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Everett Hoekstra is the new president of Duluth-based Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. 

Hoekstra, who most recently was chief financial officer of the U.S. animal health business, succeeds Paul Fonteyne, who retired after 15 years with Boehringer Ingelheim. 

Hoekstra takes the helm two years after Boehringer Ingelheim's animal-health business acquired Merial from Sanofi.

Together with Timothy Bettington, who leads the company's U.S. commercial operations, he will oversee the company's largest animal health market.

Hoekstra has held a variety of leadership roles since joining Boehringer Ingelheim in 1997, mainly in finance at the company's human pharmaceutical business. He also co-led the launch of Boehringer Ingelheim's global diabetes alliance with Eli Lilly and Co., as well as serving as CFO of its animal health company.

A native of Iowa, Hoekstra early in his career spent 12 years as co-owner and business manager for a veterinary group in the Midwest. As part of that group, he helped build several successful veterinary agriculture businesses, including a swine biologics business that today is part of Boehringer Ingelheim, a veterinary distribution company, and a bovine reproductive technology services company.

"Those experiences gave me a deep appreciation of the invaluable contributions veterinarians make every day," Hoekstra said in a Jan. 29 announcement. "Preventing disease in pets and livestock — and keeping animals healthy — contributes to human health and wellbeing. I look forward to helping advance Boehringer Ingelheim's legacy as a leader, good steward and key innovator in the animal health industry."

Boehringer Ingelheim's animal-health business focuses on preventive healthcare by developing vaccines, parasiticides and pharmaceuticals. The company's products for dogs and cats as well as cattle, swine, poultry and horses include the brands Frontline, Heartgard, Nexgard, Gastrogard and Ingelvac. 

The company employs more than 3,000 people in the United States, including at its U.S. headquarters in Duluth, Ga., an R&D and manufacturing site in Athens, Ga., manufacturing sites in Gainesville, Ga, and Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, and a manufacturing and R&D site in St. Joseph, Mo. It also has a presence in U.S. communities including North Brunswick, N.J.; Worthington, Minn.; and Ames, Iowa.

Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world with net sales in 2017 of $4.4 billion and around 10,000 employees worldwide. 

Parent company Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies, headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, with approximately 50,000 employees.