Medical Weight Loss in Whippany, NJ

At a recent skull session in a conference room at Bayer’s U.S. headquarters in Whippany, New Jersey—captured in a story last week in The Wall Street Journal—employees gathered around a huge circular floor mat, emblazoned with reorganization mantras such as “dynamic shared ownership” and “reimagining the system.”

These catchphrases are helping Bayer’s staffers understand the company's effort to eliminate its bureaucracy. Another lesson came recently at the U.S. headquarters as Bayer notified 90 employees at the Whippany office that they will receive pink slips.

The layoffs, which are effective on June 19, were revealed (PDF) in a New Jersey Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. Bayer confirmed the dismissals in an email.

“We are adopting a new operating model and with it, a new organizational structure. Our new way of working will enable more agility, empower employees to innovate and act, and deepen the focus on our mission,” Bayer explained in a statement. “Aligned with this shift, we are adjusting our U.S. structure resulting in some positions being eliminated or redesigned and a few new roles being created.”

Many more layoffs are likely as part of CEO Bill Anderson’s makeover of the struggling conglomerate, which started the year with $34.5 billion in debt and last month revealed a plan to slash investor dividends to the legal minimum over the next three years.

In November, Anderson declared his intent to streamline the company’s management structure, saying there would be a “significant reduction in workforce.”

Just last week, Anderson dismantled the leadership team of Bayer’s pharma sector, reducing it from 14 to eight executives. In the revamp, Bayer let go of three members of the leadership team and demoted three others. Two months ago, Bayer executed a similar overhaul of its crop science sector, dismissing three execs, each with at least 27 years of experience at the company.

“The problem at Bayer is not the culture—it’s the bureaucracy, it’s the layers, it’s the approvals,” Anderson said earlier this month. “You can have all the positive culture you want, but if it takes five signatures to replace a pump in the plant, then the culture is not going to save you. This is the phenomenon we face at Bayer.”

Bayer is still digging out from its disastrous $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018, which brought with it legal claims, now numbering in the tens of thousands, that weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.

A growing donut chain opened another New Jersey location.

Duck Donuts unveiled its location in Whippany on Saturday, March 16.

The 1,300-square-foot store is located at 458 Route 10 in the Whippany Village Apartments’ retail section.

This is Morris County’s first Duck Donuts location. It will operate from 7 a.m to 7 p.m daily.

Duck Donuts joins other popular businesses, like Jersey Mike’s Subs, Whippany Pizzeria and Ivy Rehab, in the shopping center.

“I am so excited to officially open in Whippany, a community with a wonderful reputation and welcoming atmosphere,” franchise owner Carrie Neigel said. “As a native of Morris County, it is a thrill to be able to bring my small business to this community. We look forward to serving warm, delicious and made-to-order donuts to our community and all of our local businesses.”

Duck Donuts has grown popular for its made-to-order cake doughnuts since its inception in 2007. Some of the popular flavors include the “Chocolate Explosion,” “Cinnamon Bun,” “Blueberry Pancake” and “Pina Colada.”

The chain also offers a variety of sandwiches, coffee and desserts.

There are nine Duck Donuts in New Jersey and more than 120 nationwide.

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Christopher Burch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/.

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As part of an effort to streamline its management structure, Bayer is eliminating 90 positions at its U.S. headquarters in Whippany.

The life sciences company reported the layoffs will take effect June 19, according to a filing with the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

In January, Bayer revealed a new operating model. The plan aims to cut back on bureaucracy and hierarchies as well as streamline company structures.

Designed to boost operational efficiency and “make the company much more agile,” the restructuring initiative includes job cuts over the next several months. Bayer said it expects to complete the effort by the end of 2025.

Bayer had a global headcount of more than 101,000 as of the end of 2023.

While Bayer has not specified how many will be impacted, the company said it will remove “several layers” of management.

Disappointing results

During Bayer’s third-quarter earnings report in November 2023, CEO Bill Anderson expressed disappointment with the company’s performance.

At that time, Bayer said revenue across its three segments (pharmaceuticals, consumer health, crop science) totaled $38.7 billion during the nine months ending Sept. 30, 2023. That marked a 7.7% drop compared to the same period the prior year. The company also reported a $4.5 billion loss, versus a $3.5 billion profit for Q3 2022.

Anderson has been at the helm of the company since June 2023.

“Our mission of ‘Health for all, hunger for none’ hasn’t always been front and center in our operations,” he said. “That will change. We are redesigning Bayer to focus only on what’s essential for our mission – and getting rid of everything else.”

“This step will unleash our teams with the mission-focus necessary to turn things around. Ninety-five percent of the decision-making in the organization will shift from managers to the people doing the work,” said Anderson, who noted that while it will include “a significant reduction in workforce” it is “not a traditional cost-cutting program.”

He also said Bayer is “looking closely at our structural options,” including a separation of either consumer health or crop division divisions.

“We have an expert team – including external financial advisors – evaluating them. They’re reviewing market conditions, what structural changes would mean for our value creation, one-time costs and dis-synergies, cash flows and leverage ratios, tax leakage, and other criteria,” Anderson said.

The planned New Jersey reductions come about a week after the German multinational made sweeping changes to its leadership structure. Bayer trimmed its executive roster from 14 members to eight. The revamp also saw three executives let go and three others demoted.

NJ elevation

However, Bayer recently promoted New Jersey-based Sebastian Guth to chief operating officer, effective April 1. He is assigned with responsibility for commercial operations across all the company’s active markets.

In the new role, Guth will work with teams across countries and regions to drive commercial strategy to enhance customer value, maximize market opportunities, and generate revenue growth and profitability for Bayer pharmaceuticals worldwide, the company said.

Previously, Guth was appointed president and senior representative of Bayer’s U.S. operations in June 2023. He will continue to reside locally, according to the company.

In a statement to NJBIZ, a Bayer U.S. spokesperson said, “As Bayer U.S. focuses on what matters most – delivering our mission of ‘Health for all, Hunger for none’ and delivering value for our customers, patients, farmers, our shareholders, and all other important stakeholders – we are adopting a new operating model and with it, a new organizational structure. Our new way of working will enable more agility, empower employees to innovate and act, and deepen the focus on our mission.”

The spokesperson continued, “Aligned with this shift, we are adjusting our U.S. structure resulting in some positions being eliminated or redesigned, and a few new roles being created. We want to express our appreciation for our employees and the important role they have played in our organization. Ultimately, our new operating model will accelerate our growth and position us for long-term success.”

Duck Donuts, the Pennsylvania-based chain known for its delectable doughnuts, will open in Whippany, according to Patch.

The store will be located along Route 10, in the Whippany Village Apartments’ retail section, joining businesses like Jersey Mike’s Subs, Whippany Pizzeria and Ivy Rehab.

An exact address and opening date have yet to be announced. This will be the first Duck Donuts in Morris County

Duck Donuts has grown popular for its made-to-order cake doughnuts since its inception in 2007. Some of the popular flavors include the “Chocolate Explosion”, “Cinnamon Bun”, “Blueberry Pancake” and “Pina Colada.”

The chain also offers a variety of sandwiches, coffee and desserts.

There are currently seven Duck Donuts in New Jersey and more than 120 nationwide.

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Christopher Burch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisBurch856. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

WHIPPANY, NJ - Samantha Willans, of Whippany, recently traveled to the small community of Harmons, Jamaica, along with faculty members, Jennifer Bell, physician assistant studies and Amy Way, health and exercise science. The 18 undergraduate and five physician assistant graduate students represented the Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Clearfield campuses.

This is the seventh service-learning program to Jamaica for Lock Haven students led by Bell and Way and the second for Commonwealth University.

Students participated in the construction and subsequent dedication of a house, the building of a foundation for a future house, visited the two primary schools in the Harmons valley and visited community health clinics where they had the opportunity to ask questions about the Jamaican healthcare system.

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At the schools, students interacted with the children in the classroom and participated in the application of fluoride varnish, which is an initiative started by Bell and Way for the children of the community. The students offered workshops to the parents as part of a joint initiative with Won By One to Jamaica, a nonprofit organization with which the group collaborates.

Cultural activities included eating in the homes of community members in Harmons and a day at a black sand beach that is part of a fishing community.

"We have had the privilege of traveling with some exceptional students and we really enjoyed the participation of students from both the Bloomsburg and Lock Haven campuses." Way said. "We look forward to the time when Mansfield students join us as well. Hopefully that will be next winter session."

The Lock Haven and Mansfield admissions offices, as well as the Bloomsburg bookstore, donated hundreds of T-shirts to the program. "We made excellent use of the donated T-shirts and will continue to do so, distributing them throughout the community of Harmons, giving them to people in need," Way said.

"Having heard professors Amy Way and Jennifer Bell describe their experiences in Harmons, Jamaica, plus having seen the pictures of students in previous trips, I can tell that the students' experiences have been transformational and life changing," said Dr. Leo-Felix Jurado, dean, College of Health Professions. "I am certain that the students found their experiences humbling and helped them appreciate how blessed they are living in America. I am profusely appreciative with professors Way and Bell's commitment to this initiative.

"Congratulations to Dr. Way, professor Bell and the entire team for another successful trip to Harmons, Jamaica, said Bashar W. Hanna, president. "The work our students and faculty do on behalf of the people of Harmons is incredibly impactful - not just for the community they are serving, but also for our students who return from the trip with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the significant health care challenges faced by individuals around the world. Thank you to our dedicated faculty for their willingness to give our students this opportunity for the past seven years, and for making a real difference to people and a community in need."