communityspotlight
San Diego Compounding Pharmacy
STANDING OUT
from the Crowd
by Linda Sechrist
Eager to work his way up the ladder of success, Greene stepped onto the first rung as a delivery boy while he was in high school. “I relished each learning opportunity,” he remi- nisces. “I liked it all the way up, even stocking shelves and running the cash register.” Today, Greene remains enthralled with his career
choice. He enjoys putting his extensive knowledge of phar- macy management to good use, figuring out ways to meet the challenges of running a small, independent business that is in direct competition with all the big chain stores. “Guys like me, and those who have been in the business longer, become obsolete all the time; it takes business savvy, creativ- ity and experience to stand out and stay in this business,” advises Greene.
In 1982, Greene moved to San Diego after receiving his
Perhaps Jerry Greene, owner of San Diego Compounding Pharmacy, had a familial predisposition to make his career as a pharmacist. Born into a family that produced several physicians, Greene quips, “I’m the only pharmacist; anyone else involved with medicine is a doctor.”
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San Diego Edition
undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University. Before immersing himself in a three-year program to attain his pharmacy degree at the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, he took two years off to appreciate all that San Diego had to offer. With no other specialized skills, Greene fell back on his pharmacy prowess and went to work for $3 per hour at an independent store. “I told the owner that I could do anything he needed, and I did,” says Greene, who now laughs at the thought of his 1982 salary, which only afforded him one-half of a two- bedroom apartment. A grateful understudy, Greene gives credit where credit
is due. “I’ve learned more from independent owners than I ever could have working for a chain store, which usually handles most of the administrative, marketing, hiring and hu- man resources from their corporate office.” Greene’s long list of service work reflects his commit-
ment to give back to a career that has afforded him a good life and marriage of 20 years. He served two one-year terms as president of the San Diego County Pharmacists Associa- tion, is a fellow of the American College of Apothecaries and
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