GAVIN HERBERT
FOUNDER
ALLERGAN
WHY: Founding father of OC’s aesthetic, ophthalmic and drugmaking industries. Joined father’s eyecare-focused pharma firm in the 1950s. Botox “started as something we thought might do … $10M” in annual sales. Now, worldwide famous medication produces billions in annual sales. Says key to Allergan’s success was hiring the right people.
IN THE NEWS: Recipient of the first ever Orange County Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Recognition. Still active in two ventures: environmental remediation firm Regenesis, which Time Magazine said had one of the 200 best inventions of 2024, and TechImmune, which is trying to treat symptoms of long COVID. Stepped down to vice chairman at TechImmune after convincing infectious disease expert James Young, a co-founder of MedImmune, to take on the role of executive chairman.
NOTABLE: Entrepreneurial venture began as a 12-year-old selling apricots from his family farm. Purchased Roger’s Gardens in 1970; bought out by his son, Gavin Herbert Jr. Established Herbert Gavin Eye Institute at UC Irvine Health. With his wife, Ninetta, has backed eye research for decades with millions of dollars.
QUOTABLE: “If I was to write a book about my life, the title would be ‘Serendipity.’ One of the things that helps with serendipity is to become a good listener. With Botox, we listened to the physicians. Literally, all 20 of the indications came from the physicians. It was their ideas.”
