Jitesh Zala on Innovation, Growth, and Leading in Independent Pharmacy

I think having a father who was a pharmacist always put that option in the back of my mind. But I was never interested in just counting pills all day. The turning point came in college when I had a mentor who was a pharmacist and a manager at Walgreens. He explained that there’s so much more to the profession than just dispensing medication—you can dive into the business side as well. He told me that the opportunities in pharmacy would keep growing, and that resonated with me. I realized that pharmacy could be much more than I initially thought. When I saw that you could combine business with clinical practice and explore different avenues within the field, it clicked for me. I took a risk and followed that path, and it’s been much more rewarding than I expected.

2024 was definitely a year of major changes for us. We began implementing new services like medication therapy management (MTM) and going full force with vaccines and immunizations, which was a big shift from our usual focus on prescription filling. This year, I also became a licensed insurance broker, and we have staff training to become community health workers. We’re constantly expanding our services to better serve our community. Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing—everything has had a learning curve. But with each challenge, we’ve learned and improved. The initial investment is often challenging, but over time, we’ve turned many of these new services into valuable revenue streams.

One of my proudest moments is helping people quit smoking. In our community, smoking is prevalent, and many patients suffer from asthma and respiratory issues. When someone who has smoked for 10, 20, or even 30 years finally decides to quit, I become their biggest cheerleader. It’s not easy, and many of them feel defeated before they even start, but I support them through every step of the journey. Seeing someone who once thought they could never quit come back to tell me they haven’t smoked in six months or a year is incredibly fulfilling. It’s those moments that remind me why I love what I do.

Our approach is to treat every customer as if we know they have a choice, which they do. We make sure their experience with us is personal and tailored to their needs. We know our patients by name, understand their health issues, and remember small details that big chains simply can’t match. Whether it’s adjusting delivery times to suit them or ensuring they get their preferred medication form, we go the extra mile to make their experience with us exceptional. That personal touch is what sets us apart from larger chains.

I always tell people that if I’d worked for a chain pharmacy, I probably would have been fired because I’m constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency. In an independent pharmacy, you can make changes quickly, but chains don’t have that flexibility. One thing I wish I had done earlier was visit more independent pharmacies to see how they operate and what makes them successful. I learned a lot through conferences and word-of-mouth, but seeing things firsthand could have helped me avoid some early mistakes. Learning from others outside my usual circle would have been invaluable.

Jake has been a huge champion for us, always keeping us informed through pharmacy associations and meetings. IPC has been great at introducing new technologies and ideas that could benefit independent pharmacies. I make a point to visit IPC’s booth at every conference to see what’s new. On the wholesaler side, 2024 has been a big year for sourcing secondary market drugs taking advantage of the competitive pricing that the IPC Warehouse offers. It’s also about relationships—we’ve built great friendships with the IPC team, and any time we have an issue, they’re just a text or email away. It’s that level of support that makes all the difference.