Winfield, Putnam County, WV
Independent Pharmacy
Matt Brown, RPh, is a Putnam County native and grew up just down river from where his current pharmacy now sits. He is a 1994 graduate of Poca High School and after earning both his pre-pharmacy and pharmacy degrees from West Virginia University in 1999, it was time for him to decide how to best put his pharmacy degree to work.
“Right out of college I spent 17 years working with CVS pharmacies at various locations across West Virginia,” Matt says, but he knew something was missing.
“When I graduated from pharmacy school in 1999, independent pharmacies were much more prevalent than they are now in 2023, so opening my own pharmacy has always been a thought, but as the industry has morphed and changed the big box stores definitely have a lock on some of the business,” Matt says.
After leaving CVS, he worked with PharMerica for about 3 years, but something was still lacking.
“After leaving PharMerica, I got back into the independent pharmacy world in Poca. It definitely helped fuel my desire to get back into being the type of pharmacist I knew I always wanted to be and helped with my ambition of opening that type of independent pharmacy here in Winfield.”
Matt worked during those years leading up to opening his own business by supporting his family and gaining important industry knowledge—saving it for the right time when he would open his own pharmacy in the place he loves and calls home.
Corporate pharmacies currently lack what Matt was taught in college—putting the patient first. From patient counseling to overseeing and helping customers make informed decisions with their doctors and insurance providers, Matt knew he could help folks in rural West Virginia better in his own pharmacy, he just needed the right timing.
Luckily for him, the right time would happen sooner rather than later with the help of The Center for Rural Health Development and their team.
“They don’t really teach you how to run a business in pharmacy school, so a lot of things were new to me, but The Center answered every question and walked through the steps from start to finish with me to make the process easy,” says Matt.
From phone call to ribbon cutting, the entire process took about six months with The Center, though Matt notes that it probably took longer for him than other business owners because he was in no rush opening his doors while perfecting his business plans and making sure General Drug would be the best pharmacy possible for folks in the Winfield-area and Putnam County.
The best part about working with The Center? They helped Matt purchase everything he needed to be a fully functioning pharmacy along with guiding him through the world of opening his own business.
Matt says, “Some lenders aren’t as invested in making sure you have everything you need to open your doors. With The Center it was the complete opposite. From shelving units to computer systems to supplies, they made sure I had everything I needed for opening day.”
CFO and Loan Fund Manager, Rob Dearing, was also able to connect Matt with his own business coach through the West Virginia Small Business Development Center, and they were able to collaborate together and work on a formal business plan to make Matt’s dream a reality.
“There’s nothing wrong with other lenders or banks, but I doubt they provide the vast and wide resources that The Center does.” The Center looks to improve the health of West Virginians and strengthen West Virginia’s health care delivery systems—especially in rural communities—and by helping businesses like General Drug succeed, they in turn can help these small communities.
The Center also prides itself in helping business owners rely and trust in themselves in a way that other lenders don’t. They are, afterall, making the loan to the individual and want to see each business succeed and help propel each community to be a better place to live, work, and play for all residents of West Virginia.
When asked how The Center helped him, Matt chuckles, recalling, “It’d be easier to tell you how The Center didn’t help me because the list of ways they encouraged and assisted me is a long one.”
From start to finish The Center helped Matt with every aspect of opening General Drug. “They connected me with folks all the way from marketing to business development and more. The Center was a one-stop-shop resource that truly helped get General Drug’s doors open.”
Typically, when starting a business, business owners may not have all the connections needed to get everything up and running but The Center took care of Matt, providing countless contacts to folks throughout an array of industries that could help benefit both him and General Drug.
“I think business owners could find these contacts or ask enough questions and break down barriers if they worked really hard when going through a bank or regular lender, but with The Center, I didn’t have to do that. I didn’t have to always ask the right questions, which is nice when sometimes you don’t even know which questions to ask.”
After being a pharmacist for nearly 20 years, Matt became the sole owner and operator of General Drug, which is something to be proud of. He also employs one other person from Putnam County, Kayla, a pharmacy technician. One day, he would love to grow and hire more employees from Putnam County including another pharmacist.
The services and products provided at General Drug include an array of pharmacy goods including an over-the-counter medicine selection and a variety of supplements. He also offers immunizations, patient counseling, wellness and disease prevention counseling, and consultations and advising appointments.
In the future, General Drug would like to expand to offer delivery and better technology and communication services for their patients including an app.
“When people realize I’m from Putnam County, they’re excited to support us, especially since we’re locally owned and operated and not a corporate pharmacy.”
About 57,000 residents call Putnam County home and being located at the county seat, General Drug can provide care to all of Putnam County including towns like Winfield, Teays Valley, Hurricane, Nye, Lanham, and everywhere in between.
Matt and his wife Bryn currently reside in Hurricane and have two children that graduated from Hurricane High School as well. “I’ve been in Putnam County all my life. I love it here and I’m thankful for the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me.” Most of Matt’s family still live in the area, too.
The biggest draw of opening an independent pharmacy for Matt was providing the care and level of service he learned 20 years ago while at pharmacy school at WVU. And with the help of The Center for Rural Health Development, Matt Brown is able to do just that in a community he and his family have called home for generations.