Lilly was founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that met real needs in an era of unreliable elixirs peddled by questionable characters. His charge to the generations of employees who have followed was this: "Take what you find here and make it better and better." More than 140 years later, we remain committed to his vision through every aspect of our business and the people we serve starting with those who take our medicines, and extending to health care professionals, employees and the communities in which we live.