staff development and growing the team as well as see some take on management roles themselves.”

Josh joined the Army Reserves right out of high school and continues to serve presently as a Company Commander. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry after returning from a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2006-2008). Josh completed Warrant Officer Candidate School (2017) and Warrant Officer Basic Course in (2018). Recognizing Eurofins’ support, he nominated Portage site Director, Nathan Whitford, for the US Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award. Read more about Josh:

What is the scope of your group?

My group consists of the Raw Materials Department at the Portage, MI, site. The Raw Materials Team is a newly started department for Portage that provides testing of materials used in manufacturing drug products. We test materials according to various compendia, based on where the final drug product is expected to be sold or by client specific methods.

Why should clients trust us with their projects?

Clients should trust us with their projects because even though raw materials is new to Portage, we have a great deal of experience already in finished product and API testing as well as compendia water testing. We also work very closely with Senior Manager Matt Rodak and the rest of Raw Materials Team in Lancaster, PA. We are focused on quality and providing our clients with the best turnaround times possible. We are focused on client satisfaction and continuing to build our Raw Materials Department and capabilities.

How would you characterize your leadership style?

If I have to characterize my leadership style under one umbrella, I would say it would be transformational leadership. I am inspired that I have the opportunity to lead a new department and with that, I focus on inspiring the group. I want my employees to be excited to come to work and know that they are helping to build something of value to clients here in Portage. I genuinely care about people; I want everyone to feel that they have the opportunity to develop and provide them with the tools to be successful.

You’ve been here for 6 years and seen countless changes. Is there anything that hasn’t changed during your tenure?

One thing that has not changed in Portage is our focus on quality and constant drive for improvement. If we see something that needs to be improved, then we define the problem, and attack it as a team.

What kind of volunteer activities have you been involved with?

I have volunteered to coach both baseball and football for Parchment School District.

How does you group’s work impact/benefit society?

Raw material analysis is essential to determine the identity, purity, and quality of the raw materials before they go into the manufacturing process. This helps to ensure the safety and quality of the finished products.

And when you’re not working?

When I am not working, I am spending time with my wife, Sarah, and two sons. Noah is 8 years old, and Luke is 7 months old. Noah is involved in golf, baseball, and football. When I am not coaching or getting him to practice we like to travel to northern Michigan. We love the outdoors and spend a lot of time fishing and hunting. I also love to golf when I get a chance.