This Chapter Remains Open
In 1952, Paul M. Perrone opened Perrone Pharmacy. Today it remains one of the last independent pharmacies in the Fort Worth, Texas community. Over one half a century later, this locally owned pharmacy prides itself in continuing their family tradition. A staff of six pharmacists and ten pharmacy technicians greet their customers by name and personally answer the phones. Perrone Pharmacy will also compound specific medications or dosages prescribed by a patient’s doctor. These unique characteristics, along with the pharmacy’s familiar vintage décor and neon sign, serve as reminders that excellent
personal service still flourishes beyond a bygone era.
Married into the family in 1984, my career direction kept me far removed from the Perrone family business until Mr. Perrone’s death in 2004. Although I was still operating Air Source One, it became obvious that if the family was going to preserve Mr. Perrone’s lifetime work, someone in the family was needed to take command of the business. Although I have no license or training in pharmaceuticals, my experience lended itself to the role of business manager. I began managing Perrone Pharmacy part-time until I was able to sell Air Source One in 2005. The family met its first objective by preventing the business from being sold to its numerous suitors thereby protecting the livelihoods of the dedicated employees who have committed their professional lives to Perrone Pharmacy.
The first most important step was to hire a Pharmacist in Charge. By law, the pharmacy is required to have a PIC. Upon Mr. Perrone’s death, Pharmacist Ben Harper stepped out of retirement to temporally fill this important role while we sought a permanent PIC. Naturally, we first offered the position to our existing pharmacists, but each had valid reasons and they all declined. However, upon the referral of one of pharmacists, we interviewed and hired Mark Gilbert in June of 2006. Mark assumed an impossible role of following Paul Perrone and Ben Harper and joined a very well entrenched corporate psyche. Mark’s impressive technical pharmacy skills and his commitment to building a great team continues to prove he was the perfect choice for this position.
Managing Perrone Pharmacy has forced me to refine all of my management skills as well as to accelerate my business training with books and seminars. Beyond our reputation, I quickly recognized that our greatest asset was our staff of thirty five employees who were operating the business. For the next two years, I focused on staff insuring I had the right person doing the right job. By concentrating on the positive traits in our staff and developing a sense of teamwork and commitment for the success of the company, I tapped the bow of this great ship until we began to change its course and we began to grow.
With operations smoothed, I have identified staff members willing to do outside sales and marketing. Initially, doctor calls and cold call visits to assisted living and nursing homes produced more interest. However, when we joined a healthcare network marketing group, we began to benefit by sharing contacts, learning who to call on and generally working on the inside of the marketing puzzle. To reciprocate, Perrone Pharmacy has established a community resource center (much like literature and brochure displays found in tourist areas) were healthcare professionals can market to Perrone Pharmacy walk-in customers. This spirit of cooperating with our community has been a most valuable marketing step.
While this chapter is still being written, the good news is that we have assembled the very best team in the industry, our business continues to prosper and grow. Most importantly, we have continued to foster the customer service commitment entrenched by Paul Perrone.