Published: December 14, 2008 11:51 pm      

INDEPENDENT: Middleport Family Health Center has thrived under independent ownership.

Stephen Giroux, 50, reversed the business trend 25 years ago. At 25, the University at Buffalo graduate bought a drug store from pharmacy chain and turned it into a community pharmacy.

This year, the Middleport Family Health Center on Rochester Road is celebrating 25 years and Giroux has his own cluster of community pharmacies. There are drug stores in Niagara Falls, Oakfield, Transit Hill, Medina, Depew and the Barker Store, plus Lockport Home Medical at the Lockview Plaza.

Giroux is the past president of the National Community Pharmacists Association, which was founded in 1898 and includes more than 23,000 pharmacies.

Giroux and his wife, Carolyn, have seven children, four biological and three adopted. Two boys, who will be 5 in January, are from Guatemala, and a girl, 3, was adopted from China. Giroux, a 1981 graduate of UB’s School of Pharmacy, is from Wiliamson in Wayne County and Carolyn is from Lockport.

There are four pharmacists at the Middleport store, which has 25 workers, 10 full time. Some of his employees and customers have been with Giroux from the beginning.

QUESTION: How did you get started?

Answer: I worked for a pharmacy in my hometown as a teenager for my best friend’s dad. I liked the opportunity and decided to go to pharmacy school. I always wanted to own my own pharmacy in a small town like WilliamsonKaren Keefe 12/13/08 Does Bill mean Williamsville?? I e-mailed Bill, so he may change this, and here we are in Middleport.

I had had the opportunity to buy this store with a partner, Bruce Moden of Lancaster. He wanted to expand, and I wanted to own my own store. It was my goal all along to be an independent pharmacy owner. I saw this opportunity and took it.

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Q: Being a pharmacist is one thing. Where did you learn the business end?

A: I learned as much as I could and was really attracted to the diversity of running a business and being a health care professional. I worked for a successful pharmacist while in school.

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Q: What were the alternatives to pharmacy school?

A: My family are all musicians. I had the decision between music, and following the family tradition, or pharmacy. I’m the black sheep. I have two brothers and a sister and two parents who went to the Crane School of Music in Potsdam. I auditioned and was accepted.

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Q: What instrument do you play?

A: Clarinet and saxophone. I still play the soprano sax in the church band every Sunday at the Hartland Bible Church in Johnson Creek.

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Q: How did you wind up in Middleport?

A: We were looking for a site on Main Street in Snyder and progressing with negotiations, but something always went wrong. It turned out Peterson’s was interested in the location and they were bidding against us. We said, ‘sell us Middleport and we’ll back out in Snyder.’ They gave us a pretty good deal on this store. They went to Snyder and we both ended up happy.

I borrowed money from my dad and worked lots of hours by myself originally.

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Q: Your prices seem pretty competitive. How do you keep up with the Rite Aids?

A: We’re part of a buying group. It’s called Quality Care Pharmacies. There are over 300 pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey who are part of this. We have the buying power of a big chain. All of our suppliers are wholesalers and manufacturers. We get discounts and rebates similar to the big chains by being part of that group. It allows to maintain our independence and autonomy.

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Q: Do you work out of this store all the time?

A: I’m pretty much here, even though we have eight locations. It’s our biggest and busiest store, and I live here.

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Q: Why has it worked for 25 years?

A: Our advantage in the market place is that we are part of the community. We’re friends with most of the people who patronize with us. We get to know people really well. We give personal service.

A pharmacy transaction can be impersonal but that’s not the best way to do it. It’s really good to know people, to make sure they understand what they’re dealing with in terms of their medication. That’s where we excel.

Out front we need to be competitive, and our buying group takes care of that. When it comes to the pharmacy counter, 90 percent of the people have a little plastic card that tells how much they are going to pay. So, they’re going to pay the same if they come to my pharmacy or go to Rite Aid or Wal-Mart.

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Q: Do you call yourself a chain?

A: We don’t. We’re independent owners. Even though we have eight locations. I have partners. We consider ourselves an independent group of drug stores with common ownership.