Who’s Who in Irish Business? Pearse Lyons
The lyrics to a Mary Chapin Carpenter hit say “Baby you could be a hero in your own hometown.”
It would be a fitting song for Pearse Lyons to be singing these days.
Lyons was born in Ireland and the story of his life, including the founding of Alltech in Nicholasville, now fills a whole page of Business & Finance magazine’s Who’s Who in Irish Business.
Other honorees who may be known to Kentuckians include John Teeling, founder of Cooley Distillery; Denis Brosnan, chairman of Horse Racing Ireland; John Magnier, founder of Coolmore Stud; and J.P. McManus, “legendary racehorse owner.”
Lyons, who was born in Dundalk, Ireland, earned his doctorate in yeast biochemistry at the University of Birmingham and began his career at Irish Distillers in Dublin.
“Four years later, he got his first taste of American business when he was headhunted by an ingredients supplier for the brewing industry and was subsequently sent to Lexington to set up a new facility,” says Who’s Who.
By October 1980, Lyons had launched his own company: Alltech, which now does business around the world.
