CSU Alumnus Gives Back to CSU Laboratories
Tom Kutrubes (’06) is redefining the relationship between biotechnology suppliers and their customers. By offering a specialized buying experience that focuses on the customer, Kutrubes has paved his way as an entrepreneur in the biotechnology industry despite the challenges of competing with multinational corporations.
As a natural-born entrepreneur and innovator, Kutrubes established Peak Serum, Inc., a supplier of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), based on the notion that his customers are unique individuals and not just another number on a sales sheet. Kutrubes explains, “The majority of businesses competing with Peak Serum are large corporations with thousands of other products in their inventory. The nature of these companies lead to poor attention to detail, lost relationships and poor customer service. I knew that by focusing on just one core product, Peak Serum would have the capacity to offer a buying experience that our competition simply does not have.”
Kutrubes’ career in entrepreneurship began when he was still in high school. Sparked by his passion for sports and the outdoors, Kutrubes developed a product geared toward the extreme sports market and received three U.S. patents as a result. When it came time to decide on a college, Kutrubes chose the Business School at Colorado State University (CSU) due to its national recognition and its location in the heart of Fort Collins.