Campus Connection

Alumni partnership gives pets something to be happy about

[caption id="attachment_5357" align="alignnone" width="685"] Mike McGinley graduated from UWL with a degree in microbiology in 1982, and continued on to earn his doctoral degree in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University. McGinley, president of Biologics and Pharmaceuticals for Heska, now lives in Colorado. Here he is pictured with his Labrador, Kodi.[/caption] Dog owners who dread giving their furry, face-licking companions an allergy shot can thank three UW-La Crosse alumni who formed a business partnership in 2012. The partnership between Heska Corp. and Allergychoices extends allergy solutions developed for humans to companion animals. What’s more, the UWL grads didn’t know about each other’s UWL roots until their collaboration began. Michael McGinley, ’82, of Heska Corp., recalls walking into the conference room at the Onalaska-based Allergychoices and hearing a large thud on the table behind him. He turned to find a stack of UWL yearbooks — with pictures showing off his 1980s hair and clothes.  Jeff Kessler, ’81, and Jim Killoran, ’80, both UWL alums and co-owners of Allergychoices, were looking back at him — grinning widely. They’d found out about McGinley’s UWL roots while researching their potential business partner online. They were excited to find out he attended UWL when they did — though they’d never met. [caption id="attachment_5354" align="alignnone" width="800"] Jim Killoran, left, and Jeff Kessler are former UWL college roommates who are now co-owners of Allergychoices, a spin-off company of Allergy Associates of La Crosse. Kessler is also practice executive of Allergy Associates of La Crosse. Kessler’s work for Allergychoices started when Killoran called him to consult on a technology project for the clinic.[/caption]  "At that point, I knew the conversation was going to go in a different direction,” recalls McGinley. “I think we established that there were some flattering photographs in those yearbooks, but also some unflattering ones.” But the three also established their common UWL bond. It was helpful in building the kind of trust necessary for a business partnership. How it all started Dr. David Morris pioneered a special type of allergy therapy for humans in 1970 that didn’t involve getting shots. It was an immunotherapy — meaning the patient would be exposed to small doses of the allergen until their body naturally built up a resistance, instead of taking a drug to mask the symptoms. But, unlike other immunotherapies, Morris’ could be taken through drops administered under the tongue — sublingually. The novel allergy delivery approach became a treatment protocol and began the company Allergy Associates of La Crosse. Dr. Mary Morris, the daughter of David Morris and Killoran’s wife, became the clinic leader after her father’s retirement. She developed a therapy drop for dogs in her spare time. The Allergy Associates of La Crosse clinic grew to be successful. Today it has delivered care to more than 150,000 patients, with the average patient traveling 250 miles one way. In March, the company earned the 2016 Small Business of the Year Award from the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce. But the company’s success is not just regional. The special allergy protocol is earning a reputation nationwide through a spin-off company that was started in 2000, named Allergychoices. This Healthcare services company provides resources related to sublingual immunotherapy to doctors and allergy sufferers nationwide. But what about Fido? While sublingual immunotherapy has been building a reputation in human patients for more than 45 years, the company didn’t know how it would work in companion animals until 2011. That’s when Allergychoices began testing it. The first study of 10 dogs, conducted jointly with UW School of Veterinary Medicine, demonstrated an 80 percent success rate.  A second study involving 200 dogs nationwide also showed a strong, positive response. While the results looked promising for the company to continue expanding into the companion animal market, USDA licensing requirements looked too arduous to pursue without a partner who knew the veterinary business. Enter McGinley, who is in charge of the development and manufacturing of vaccine and drug products for animals at Heska. Heska had originally gotten wind of Morris’ unique therapy at an international conference in 2010, and was interested in bringing the solution to animals. It was a match made in dog heaven. “We looked at the landscape of partners in the veterinary world and became clear that Heska is a leader in the allergy testing side of things — someone we should be talking to,” says Kessler. When those initial talks started, soon after pouring over 1980s yearbooks, there was a “palpable excitement” in the room, recalls Kessler. After subsequent meetings, they negotiated the terms and ultimately shared Dr. Mary Morris’ trade secret formula with Heska through a licensing agreement with her company. Heska then introduced the animal therapy to the marketplace in 2012 with their Allercept^TM immunotherapy product. “We came away from it with what we felt was a good agreement,” says Kessler. “What prevailed was the respect and trust we had in each other’s organizations.” Happy news for animals McGinley reports that the new allergy solutions for animals are gaining steam in the veterinary world. Sublingual immunotherapy is now one of Heska’s flagship products that the company is marketing worldwide. Heska now ships about 3,000–4,000 treatments each month. “Veterinarians are finding the same thing,” says McGinley. “More customers will treat [allergies] if they don’t have to give shots.” And dogs are pretty happy too, reports McGinley. “Some pets actually look to this as a treat,” he says. “You can’t keep them away from it.” It is gratifying to see the application of allergy drops in other markets, say Killoran and Kessler. “A miserable dog leads to miserable owners,” notes Killoran. “The idea of relieving that throughout the world feels really good. And it feels good to be working with an honorable, focused company like Heska.” Good for business, dogs and … UWL students When McGinley left La Crosse after graduation in 1982, he continued to travel farther away from Wisconsin. He hadn’t been back to La Crosse in nearly 20 years when he met with Kessler and Killoran at the Allergychoices conference room. Before flying back to Colorado, McGinley drove around the city, and it reminded him of his UWL roots. And talking about UWL with Killoran and Kessler made him think about how UWL contributed to who he is today. “I’ve come to appreciate over the years how much my success subsequent to UWL was related to the experience I had there,” says McGinley. “I don’t think I appreciated that in 1982 when I was handed the diploma, but I do now.” McGinley started giving back to UWL by returning to campus as a speaker for the College of Business Administration’s Distinguished Lecture Series. He spent time with students in microbiology and business classrooms and rekindled relationships with former classmates and friends. He even made new friends in Kessler and Killoran. It all fueled his desire to contribute more to UWL so future students can continue to have the same enriching experience. “Sure, people like to put a word like nostalgia on it, but it’s more than that,” says McGinley. “The region, the school and the experiences meld into one. I’ve talked to friends and colleagues who graduated from larger institutions, and they haven’t gotten to that place yet, or they don’t have the same richness of experience to draw from.” It led McGinley to pledge $25,000 to endow a scholarship to support UWL students. Kessler and Killoran also support UWL through service and financial donations. Killoran and Mary Morris gave $25,000 to the stadium project. Kessler and his wife, Sara, ’82, have contributed to the stadium and Centennial Hall projects and Kessler is chair of the CBA Board of Advisors, and has served as a lecturer in the Management Department. Kessler and Killoran say one of the best outcomes of their business partnership with Heska was reconnecting McGinley with UWL.