CYBER DOC COMPANY drkoop.com, Chairman AGE 82 ADDRESSwww.drkoop.com BIO He's the oldest and perhaps least-wired guy on our list. But the website that
bears former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's name is the most popular
destination in one of the most popular search categories online: health. Its IPO
in June was one of the year's hottest, more than doubling in its first day. With
new health sites launching every month, and competition from Jeff Arnold's
soon-to-be merged megasite Healtheon/WebMD looming, Koop's reputation as
"America's Doctor" gives him the recognized brand-name edge. But while his
surname shows up in the company's stock symbol (KOOP), the man himself--who heads
a health-education program at Dartmouth College--reportedly doesn't check in to
company headquarters in Austin, Texas, too often. He's even been criticized for
capitalizing on his nine years of public service. Besides stock, Koop gets 2% to
4% of the company's sales. BEST LINE "The Internet is the first major communication device since the
telephone that has a chance to affect the health-care industry in a major way."
FORWARD TILT A fall ad blitz may cement drkoop.com's lead as America grays. But
public health advocates are worried that Koop's business ties will conflict with
a doctor's duty to do no harm.
