Targacept Named 16th Overall in "Best Places to Work" Survey

On May 29, 2008, The Scientist, magazine of the life sciences, announced the winners of its 6th annual “Best Places to Work in Industry” survey. This year’s survey yielded responses from representatives of 207 companies worldwide. Targacept ranked 16th overall in the ranking of the Top 30 Companies, among Small Companies (1,000 or less) and Large Companies (more than 5,000 employees). At the time of the survey, Targacept had 105 employees.

Members of the science staff at these companies were asked to assess their working environment according to 44 criteria in eleven different categories, including the efficacy of internal communications, quality of the research environment, and opportunities for training and development. At Targacept, the most highly ranked factors by our respondents were: “Top management sets clear goals” and “The company is located in a community where it is pleasant to work.”

"This is our second year on the list, and we placed ahead of several other well-known and well-respected companies in our industry,” said J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D., President and CEO of Targacept. “Targacept is very fortunate to have an extraordinarily talented staff, and it was personally gratifying to me and the other members of our management team to have received such positive feedback about our company.”

Targacept Wins CED's "Deal of the Year" Award

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) awarded Targacept its "Deal of the Year" award for public companies. The award was presented on June 21, 2006 during CED’s 2006 Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards in Durham. CED honored companies in 10 categories, including winners in several industries.

Targacept was the only winner based in the Triad. It was singled out for successfully launching an initial public stock offering and for landing a major drug development deal with pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca.

John McConnell, CEO and chairman of Cary-based A4 Health Systems, won the Entrepreneurial Excellence award, while Raleigh-based rPath, an open-source software developer, won the award for Startup of the Year.

Targacept also won "Deal of the Year" honors from CED in 2003 as a private company. That award took note of Targacept's $60 million of venture financing raised in 2002 and 2003.

Targacept Wins 2005 NCTA 21 Award

Targacept, Inc., won the Top VC Invested Company of the Year for the 2005 at the NCTA 21 Awards. The award was presented by The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) and Grant Thornton, a leading accounting, tax and business advisory firm. Winners were recognized at the 11th Annual Awards Gala ceremony on Thursday, November 17, 2005 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary, N.C.

Other finalists in this category included Cellective Therapeutics, Motricity and SciQuest. Over 65 North Carolina companies, government agencies and individuals were nominated for 21 awards in a variety of categories.

Targacept Named One of the Best Employers in North Carolina

Targacept recently announced that it was recognized as one of the ten “Best Employers in North Carolina.” The “Best Employers in North Carolina” is a statewide competition designed to motivate companies in North Carolina to focus, measure and move their workplace environments toward excellence.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition,” said J. Donald deBethizy, Targacept’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We strive to provide a desirable work environment and to support our employees in their professional growth. We seek to emphasize the individual strengths of each of our employees, which allow us to optimize their collective efforts. I strongly feel that our employees’ talent and teamwork are the key components of our success.”

Other top 10 companies included The Biltmore Company, Clarkston Consulting, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., Microsoft Corp., Novozymes North America Inc., SAS Institute, Inc. and SpectraSite Communications, Inc.

The competition was sponsored by the North Carolina Society for Human Resources Management, Red Hand Media LLC, publisher of Business North Carolina magazine, and Findley Davis Inc., an independent, fee-for-service human-resources consulting, actuarial and administrative-services firm. The selection process, conducted by Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group, was based on an assessment of employee policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey. The actual rankings were published in the May issue of Business North Carolina magazine. Further details about the "Best Employers in North Carolina" competition can be found online at http://www.bestemployersnc.com/.

Targacept Honored as NCEITA's 2004 Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Company of the Year

Targacept, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company located in the Piedmont Triad Research Park, was honored by the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association (NCEITA) as the 2004 Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Company of the Year. The company previously won this award in 2001, and is the first company in the history of the awards to win twice in the same category. The award was presented at the 10th annual NCEITA 21 awards ceremony, held November 22, 2004, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary, NC. The NCEITA Awards are the oldest and most prestigious technology industry awards in North Carolina and showcase accomplishments in excellence, innovation and leadership in the information technology industry.

Bill Caldwell (l), Ph.D, Vice President of Drug Discovery and Development for Targacept, accepts the 2004 NCEITA Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Company Award from Steve Miller (r) of Cherry Bekaert & Holland, one of NCEITA's award sponsors.

The Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Company category had 13 nominees this year and four finalists: Targacept, GlaxoSmithKline, Icagen, and TransTech Pharma.

"We are honored to have been recognized by our peers a second time for the progress we have made since 2001 toward developing important new therapies for patients who struggle with debilitating illnesses," said Don deBethizy, Ph.D., President and CEO of Targacept. "It is invigorating to be working along side the other companies nominated in this category, all of whom are making major contributions to the development of a thriving pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in North Carolina,” he said.

Targacept Wins NC CED's Private Company Deal of the Year

Targacept executives Alan Musso, CFO and VP of Finance (l) and Don deBethizy, President and CEO (r) accept CED's Private Company Deal of the Year Award.

North Carolina's Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) held its annual awards presentation on August 8, 2003 in Raleigh, NC. Targacept won CED's Private Company Deal of the Year award. The award is given to a private, North Carolina based company that achieved great success through a major transaction or deal during the past year. This prestigious award recognized Targacept's impressive second round of venture financing.

Targacept closed North Carolina's largest venture funding round in 2002 when it raised $46 million in December 2002. The company then added $14 million more to its second round total in March 2003, bringing the second round total to $60 million and attracting further positive attention to the deal and to the region. This was the second largest venture capital closing in biotech in the world for a privately held biotech company during the period (2002 - 1Q 03). Targacept’s close attracted investors from around the globe and included leading investors such as Nomura, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Oxford Bioscience Partners, and EuclidSR Partners.

In the 17 years that NC CED has given these awards, Targacept, Inc., is the first company in North Carolina outside the Research Triangle to receive such an award.

Targacept CEO Honored as Carolinas' Entrepreneur of the Year

J. Donald deBethizy, President and CEO of Targacept, Inc., was named Carolinas' "Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Ernst & Young accounting firm at its annual ceremony in Charlotte on June 20, 2002. The event marked the end of an intensive search to identify and recognize outstanding entrepreneurs in the area. Dr. deBethizy went on to compete for the National Entrepreneur of the Year award designed to honor outstanding owners of fast-growing companies who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Targacept Receives Salute to Business Award

Targacept, Inc. was honored by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce with its Salute to Business Award in October 2002. This Chamber award recognizes those businesses that have major operations located in Winston-Salem, demonstrate strong corporate values and community support, have a proven track record of success and help sustain the Chamber's initiatives to improve the business climate in Winston-Salem.

Targacept Honored as NCEITA’s 2001 Health/Pharmaceutical Company of the Year

Targacept was honored by the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association (NCEITA) as the 2001 Health/Pharmaceutical Company of the Year. The award was presented at the 7th annual NCEITA 21 awards ceremony, held November 15, 2001 at the North Raleigh Hilton. The NCEITA 21 Awards are the oldest and most prestigious technology industry awards in the state. These awards are given annually in 21 categories to the leading companies and individuals in North Carolina's technology industry.