Chip Harp, Sports Feature Writer

Part 1 of a 3-part Series on Georgia’s Don Panoz and his contribution to racing

Many people outside of racing and pharmaceuticals have never heard of Dr. Don Panoz. Inventor of the Nicotine Patch and drug delivery system pioneer, Panoz has also created a successful second career as a car builder, engineer, hotelier, and wine maker. But what brought this great entrepreneurial mind to settle in Georgia?

Would you believe the lowly Muscadine?

But the Panoz story starts further back than that.

Back in 1961, Dr. Donald E. Panoz, or Don as he is affectionately known, left a career serving in the U.S. Army to join fellow veteran Mike Puskar to form Milan Pharmaceuticals. This West Virginia company has since morphed into Mylan, an international company that sells an estimated 1,300 products worldwide in more than 140 countries. At the time of its founding, the company made Panoz the youngest president of a pharmaceutical company.

He later created Elan Corporation in the 1970’s, a leader in drug delivery products and technology. What’s the significance of the research Panoz led? His team of researchers created the time release medication via a skin patch technology, one of over 300 industry patents he holds. That’s right, the nicotine patch. He also pioneered the development of gel-capsules and their use in the pharmaceutical industry.

Think of the lives saved alone by nicotine patches used to quit smoking.

These efforts and many more led to Panoz being named to the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. He also acts as a director to many of the world’s business boards, including American Express, and as a trustee of the University of Georgia.

So how did Muscadines lead Panoz to Georgia?

Elan had a research lab in Gainesville, GA, where upon a visit he and his wife, Nancy, tried a wine made from indigenous Muscadines, a sweet grape-like fruiting berry. He asked why no one had ever tried to grow vinifera, or more traditional grapes in the region. When told “it can’t be done” Panoz turned again to technology to prove it could.

Panoz proceeded to put technology he learned from research in the pharmaceutical field into the wine-making business and to Braselton in north Georgia, where he established a 3,500-acre winery and resort. Today, the wines of Chateau Elan have won hundreds of national and international awards based on the efforts of Panoz and his wife.

Today, Chateau Elan and the most conspicuous of Panoz’ companies, DeltaWing Technologies, employs Georgians and, more importantly, brings prestige and attention to the state, allowing it to stand out in the competition for jobs and business. Even more so, Panoz’ love for racing (and technology) has led to the most visible sign of his success, the development of International Sports Car Racing through his Panoz cars and, the American Le Mans Series.

In part two of this series next week, we’ll review how the Panoz name, and its factory in north Georgia, produced one of racing’s most iconic cars.