Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Bill Leonard was born and raised in a small town in western Pennsylvania and originally considered attending Penn State and Pittsburgh.
Moving On Up: Bill Leonard ’87
TU has sparked countless innovators. These are their stories.
Bill Leonard ’87 spent four years on the then-Towson State University men’s basketball
team and took away a career’s worth of wisdom.
“A lot of what I did as an athlete at Towson really played a part in how I manage
a team, take more risk and build the key parts of that team,” he says.
The lessons in overcoming adversity and bonding with teammates supported Leonard throughout
his career, first in pharmaceutical sales and management and then as the founder of
Greenbrook TMS, a behavioral health company offering transcranial magnetic stimulation
(TMS) to people with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and smoking cessation
needs.
TMS therapy provides local electromagnetic stimulation to specific brain regions known
to be directly associated with mood regulation. The company has provided more than
half a million treatments to more than 14,000 patients.
Growing Greenbrook TMS
Started playing basketball
Leonard learned to play basketball from his father, who also played collegiately.
Graduated with a degree in business administration
As a freshman, Leonard earned East Coast Conference rookie of the year honors, and, when he graduated, he was TU men's basketball's all-time leader in points and assists. He was named TU's male athlete of the year. "One thing Coach Truax taught me was the importance of a handwritten note. He was always great at that, and I still do it with my employees today, though some notes now may be text or emails."
Started his career at Wesley Jessen, a division of Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals
Leonard began in their eye care division as a territory manager (sales). “The first lesson to learn about sales is it’s not necessarily how you get the sale. It’s the expectations, being organized, being able to follow up, being honest and doing the job with integrity.”
Served as a part-time assistant coach with the men's basketball program
Leonard returned to his alma mater to be a part-time coach for the program, under head coach Terry Truax.
Took position of director of business development at TLCVision
Leonard continued to rise through the private sector with this role at TLCVision, now called TLC Laser Eye Centers.
Inducted into the TU Hall of Fame
A four-year starter in the Tiger backcourt and two-year captain, Leonard was a two-time all-conference second team selection and led TU in scoring as a junior and senior. He closed his career by leading TU to a second-place finish in the ECC Tournament.
Became president of TLCVision's Refractive Surgery Division
While president, he was responsible for $200 million in revenue and a customer base of 13,000 eye care professionals. “You’ve got to put yourself out there…be confident, provide leadership and bring value and something new to an organization. I was willing to create scenarios that were outside the box, but operational changes allowed us to ramp up the business.”
Started a health care consulting firm
Leonard's experience as a senior executive and desire to have ownership of a company from the start led to him taking his first step into entrepreneurship.
Served as president of Euclid Systems
Founded in 1995 in Herndon, Virginia, Euclid Systems is a leading company in treating myopia in children.
First center, in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, treated the first patient in December 2011
The center’s first patient came in severely depressed. When she left in remission seven weeks later, her 6-year-old daughter hugged Leonard’s legs and thanked him for returning her mom.
Expanded outside the Washington, D.C., Metro Area
“It’s powerful. I get letters with patient stories all the time…so inspiring and rewarding. We have an obligation and a mission to help people get their lives back. We really embrace that as a team.”
Went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Leonard and his company raised USD $20 million when Greenbrook TMS went public, which allowed him to double the number of centers from 40 to 80. In total, Greenbrook TMS has raised close to USD $75 million.
Completed Greenbrook TMS’s first acquisition
Greenbrook TMS acquired the second-largest provider of TMS therapy in California, Oregon and Alaska, adding 22 centers to the organization.
Submitted a 20F application for a NASDAQ U.S. listing
Greenbrook TMS started trading on the NASDAQ Market in U.S. dollars on March 16, under the name GBNH.