For more than a century, Boone Drug has adapted to enormous changes in healthcare while remaining committed to the relationships and values that earned the community’s trust. Corey Furman, President of Boone Drug, joins James and Jamie to share how the company grew from one downtown Boone pharmacy into a regional independent pharmacy organization serving communities throughout the High Country and beyond.

Corey discusses the challenges facing independent pharmacies, the often-unseen influence of pharmacy benefit managers, and the essential role pharmacists play in rural healthcare. He also reflects on Boone Drug’s at-cost COVID testing program, the importance of treating every customer with dignity and respect, and why long-term community relationships matter more than short-term gains.

In this episode:

• How Boone Drug has evolved since its founding in 1919
• Why relationships and personal service remain central to the company
• The pressures pharmacy benefit managers place on independent pharmacies and their customers
• How local pharmacists expand access to healthcare in rural communities
• Why Boone Drug views community involvement as part of its identity
• How enduring values can guide a business through changing technology, services, and customer needs

Join the conversation: What local business has earned your trust across generations and what has allowed that relationship to endure?

Follow Boone Tea for thoughtful conversations about the people, places, and decisions shaping Boone and the High Country. Help us broaden the conversation: share this episode and tell us what we should explore next.

Links:

• Boone Drug