Alex Pettit, PharmD, grew up in Union County and knew he wanted to return there after schooling. So, after Alex finished schooling, he returned to Union County and joined the Medicap Pharmacy team in Creston, IA.
When asked about why he wanted to purchase the pharmacy, Alex said that he āknew a couple of years inā that this was something he wanted to do. He and his wife are from Union County, and they wanted to raise their family close to home. Working for himself is also something that influenced Alexās decision to purchase the location.
After working at the Creston location for six years, Alex began to inquire about purchasing the location. The current owner was looking to retire, and with his experience in the business, Alex was the perfect new owner.
To assist with the buying process, Alex reached out to Jamie David, the Regional Director at the South Central Iowa SBDC location. Through counseling sessions, Jamie helped Alex with his business plan, financial projections, and sourcing financing.
Alex and Jamie began working together in February 2023, and by January 2024, Alex and his wife, Taylor, were able to take ownership of Medicap Pharmacy in Creston. After the purchase, Taylor transitioned into the role of Certified Pharmacy Technician at Medicap.
Through the transition of ownership, Medicap Pharmacy has remained successful because of the dedicated staff and employees who care deeply for their patients and work. The support of the Creston community and surrounding areas has also been instrumental in the success of Medicap.
Working in a small community, Alex takes pride in being able to serve each patientās individual needs and getting to know them. Familiar faces often come through the door of Crestonās Medicap, and the employees are always excited to serve them.
The transfer to owner has come with its challenges, however. Running a pharmacy is very demanding and requires that many different regulations be met. Alex and his team have worked together to overcome these challenges.
Being fiscally responsible has been an emphasis for Alex and Taylor since the purchase of Medicap Pharmacy. The financial projections developed by Jamie in their counseling sessions have helped the pharmacy stay on track and grow.
In their short time as owners, Alex and Taylor have worked to improve the pharmacyās overall efficiency to better meet the needs of their patients. Many customers utilize adherence packaging offered at Medicap. Streamlining the bubble packaging process has been a priority since the beginning of the year and has allowed them to offer the service to more patients.
The pharmacy takes pride in being able to take care of the health of its community, provide advice on medications, and be easily accessible to members of its community.
Looking to the future, Alex hopes to shift toward providing increased patient care. Through this care, the pharmacy hopes to offer more vaccines and assistance managing chronic conditions for its patients.
Alex and Taylorās journey in owning Medicap pharmacy has required a lot of hard work, but with the help of family and a supportive community, they have been able to keep pushing forward. āMy support system has helped me get to where I am now,ā said Alex.
To anyone looking into starting or owning their own business, Alexās advice is to research and find as many resources as possible. Through your research, ensure you understand the undertaking you are getting into as a business owner. There will be challenges, so it is essential to have a great support system around you. Finally, go all in. There are going to be some days that are more challenging than the rest, but you need to keep your eye on the final goal.
The Medicap Pharmacy team in Creston, IA.