Selling Drugs

IF you have read this blog at all, you will know that I have spent the past 21 years of my life employed by a large pharmaceutical company in the role of a sales representative. During this time, I have had the opportunity to get to know some great folks (and some not-so-great) and have spent much time with them. Since I have been in the same territory for all of these years, I have developed some strong friendships with many of my docs I call on and I have developed strong relationships with other representatives (both my company and others). I have previously written about my friend Bruce Sloman, but I figure it is high-time to tell you about my present co-workers! There are some fantastic folks working for pharmaceutical companies and as a rule they are highly educated, extremely motivated and extremely interesting. This does not just include those with my company, but other companies as well. One day, when I look back on my days is this business, the thing I will miss the most is the people. Truly, I will cherish the memories of all the places I have visited during my employment and most certainly I won't forget the bonuses ($) or the lack thereof. But the folks you work with day in and day out are what make it all count as a worthwhile venture.

Take a look at this picture! From back to front, left to right they are as follows: Dustin Raymond, Andy Bishop, yours truly, Stacy Hoblitzell, Tina Wallace and Julie Cochran.

Dustin Raymond is one interesting dude! One cannot even think of a famous person whose autograph Dustin does not have. I don't want to give away any of his trade secrets, but I will tell you that he goes to Augusta, Georgia the week before the Masters Golf Tournament and hangs out at the airport. No golfer is safe ... he will track them down and get their autograph! Professional baseball players! No problem! He has more autographs than Cooperstown. Obviously, he has no problem whatsoever getting physicians to sign his sample request forms. I'm old enough to be his father ( as a matter of fact I am older than his father), but we still have a unique relationship! Dustin's father died at a very young age, and in response to this terrible event, he has become a fantastic father himself! He thinks up places to go and things to do with his family, because he wants them to have the kind of life he was given. He works non-stop to fill his kids' lives with special and warm memories of a super childhood! Sometimes I wish I were his kid. Does anyone want a signed copy of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? He once flew to Tokyo, Japan just to spend the night and flew back the next day.

Andy Bishop came from a family that didn't just have kids ... they had litters! There are triplets and twins in this family. His brother and his wife had 2 small children and then ... poof ... they had a set of quadruplets! Six small children to care for! Andy is a good uncle and actually changed a diaper one time! His brother and sister-in-law were certainly grateful. Andy is a runner! Not just a runner ... I'm talking about A RUNNER! I first met him when he was in high school and was on the track team with my god-daughter, Jessica Whatley. He and his twin brother came in first and second in almost every race they entered. Since I have known him, he entered a race in New York (I think) with 16,000 entries ... he only came in 6th place( or something outrageous like that). We were working a convention together one day and he left for lunch. He returned in a little over an hour having run 12 miles. I don't even know why he has a company car. He should just strap a bag of samples over his shoulder and take off. Just a few weeks ago, he ran a half marathon in Atlanta. Upon finishing,having barely broken a sweat, he was disappointed that his time was not up to his standards. A race official walked up to him and congratulated him on being the first person from Georgia to finish. He was given a trip for two to San Francisco and was entered in the marathon (or half marathon) there if he wishes to compete. He eats at the Krystal every day and consumes somewhere around 200 or 300 Krystals every week. I keep telling him that as he gets older, he will have to drop out of races because of his rotten bowels unless he starts to wear diapers ... sorta like that astronaut woman who didn't want to stop on her way to kill her boyfriend. Seriously, everybody in NW Georgia knows him because of his running fame and I love working with him. We talk every day and I never remember a time that we talked when were not both laughing. I thought I was a big eater, but this man puts me to shame! There are whole third-world countries that live for a year on less food than that which falls on the floor by his chair at one single Cracker Barrell meal. Andy and his wife have one little girl and I am sure that the next time they get pregnant, they will have either triplets or quadruplets. Andy lives in fear of this because he knows that if he has boys, they will eat like he does! I can't imagine how much that would cost.

Next is yours truly! What else can I say?

Notice the young lady at the left! This is the relative newcomer, Stacy Hoblitzell. Stacy is the mother of two small children and is a former elementary school teacher. When we have meetings in a restaurant, she makes us all line up and hold hands when walking to our table. Many times she will place a bite of food on a fork and then play "airplane" with it until you open your mouth, the "hangar", and let the airplane land on your tongue. I think she is having difficulty getting over being around children all the time, so Dustin, Andy and I are doing everything possible to make this transition as difficult as possible! Seriously, Stacy is married to a high school coach and is a super lady. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and I have come to appreciate her selling "style". She went to high school with several of the physicians we call on and they all love her. How could one not love Stacy? She has such a pleasant demeanor that everyone loves to be around her and that is one of the reasons she is so successful in her job. She is very intelligent and has learned a lot of material over the past 5 or 6 years about the disease states and the treatments for which she has responsibility. She appears as meek as a kitten, but the truth is that she is a tiger. I wouldn't take a million dollars for my friendship with Stacy. She is a true gem!

Next we have Tina Wallace! Tina has been with the company almost as long as I and together we have about 40 years in out territory. I would venture to say that there is not another couple of reps in all of the company that have been together, in the same territory, as long as we. In all of our years, we have never had a cross word and we have been through each other's ups and downs of life together. I know not of any person that I respect more than Tina. She is married to a former pharmaceutical rep (a very ugly one I might add) and is a first class step-mother. In Webster's dictionary next to the definition of the word PROFESSIONAL there is a picture of Tina. We have often spoken about how this crazy thing called life put us together for so long, and we finally just learned to accept the fact that it was meant to be. I cannot imagine a time in my life when I couldn't talk to Tina every day. For almost 20 years we have spoken almost daily because of our job resposibilities and then we continue to talk about ... whatever! She is simply a part of my fiber. Years ago, when we first started work for the company, we went on a business trip to Hawaii. This was Tina's first time on an airplane and I recall fondly being around her during this trip. I have pictures of her from this meeting and she looks like a kid. She is not a kid anymore and has developed into an old pro. I consider it to be one of the biggest blessings of my life, that I got to spend a career with Tina. You 'da girl, Tina!

Last, but not least, is Julie Cochran! Julie was born in Canada and somehow made her way down to Georgia. In her previous life, she was a nurse, so being in the health care industry is not new to her. For folks that are new to being in physician offices, there is a time of transition. You just have to figure out how things work. But this was not the case for Julie. She has the misfortune of having the same birthday as me ... April 12th ... only mine was many years ahead of hers. Another factoid about Julie is that she is a cancer survivor! In our duties as pharmaceutical representatives, we come across many people who are stricken with this disease, but Julie has a unique insight because of her first hand knowledge. Before coming to our company, she was employed by another pharmaceutical giant, so she was not new to the industry. Julie and her husband live in Cartersville with their two kids.

So, the next time you run into this NW Georgia group of reps, you will know more about us. I must caution you to take special care if you see us at a restaurant, because you could be injured by all the flying debris around Andy Bishop's plate. It's sorta' like being near a buzz-saw cutting away at an old log.

The Way It Should Be Done

I grew up in a little town not unlike Mayberry! There was a different store for every need of a family. Reynolds had a hardware store, a clothing store, a couple of restaurants, 2 grocery stores, 3 or 4 gas stations, a couple of funeral homes, a Chevrolet dealer, a florist, a post office, a city hall, 2 barber shops, a beauty nook, a baptist and a methodist church and a PHARMACY.

The pharmacy was started by Mr. Clay Whatley but when I was growing up, Mr. Clay had sold the store to Leonard Whatley. Because my father owned one of the grocery stores, I had to work there every other Saturday and every summer, but I knew that the grocery business was not for me. I loved visiting Reynolds Pharmacy and vividly remember the days of the soda fountain. There was a certain aroma that was ever-present in the pharmacy ... to let one know that this place was different. Leonard Whatley became my mentor in the pharmacy profession and even went to UGA School of Pharmacy to "beg" the dean to let me in. It worked and I was on my way to a career in this profession.

I graduated and went to work for a large chain because they had all the opportunity and benefits (so I thought) and after 11 years I went to work for a large pharmaceutical company where I have remained until this day. I never lost my love for the independent pharmacy and through the years I have had the opportunity to visit many throughout the state of Georgia. Several come to mind as I write this, but there is one in particular that I wish to describe.

If one travels up to Rome, Georgia and follows the highway past Berry College, one will eventually come to Summerville and the next town is Trion, Georgia. If you have never visited an old mill town, then this is the place. Things have changed a lot from the old mill town days as America is no longer a big manufacturer of textiles, but if you ever heard the song by Tennessee Ernie Ford , I OWE MY SOUL TO THE COMPANY STORE, then you will find Trion an interesting place.

Mt. Vernon Mills (formerly Riegel Textiles) furnished everything for their employees! They even furnished mill coins that could be used in the company store. They brought people into the world with company doctors in the company hospital. They were educated in company schools. Between birth and death they provided EVERYTHING that a human being could need. The "BIG FRIENDLY" store had 17 departments (and yes they had a pharmacy). The Mill even provided a funeral home! They brought you into the world, educated you, gave you a job and buried you when you died. Nobody complained ... it was a great life! But times changed in the USA and the mill changed along with it. The mill is still there today, but it is nothing like its heyday.

In 1961, after the demise of the "Big Friendly", the pharmacist at the mill went into the pharmacy business for himself. As you come into Trion, you can see the old store right on your left. In 1974 a young man name Tommy Lester Thompson from Murphy, North Carolina bought the store and began a prosperous business. When I was a pharmacist in Rome, I had the opportunity to speak with Tommy by phone on several occasions and later (1986) in my job as a representative for Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, I met Tommy and his brother Tim and began what has become a long and enduring friendship. Almost every trip to Trion I stop by to say hello. What I have discovered is that in 1983, Tommy developed some health problems and in 1984 sold the store to his brother Tim, but thankfully, Tommy is in great health today and both he and Tim enjoy the role of dual pharmacists at this delightful store.




Now, remember that I came to love independent pharmacies in my childhood in Reynolds, so when I walked into Trion Drugs for the first time I was instantly transported back to my childhood days. This pharmacy was full of life and personality. Tommy or Tim would always invite me back and we would visit for a while. They even had a DME (durable medical equipment) business that was added in 1986, so there was always something "buzzing" in this store. I watched the manner in which employees treated the customers and it reminded me of home. The customers (patients) were their friends and they treated them as such ... just like they treated me! They make you feel as if they are genuinely delighted that you came by! Unfortunately, today in most pharmacies, this is not the case! The store was well- lighted and was spotlessly clean and organized. I loved to go there.




The reason I use the past tense here is that they have built a new store right next door. The DME business uses the old store to warehouse the equipment, but their business office is located in the new building. Everything is linked by phone lines and cameras and the new pharmacy is absolutely beautiful. Tommy and Tim designed it themselves and one could notice that at every patient-contact point there is a computer terminal and a telephone. All the information they need is at an arms-length away and they never have to walk away from a customer. Simply put, this is the best pharmacy I have ever visited and if you are ever up Trion way, stop by and say hello to Tommy,Tim and all the gang.





They have 25 employees and 8 have been there over 10 years. Sarah Money has been there since 1983! Their staff is helpful and courteous and cheerful to a fault. You will notice to your right, as you stand in front of the prescription counter, a wall of pictures of the old mill days. It has created much interest and many locals are bringing in some old pictures (and stories) to add to the wall. Peruse these pictures for a while and then get Tim or Tommy to give you a little history lesson.

I have been in this business for a long time and I have been in more pharmacies than I can count. Believe me! If you want to see the practice of Pharmacy done The Way It Should Be Done, stop by and say hello to my buddies Tommy and Tim Thompson. And be sure to tell them that Chicken George says hello!