Business Person of the Year Finalist: Mike Hoagland, Hoagland Pharmacy
Rosa and Mike Hoagland in front of the Yew Street pharmacy they started from scratch in 1981. (Photo by Joella Ortega)
A personal approach to pharmaceutical needs By Joella Ortega
H
oagland Pharmacy opened for business 33 years ago with one employee. Now, with the opening of a new retail and multi-services storefront in SedroWoolley last year, that employee – founder Mike Hoagland – has become a finalist in the selection of Whatcom County’s Business Person of the Year. A graduate of the pharmacy school at the University of Washington, he serves as president in the company that he and his wife, Rosa, began in 1981 on Yew Street in Bellingham. Hoagland was the only employee in the store 22 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM
for the first 1½ years. By the fourth year he had to double space, and in 2000 the company moved into its evenlarger current location which will add more space soon for one of its latest specialties, compounding injectable medications. From the start, emphasis centered on individualized personal service at the pharmacy and additional specialized services, such as a niche market in medicinal compounding. The staff grew to 20 employees by 1988 and has continuously gained momentum with a staff now numbering about 75. Hoagland said that they grew the business “through hard work, dedicated employees, and continued support from the community.” Hoagland Pharmacy’s website declares, “We excel in providing custom solutions to individual
medication and health needs.” Those needs include specialized medical equipment, respiratory services, over-the-counter medications, vaccinations, the popular Mediset weekly pill box program, compounding, and even delivery services. Last year, Hoagland’s added an automated prescriptionfilling machine. Hoagland has successfully created a throwback to the era of the family drug store –beyond just having a prescription filled and a quick consultation. Until about seven years ago it even had an ice cream and soda shop. That’s where Molly Greenleaf, who manages the company’s durable home-health equipment and marketing, got her start 11 years ago. “I managed the coffee bar and ice cream stand,” she said. “We had one-dollar cones. I remembered coming here as a kid when my family needed antibiotics and other things. It definitely has been your hometown drug store, thriving with relationships built on personalized service.”
Hoagland Pharmacy has successfully created a throwback to the era of the family drugstore (with) custom solutions to individual needs. The Sedro-Woolley location stands as Hoagland’s proudest business achievement of 2013. It provides retail pharmacy, durable medical equipment, and sleep apnea equipment. “It’s a bit different,” Greenleaf said, “because it has a respiratory technician on board – something that was missing in the Sedro-Woolley market.” The new store added four full-time employees to the Hoagland roster. A target during 2014 involves expanding the organization’s loyalty program. Also, a plan is in