Dr. Harrell , Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Dr. Harrell
Dr. Harrell

Dr. Harrell is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, Harrell is a thought leader, influencer, visionary, and successful entrepreneur. Harrell provides the leadership and energy that has inspired the creation of Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC.
Dr. Harrell joins other leading Bestselling Authors, International Speakers & entrepreneurs, CEOs, and Founders taking part in our Leader Roundtable Interview Series. The DotCom Magazine editorial team is delighted to have Harrell join us for our Leader Roundtable Interview.

Dr. Randall Harrell, M.D. is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC. He has worked for over 30 years to become a pioneer and visionary in the field of regenerative medicine where his discoveries and patented platform technologies in the study of Type III human collagen, stem cells, pericytes, and novel bioengineered placental derived biomaterials have lead to the developments of first in class clinically proven regenerative medicine therapies.

For anyone who has suffered from dry eyes, Dr. Randall Harrell has made it his mission to bring relief through cutting-edge ocular regenerative medicine. His product, Regener-Eyes, is a first in class biologic eye drop that is helping patients with mild to severe dry eyes in ways that many previously thought the stuff of science-fiction. His journey to become the Chairman, CEO and CMO of this groundbreaking company started in his youth, when a fateful trip with his mother to her doctor’s appointment triggered a lifelong quest to help bring true relief to the deceptively simple health concern of dry eyes. After getting his Bachelor of Science at Georgia State University, Dr. Harrell attended the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine and earned his doctorate. He completed a General Surgery and Plastic Surgery Residence at Baylor College of Medicine and took a research position at Emory University.

The most important thing is the quality of the product, and we have an excellent product with excellent quality. We actually have two products: A professional strength and a light version, which is more for the mild, moderate dry eyes. We have a great product with a great safety profile, and that’s the thing that doctors and patients really like. But then over and above that is the customer service at our company, everyone from the product specialist to the fulfillment center all working together to make sure that you get your product on time. That’s very important, too. We go out of our way to make sure that the experience is a very positive one.

Q: Please tell us the one thing that separates your business from the competition.

The keyword is innovation. A lot of the large companies actually say they have a hard time with innovation because it gets lost in the bureaucracy, but innovation is what we do every day. If something doesn’t work, we change it, and we can be very nimble about it. Especially with all the new understandings of chronic inflammatory diseases, we can change very quickly and come up with other solutions where some people would take years to get things accomplished. We can do it a lot more quickly.

Q: And to finish this section, please tell us what the one major key to your company’s success is?

We really understand the science and we’re slightly ahead of our time. I’ve always been good about putting dots together and doing it quicker than other people. Some of the things that I see come to fruition, I see it quicker than our competitors do. They’ll start down one path, and they won’t realize that path might not really work long term. Stem cells are a good example. Everybody thinks stem cells are the answer for everything. Stem cells can do a lot of different things, but they can’t do everything. And some people don’t see the shortcomings of stem cells, and they definitely don’t see better options than stem cells. You know, something that’s completely acellular, that’s a very novel thing that we’ve developed. I think people are slowly starting to understand that. But it’s only in the last couple of years that people have caught up to speed to this, and we’ve been doing it for over a decade.

Q: For our readers just starting to build a company, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out with a new venture?

You have to have some innovative technology because that’s really what’s going to separate you from the pack. We’ve never really been what I consider a “me too” kind of company. We’re not a knock off of someone else’s product selling it cheaper. That’s not really the approach we take. The approach we take is how can I make a better product that is light years ahead of any kind of competition out there, and that’s worked much better for us. It’s more patentable because it’s so novel and innovative.

After that, you still have to recruit the best talent to really execute your business plan. Many people do have a lot of intellectual property that gets generated, especially those coming out of universities, and people get very excited about it because it’s very interesting from a scientific point of view. But then they never really commercialized it because they can’t really execute on that part of it. You have to have the technology, but then you also must have the people that can help commercialize it and execute bringing it to the market and making a successful business out of it, which is, unfortunately, very rare in the university-type settings. But we are able to actually see some of these improvements.

Q: For entrepreneurs seeking to build a business as successful as yours, what big piece of advice can you give them when times get a little challenging?

The founder has to be a special person. They have to really believe in the products they have, especially when they’re facing multiple business challenges like COVID-19, for example. We actually did one of our product launches right when COVID-19 was really getting started. Most business people would say that was the worst time in history to try to launch your product, but we wanted to do it anyway because we felt there was a big unmet need that we were filling. Even with the challenges of COVID-19, we’ve been extremely successful at getting these products to doctors and patients. Even when some of the doctor’s offices were shut down, we were able to do workarounds to deal with that, and it’s still been very successful. Challenges are expected. Everybody has had their share of challenges in 2020, but we overcome those challenges and actually much stronger because of it.

Q: In today’s fast changing business environment, how do you stay abreast of things?

The Internet makes that a lot easier. I remember back when there was no Internet and I had to go to the library. It was very cumbersome to get new information, especially from the international information sources. Now it’s just “click the button” for a Google search and you can find almost anything you want, so that makes it so much easier. You have to do that to see what’s happening, not only the US, but worldwide. There’s a lot of changes around the world that you’d like to know about, like what works and what doesn’t work and hearing other people’s experiences and learning from those.

Q: What is your “Why”? In one sentence, why do you get up in the morning?

The ability to make innovative biologic products to improve a patients’ quality of life has always been my mission. That’s really what gets me up in the morning.

Q: In one sentence, what is the most important thing one has to do to be a great leader?

You have to have a vision and you have to execute and make that vision a reality, and having that vision is really the essence of every great leader: To clarify that vision and share that vision with the people around him so they can all have the common vision.

Q: In one sentence, describe how important your customers are to your business?

Our business wouldn’t exist without our customers, who are the reason we’re our business even exists.

Q: In one sentence, describe a positive way that technology can make the world a better place?

Technology can help provide a better understanding of how your body works in order to allow these new, innovative biologics with better safety and efficacy to improve the quality of life.

Q: In one sentence, tell us something positive to motivate our readers?

When you’re helping others to improve their quality of life, it’s not only beneficial to the recipient, but also to the one that actually gives the help.

Q: In one sentence, tell us how you start your day to get ready?

I like to start off with some quiet time because I try to visualize what’s going to happen throughout the day and how to get my vision accomplished.

Q: In one sentence, describe how you handle rejection and setback?

From a young child I’ve been told things that I didn’t really want to hear, but I was lucky enough that it didn’t really dash my hopes; it really motivated me to actually get things accomplished.

Q: In one sentence, describe what your hiring philosophy is?

We take a collaborative approach to assess not only an applicant’s ability but also how they will fit into the culture we are trying to establish.

Q: In one sentence, describe how you keep your sanity in a competitive business environment?

You have to know what’s going on in the competitive business environment, to see what they’re doing right, what they’re doing wrong, and how you can improve what you’re doing better than they are.

Website
http://www.mydryeyes.org/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Mydryeyes
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/70110069/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/regener_eyes/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6qVz5eHN6TlxJNzx-KVvpA

Dr. Harrell , thank you so much for participating in the DotCom Magazine Leader Roundtable Interview Series. We appreciate you participating in this important roundtable interview series, and helping our readers learn more about what it takes to build a great company and become a great leader. We wish you, your family, and of course Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, nothing but the best.