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PILOT POINT, Texas — For Russell Pelzel, the chance to run an independent community pharmacy in his hometown was compelling enough to persuade him to leave a successful career at a large retail chain pharmacy. He now operates three drug stores in north Texas, two of which he owns, and maintains close relationships with the patients at all three locations.
“The possibility to do that is the biggest difference between an independent pharmacy and a large chain operation,” he says. “That is what I wanted when I went off to pharmacy school — that connection to my people, to my families, to the people I grew up with, to their parents — it’s taking care of people. As an independent pharmacist you are so connected to your community. You are the person they all can lean on and trust and be there for them when they need you.”
Pelzel’s original ambition was to be a doctor, inspired by the local MD in his childhood, who was revered for his dedication.By coincidence, the local pharmacist had been Pelzel’s baseball and basketball coach, and he was similarly respected in the town for his willingness to deliver prescriptions in the middle of the night. Reflecting on this, pharmacy seemed to be a more practical course to follow while raising a family.After obtaining his pharmacy degree, he started working at a large retail pharmacy in Gainesville, Texas. He quickly climbed the ranks, eventually being promoted to district manager.
After 15 years, Pelzel was contacted by a friend and former colleague who offered him an opportunity to work at an independent pharmacy in Whitesboro, Texas, not far from his hometown of Pilot Point, located about 50 miles north of Dallas. It was a difficult choice, as he was vested in his company’s retirement plan, and had, for the most part, enjoyed his career there.
Ultimately, the lure of returning home won out. After two years at the pharmacy in Whitesboro, he and his partners had an opportunity to open a store in Pilot Point. They also operate a third pharmacy in nearby Gainesville. Fittingly, all three locations are named “Hometown Pharmacy.”
“I left the store in Whitesboro in the hands of another pharmacist and opened up the one in Pilot Point,” Pelzel says. “After almost 18 years, I worked my way back home, which is where I always wanted to be.”For the last 10 to 15 years, Pelzel says his primary goal has been to re-educate patients to understand that a proactive approach to health is far better than a reactive one.
“We’ve been heavily involved in nutrition, trying to show a path forward for patients to stay healthy as they get older and not fall into these traps of diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure,” he explains. “If we can avoid those things, our patients and customers will be far better off.”
One obstacle, he adds, is the difference in health insurance for older patients compared to younger people, whose coverage is typically far less comprehensive.
“We have to stop thinking about just dispensing medications and think about how we can help people stay healthy,” Pelzel emphasizes. “If we can teach them to eat better, to choose more wisely at the grocery store, if we can point out supplements and give them a nutritional advantage to prevent a lot of these health concerns, we’re going to have a stronger community with people who are far healthier.”
The Hometown pharmacies have greatly benefited in this effort from their membership with Good Neighbor Pharmacy, a national independent pharmacy franchise and part of Cencora. Pelzel is especially enthusiastic about the way Good Neighbor Pharmacy merchandisers have helped them build and maintain state-of-the-art over-the-counter assortments, particularly in the nutritional supplements category.
“I’m a big O-T-C guy,” Pelzel says. “All three of my pharmacies have large O-T-C sections, much like you would see at a large chain pharmacy. We have a wide selection of nutritional products; we have high-end nutraceuticals that fit the patient far better than anything you can buy at a big chain. Good Neighbor Pharmacy gives us a lot of support in that space.
“Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s team comes out and helps us manage the front end and make sure the assortments are up-to-date and timely. If you can do that and stay out in front and not allow your sections to grow stale, you’ll have a customer that’s excited to come to your store because they know that you have what they need.”
Pelzel also appreciates the contribution of Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s business coaches. Initially, his business partners were skeptical about the need for such outside coaching, given their collective experience in the pharmacy business. However, as the pharmacy industry continues to evolve, driven by financial, industry and legislative pressures, it has become necessary to adapt business practices to optimize operations. The Good Neighbor Pharmacy business coaching has allowed his pharmacies to remain competitive in a dynamic market.
For Pelzel, pharmacy is more than a business or livelihood, it’s a family affair. Both of his younger sisters, as well as a niece, are pharmacists. His youngest son is a pharmacist and manages one of the Hometown locations, while his oldest son helps manage operations for all three stores.
“I’ve got children and family all involved in our pharmacy operations, so it’s a big deal to me to make sure that I’m putting my family in a position to go forward and succeed,” he says.
