Nick Bykerk, CFO, Receives 40 Under 40 Honor from Crain’s
Congratulations to Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing CFO Nick Bykerk, CPA, for being honored to Crain’s 40 Under 40 class in West Michigan.
The 40 Under 40 class recognizes inspirational leaders nominated by their colleagues or peers and selected by Crain’s Grand Rapids Business editorial team after a rigorous vetting process.
Nick is fundamental in developing partnerships with global companies to ensure successful projects. In his 11 years at GRAM, he has accelerated the company’s growth and has taught others to lead by understanding when building relationships. Learn more about Nick in his answers to the questions below.
Describe one of the biggest wins in your career in the last five years.
Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing’s (“GRAM”) $60 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility was completed in June 2020 to support an array of pharma and biotech customers. That plan took a radical turn when the federal government selected GRAM to join Operation Warp Speed. As the CFO, I spearheaded negotiations and secured a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Defense to manufacture vaccines. Soon after, I secured a partnership with Johnson & Johnson to manufacture their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. This was a great accomplishment for my career, and it changed the trajectory of our organization.
What is your experience working with other cultures?
As a contract development and manufacturing organization serving large and small pharma and biotech customers, I work with global companies on developing and negotiating manufacturing agreements. Understanding cultural differences in any negotiation is important to ensure a successful partnership. How a company gauges success and what they consider a healthy relationship is different everywhere. It is important to have a strong social understanding of each other and to find similar ground. Through my experiences, I learned how to lead by understanding in order to build relationships with global project teams.
Who is the biggest influence in your life?
My dad. He built his career around our family. He has a strong work ethic, and when he realized he was in a job without financial growth potential that would support our family of five, he went back to college. With a new education, he changed his path and grew into different roles for the rest of his career at the same company. His ‘work for everything’ mindset and his and my mom’s focus on the importance of education (my mom was a teacher) is ingrained in me and my brothers. He taught me to work hard and keep my family first, and I still follow that today.
What do you find most rewarding in your role?
I have made great strides throughout my career, and what I appreciate most are the relationships. It is important to remember that no matter what business, industry, or sector you are in, people come first. Our commitment at GRAM to building up manufacturing and life sciences in Grand Rapids has led to more opportunities for high-paying careers. We have brought in experts from out of state who would not otherwise be here. Increasing and improving the life sciences sector continues impacting the West Michigan economy and population.
Please list the awards/honors that you are most proud of.
Being a dad is number one. In my career at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing, my top four are the 2021 Legacy Award, 2021 Facility of the Year Award for Special Recognition of Operational Agility: COVID-19, 2022 Outstanding Growth Award Winner, and 2023 Winner for the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in the Nation.
