ABOUT
eXtreme Pharmacy Entrepreneur
Aug 17, 2009Barnette Finds Role in Helping Other Pharmacists to Succeed
Pharmacy may not seem like the obvious career for someone who also is an instrument-rated airplane pilot, a commercial helicopter pilot, competes in equestrian events and describes himself as "fearless to a detriment," but adrenaline junkie Jerry Barnette Jr. of Lexington says he even finds ways to push being a pharmacist to the extreme.
His path to the profession began when he became interested in pharmacy at a career day at Mullins High School in Pike County. He attended Prestonsburg Community College for two years and then moved to Lexington to complete his degree at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in 1985.
"I have always been drawn to the service industry and it seemed like a great chance to be able to interact with people and help them," he said. "I was ready to graduate but I was also ready to enter the working world and see what I could do."
For nine years he was a clinical pharmacist at St. Claire Medical Center in Morehead and then worked at an independent pharmacy for a few months. Although he says he enjoyed working in a traditional clinical pharmacist setting, he felt there was something else he was meant to do. In 1994, he made a decision that would change everything in his life and his role as a pharmacist when he bought Ross Drugs in Mount Sterling. Today, Barnette just opened his 11th pharmacy in Georgetown.
"I get a real rush from taking a store, revitalizing it, and helping the pharmacists there be successful," he said. "It's important for the communities and the people who are putting their health care into your hands."
At his businesses, Barnette considers himself more as a mentor and project manager and admits he spends much more time in his car than behind the pharmacist's counter.
"My plan is always to partner with other pharmacists in the community who then co-own the stores and help them establish 'Community Wellness Centers' with a one-stop shop for compounding, medication therapy management, health fairs and medical equipment," he said.
"I like the idea of building relationships in a community and being more than just a place to stop and pick up your medications, but a place where you have meaningful interaction with a pharmacist."
In addition, Barnette is developer and founder of The Independent Solution (TIS) which assists independent pharmacists manage their stores. "It is designed to help pharmacists be pharmacists and pull some of the business aspects away to give them more time to spend with patients and do what they do best," he said. TIS assists with monitoring business, marketing and advertising. He currently has more than 30 clients in Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"Although being behind the counter isn't what I'm most interested in doing as a pharmacist right now, I still have a great affection for the pharmacy profession and want to do whatever I can to help the profession and help those who aspire to work in this field to be successful."
Jerry Barnette, UK College of Pharmacy Class of 1985
Hometown:Pikeville, KY.
Current home:Lexington, KY
Family: 2 sons, 1 daughter: Ryan, 2008 Georgetown College graduate; Lindsey, member of UKCOP Class of 2013; and Blake, a junior at Bryan Station High School.
Community Wellness Centers:Ross Drugs, Mount Sterling; Owingsville Drugs, Owingsville; Soper's Family Drugs, Carlisle; Battson Drug, Morehead; Fleming Drug, Flemingsburg; Carter Family Pharmacy, Olive Hill; Grayson Family Drug, Grayson; Mason Family Drug, Maysville; Sims Drugs, Wilmore; Camargo Pharmacy, Camargo; and Patient Care Pharmacy, Georgetown.
Other: The Independent Solution (TIS), RLC Management, and Fleming Properties.
Pharmacy Partners: Mike Menard, Linda Soper, Tom Mattingly, Brian Carter, John McDaniel, and Allissa Langley.