Did You Know? Contrary to popular belief, King Pharmaceuticals is not named after Jesus, a falsity often cited in the business press. The company's founders had two reasons for picking the name: King College is a prominent institution in Bristol, TN, where King is headquartered. King Pharmaceuticals' founders paid homage to the college and its founding family by naming their company after them. Also, King Pharmaceuticals' logo spells the name "KING," nestled within a crown. The big "K" stands for Kirk, as in Randal Kirk, one of the company's original founders, who resigned shortly after King was formed. The big "G" stands for Gregory, the family that controlled the company until 2004. King's new management team plans to stick with the King name, but is doing away with the crown logo.