Introduction
What happens when a kid who grew up dusting pharmacy shelves and making deliveries decides to come back—not just as a pharmacist, but as the one who’s going to transform the family business?
In this episode of Script Your Future, Sonja Pagniano interviews Justin Wilson, PharmD, a current member and Chair of the NCPA Board of Trustees, past president of the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association, and a pharmacist whose family’s roots in independent pharmacy stretch back to 1977 in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Justin is also a past member of the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy, an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, and serves on the boards of Unify Rx and AlignRx. Twenty-six years ago, he was a Presidential Scholarship recipient from the NCPA Foundation—and today, he’s proof that investing in pharmacy students creates leaders who pour back into the profession for decades.
This conversation is about legacy—but not the kind that gets handed to you. Justin is candid about the real growing pains of transitioning from the boss’s kid to a trusted partner, the financial surprises that almost made him question ownership entirely, and the moment a visiting pharmacist from Iowa changed the entire trajectory of his career. He shares how he earned his father Lonnie’s trust through sweat equity, navigated the delicate balance of family and business, and is now building something of his own on top of a foundation his dad laid nearly five decades ago.
Whether you’re a pharmacy student thinking about joining the family business, an owner figuring out how to keep your team motivated, or someone who just needs to hear that the best years for independent pharmacy might still be ahead—this one’s for you!
And if you’re a pharmacy student listening: don’t forget to submit your scholarship application by March 15th at ncpafoundation.org.
Interview
Sonja: Welcome back to another episode of Script Your Future. I’m so excited to introduce our guest today, Justin Wilson, current member of the NCPA Board of Trustees and a wonderful example of how families can build lasting legacies in independent community pharmacy.
What makes this conversation especially meaningful is that 26 years ago, Justin was a presidential scholarship recipient from the NCPA Foundation.
And speaking of scholarships—if you are a pharmacy student listening, this is your reminder to submit your application by March 15th. We’d love to support your journey, just like we supported Justin’s.
Sonja: Justin, thanks so much for joining us on the pod today. How are you?
Justin: I’m good. Yeah, thanks for having me.
Sonja: Let’s start at the beginning. Back when your father, Lonnie, opened his first pharmacy in Midwest City, Oklahoma—I think it was 1977. Do you know what drove him to open that store? I think he eventually did open multiple retail stores in Oklahoma… What was some of his vision?
Justin: You know, I’m not exactly sure what drove him to be an entrepreneur. I know he’s been a hardworking person his whole life. He’s a self-made man and came from very meager beginnings, but put his way through school and was working for an independent pharmacist in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He had a couple of physicians that approached him to see if he would want to put in a bid for this pharmacy and a clinic that they were opening. And he did, and they accepted it. And the guy he worked for wanted that bid as well. And so he fired dad on the spot. That’s like the only job he’s ever been fired from, but he never looked back. So, that was his first pharmacy.
Sonja: Wow, unreal. Thinking back to that time, what were some of your earliest memories of being in the pharmacy with your father? When did you realize you wanted to… kind of… follow in those footsteps?
Justin: It took a minute. I mean, I grew up in the stores, dusting shelves and stocking. I was a delivery boy at one point and then a technician… Pharmacy back then was a very good business, but I wasn’t really seeing the clinical aspect. And so… I wasn’t super interested in pharmacy just because it was almost like an expectation—when I wasn’t in school, I was supposed to be up at the store helping out. And… as a kid, you don’t always appreciate those opportunities, but I learned a lot from it. And, as I got older, I started going with my parents to the state pharmacy conventions, and I saw tons of leaders from Oklahoma that were always passionate about the profession and the issues affecting our jobs. And I saw how they would get together and work through those problems and make their profession better. And I think that kind of started to sink in on me a bit.
So, I went to college… I kind of thought I’d go to med school originally, but as I got a little further along, I started learning that pharmacists could do more direct patient care and clinical type services. And it was kind of like a light bulb went off that here I had this opportunity with a few pharmacies that my father started and I could come in and maybe help develop clinical services in those sites and, you know, kind of take our pharmacies to the next level. That’s what got me to where I am today, I made that decision and did a community pharmacy residency and came back and just transformed those practices.
Sonja: That’s incredible. I feel like there are so many people who have similar journeys where originally that wasn’t maybe in their plans. Or, they’re like, “No that’s what my parent does, that isn’t really what I want to do.” But then it’s like those little moments where doors open or things click and then it’s like, that’s what I want to do next.
Justin: Best decision, and I know 100% I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
Sonja: So you received the Presidential Scholarship from NCPA Foundation. How did that support help impact your path to pharmacy ownership?
[4:29] Justin: Well, I definitely think any sort of financial support just makes things easier. I was in a position that I was going to go to pharmacy school and graduate regardless, but it just made things easier for us. You know as we progress through and pay for tuition and those sorts of things. You know, I think the biggest thing was just being involved with NCPA and seeing what the Foundation did at convention and seeing what all these pharmacists across the country were doing in their practices—that motivated me to want to do something different and advance our family stores. And so I think it was just kind of one of the pieces that got me to where I am today.
Sonja: Excellent, yeah, I think a lot of students, when they get a scholarship from us, they’re already very involved. But it kind of helps solidify for them that they’re being recognized for all of their hard work. Because a lot of times, you’re at the top of the academic standard in terms of what we’re seeing students… who are pursuing the profession. So it is a big deal.
When you joined the business as a pharmacist…I think it was like 2003 time frame…what, what were some of those initial conversations like with your father, right? It isn’t like you hadn’t already been in the pharmacy, but you were officially joining as a staff member, a pharmacist.
Justin: Yeah, it was unique because I did go out of state for my residency. I went up to Iowa and spent a year up there. And so I was coming right out of that residency as the young hot shot pharmacist, I guess, and boss’s kid.
It was a unique situation thatmy father kind of got out of the pharmacies in the mid-80s when he started his PSAO (PPOk). He shifted to more of the business side of pharmacy and still kept his stores as businesses, but they had staff pharmacists and PICs running those. And so now the boss’s kid is coming in—it was kind of a unique dynamic.
As just being the number two or three pharmacist. Getting to know all of the technicians…It took a little time to get the trust of the staff, share with them the vision that I wanted for that pharmacy and work with them to change and achieve better patient care. And so it was a whole process.
Sonja: What was some of that decision point that brought you to the family pharmacies?…
Justin: I think my first two years of pharmacy school, I was more interested in ambulatory care because I really liked that clinical aspect. And that was going to be my, my focus. And we had a student faculty retreat and a gentleman by the name of Matt Osterhaus from Iowa came to our school. He came and spoke to our college.
He started talking about his family’s business and his father had started it back in the 60s and all the different things they’re doing—from diabetes care to cardiovascular wellness… and osteoporosis screenings… and smoking cessation.
[7:32] It just started checking all the boxes of what I was interested in and it made me think, hey, if they can do it up there, why couldn’t I come back into my family’s practice and convert it to do those similar things? And one of the practices is actually in a physician’s clinic. So we have doctors we could work with and those sorts of things. So it was just, everything just lined up as that’s what I should do, that’s what I need to do.
So I contacted Matt immediately and actually drove up to Maquoketa, Iowa and spent a weekend in his store and then applied for his residency. And, told him I’m up front that I’m here to absorb as much stuff as I can from you guys and bring that back to Oklahoma. And that was the plan from then on.
Sonja: That is so cool. I love that story-
Justin: He’s still one of my biggest mentors, by the way. Matt Osterhaus is incredible.
Sonja: Okay, I was going to say he’s a really good example too of leaders to follow, type of thing.So walk us through a little bit of that transition from pharmacist to an owner-operator type of a role. When did that shift happen exactly? And what surprised you the most when you took ownership?
Justin: Sure, I think that’s a great question. I had to start out, like I said as just a staff pharmacist, but I knew that we wanted to get the pharmacies to elevate. I wanted to make sure that our patients were counseled on every medication and that pharmacists were out front with patients while our technicians were doing more of the things they are trained to do which is input and count, get everything ready for a pharmacist. So it was just changing our workflow and getting all those things in place.
In about year two, our PIC at that location moved on to another position. And so I took over that and hired a young pharmacist who was also eager to advance patient care. And we just started really working well together and growing the business and services we provide in our practice.
And it’s about that time Dad gave me the opportunity to buy in to one of the pharmacies. And then through a little bit of negotiations, I gained some sweat equity interest in my main store since I’d already doubled the business. So about 2005, I had a percentage of the pharmacies but I also had my father as a mentor to help me in that ownership role and learn about it.
[10:13] The biggest surprise, though, was—it’s not like you become an owner and success happens just like that. The biggest thing for me was you have a lot more tax liability as you’re growing ownership. And so you think you’re doing pretty well, and all of a sudden, April 15th happens, and you owe $60,000... Getting through that transition was a very eye-opening experience for me.
It was very frustrating. I remember having an argument with my father about—what, why do you even want to be an owner when this is what happens to you? And he just said, “Be patient. It takes some time for these things to work out from a cash flow perspective and ownership perspective.” And it was like a switch. Probably four or five years in, we’re generating our cash flow to pay our tax liabilities plus some. And then you start generating actual cash that you’ve made as an owner. And be able to save that or reinvest it in other opportunities.
So it was a process, but it was a scary couple of years there as I was learning that.
Sonja: So,I know you’ve also started other pharmacies on your own since that time. What’s maybe a challenge that’s unique to inheriting a pharmacy versus starting your own?
[11:47] Justin: I mean, inheritance has a lot of positives, obviously. It’s already established. I know I mentioned he gave me some sweat equity at one point, but I still actually financed and bought in to the rest of the shares. And after dad passed, I actually am still paying out my mother on the trust for one of the stores. You know, so it’s something you have to be ready for. You don’t want to just be given everything. You have to make sure that you’re invested. And my father was very good about instilling that and making sure that it wasn’t just an expectation. He paid his dues I had to pay mine too…
But as far as acquiring other stores, I think you have the same challenges. I mean, going into my family’s business you know… that I had been as a high school kid and young college kid I had some barriers there with staff to overcome. But that was easy once I showed them my value and what I was seeing as a vision, so we got over that hurdle pretty quick. We face the same challenges that every pharmacist faces just from PBMs and industry stuff on the inheritance side… as far as acquiring…
I do think getting an established business is a much better route than trying to build it from scratch these days. It’s very hard and it’s a long process to go from zero patients to 20 patients or 50 patients, 100 patients. So, if you can find a store that already is doing, you know, $3 or $4 million in sales, then you don’t have to worry about growing that. You just have to worry about paying it off and managing it and continuing to grow the business. And that’s what we’ve done with our future acquisitions.
Sonja: I’ve definitely heard that recently, especially with all of the issues with reimbursements. A lot of people say if you find one that’s already established, it is a little bit easier than doing it from scratch.
Justin: Nothing’s easy, but it’s easier. Haha.
Sonja: So what’s been the toughest business decision you’ve ever had to make so far?
[14:07] Justin: I don’t know…I…What I like about community pharmacy is there’s a new opportunity or a new challenge every day I walk into the store. One thing that’s amazing about independent community pharmacy is we’re very nimble at changing to what’s thrown at us. We’re very good problem solvers. And so I don’t know that I’ve ever had any just really hard business decision that’s just black and white… If I do this…will go this way and if I go this way we’re doing something different…We’ve just always kind of adapted to the challenges and figured out a way around them and continue to thrive. It’s worked out pretty well.
HR is probably the hardest part of any job. And I would say that pharmacy is no exception. The very first pharmacist I had to fire—that was very difficult… I was a pretty young pharmacist and it was on a new acquisition and we were making a change in the PIC. My dad was going to drive with me 2½ hours to this pharmacy and we’re going to meet with this pharmacist and let them go and put in a new graduate.
Last second, as I’m basically ready to drive, Dad calls and goes, I had a meeting come up, I’m not going.
He just hated firing people. He didn’t want to do it. So he sent me on my own and he was like, you’ll figure it out. And so that was a difficult day. I gave him a hard time about that for many, many years, but we made it through and it was okay. Sometimes you have to make those hard decisions.
Sonja: There was a lot of that talk last summer when I was at the RBC conference.A lot of the people I talked to said one of their biggest, biggest challenges is the HR stuff. It’s the hiring, the firing people. It’s keeping people motivated. Like to your point about, “Once they saw my vision, once they understood what I was trying to accomplish they wanted to support that.” I think sometimes it’s hard for people to have a strong vision to get people excited, especially in a time when things feel so heavy & difficult. What’s maybe something you’ve done to kind of help that with your teams?
Justin: I try and do quarterly meetings with all three pharmacies. So we have six or seven pharmacists that get together, we have dinner, and we go through what are the current issues affecting pharmacy today, what are things that they’re doing in their stores that are working, what are challenges that they’re having, what barriers they’re facing, and how are they getting around those barriers. Just getting everyone in the same room, bouncing ideas off of each other, I think has been good. I usually take them to a pretty nice restaurant and have a few drinks too, it doesn’t hurt. Then we try to do the same thing with staff.
I’ve tried to empower my staff pharmacists at the sites I kind of grew up in and developed. I’ve encouraged them to run the staff meetings with our technicians. I’m very fortunate and I think it’s a testament to the culture that we developed, but most of my technicians have been there like 20 years or more. And that’s a wonderful thing because they’re like family, but it’s also a horrible thing because they’re like family.
They sometimes can be complacent or maybe not as motivated because they’ve been there so long. And they know each other so well. So finding ways to reinvigorate them is something we constantly try and do.
[18:00] Something I’ve done recently, actually, is I’ve been trying to invest in bringing pharmacists to national meetings. Like we’ve got the Multiple Locations Conference coming up in Clearwater Florida, so I’m bringing two of my staff pharmacists to that one. And had another one at the meeting in New Orleans. That’s been a way to get them out of those four walls and show them—these things that I keep telling them about, they’re actually affecting everyone. And them coming back into the stores also kind of re-energizes the rest of the staff. We’re going to spend money to send you to these things. I need you to bring back one thing to your pharmacy that’s going to either improve profitability or efficiency or patient care.
Sonja: That’s a good idea. And then you get different perspectives too. You’re not relying on yourself and your perspective. You have all these different people who know and love your pharmacy as much as you do, bringing back some of that perspective too. That’s really smart.
Justin: True. Here’s another challenge: I go to these meetings for a number of years and I get excited and I come back, but I’m so busy, I can’t implement. So trying to tell them about these ideas and then expect them to run with it and be successful has been a challenge for me. But them going and hearing about it and getting energized, invigorated, and then coming back—we’re starting to see better results through that process.
Sonja: That’s a great idea;So if you’re listening… and you haven’t done what Justin’s done—sending some staff out to the national conferences—it’s definitely a good, good idea. Was there ever a specific moment or decision where you felt caught between honoring your father’s way of doing things and doing what you felt was right for the future of the business?
Justin: Oh, you know, I was very fortunate in that my dad believed in me. He did.
He always gave me the green light to do what I thought was best and supported that. That didn’t mean that we didn’t argue sometimes. Lonnie Wilson was used to being in charge his way. Sometimes staff would hear me on the phone with him and we were going back and forth with each other pretty good. And I was probably the only one that would talk back to him like that. But I learned so much from him too. So yeah, most of the time he was right. But every now and again, when I came up with the better idea or the better process, I never let him forget about it. It was a good relationship.
Sonja: I definitely think it’s a really good opportunity when you have someone safe like that in business that you can be your full self with. You can tell your full opinion. You can really work through different ideas. And they can tell you if it’s BS or if you should think about something else. And they can tell you to your face. I think that’s such a big opportunity. For people who are looking to inherit their family’s pharmacy or are on that legacy track, that’s important to remember too.
[21:01] Justin: I talked to a young pharmacist who went back to work for their family’s pharmacies out of Georgia. And he was contemplating, should I go on and do this other track or should I go back home? And I said, you know, that’s your decision, but there’s one thing to remember:
There’s no one that’s going to care more about the success of you than your parents. And there’s no one that’s going to care more about the success of their business than you.
And so it ends up being a pretty nice relationship if you can make it happen.
Sonja: Absolutely. So,I love that you brought up clinical right away in the beginning of this interview, because I want to talk about that clinical versus business identity shift. Because when you train as a pharmacist, sometimes there’s a little bit of a learning curve with being a business owner, especially in the retail space, right? And all the things that come with that. Were there things that you did or took part in that helped overcome some of those challenges or learning curves? What are some of your thoughts on that?
Justin: It’s totally different ballgame now than it was 20 years ago. But I really felt like, as we took better care of patients, then the business grew as well, you know and those opportunities kind of went hand in hand.
Some of the first things we did in Midwest City was changed our workflow to let our technicians do the majority of the inputting and dispensing so pharmacists could just be available to patients. And that was a transition we had to do to get them out front talking to patients. Those patients started responding to it and then started telling their friends and family about it. So we started growing that.
Then I’d go to my physician and say, hey, I did diabetes education up in Iowa. I see you have this patient with an A1C at 10.5. Why don’t you let me take a crack at helping her? And the doctor said, you got it. Sent some notes back and forth, got her A1C down to 6½ pretty quick. Boom—that doctor now is my biggest referral source for a number of years.
And so just building on those opportunities and getting paid for those services here and there and then growing the business on the prescription side was really going well. But things are a little bit more of a challenge now. The clinical aspect has changed in my practice just because of different physicians moving in and out. But we are still doing a lot with travel health immunizations, MTM, not as much with diabetes anymore, but we are still looking for those extra dollars.
But, we don’t see the same things we saw 20 plus years ago, if you filled more prescriptions, you made more money. Now it’s a little trickier. Sometimes if you fill more prescriptions, you can lose more money. So you have to look at the patients a little bit differently and really optimize that patient care. Even though we’re doing a little less clinical services today…We’re still constantly looking at how we can provide good care to the patients and continue to be profitable and keep those doors open so that we’re still part of the community. It’s just a different type of challenge I guess.
Sonja: AndI think the big thing in the profession is those that are able to adapt and be nimble—and do all of these different things and adjust… those are the ones that tend to survive. A lot of people who aren’t really… they don’t want to adapt or change things - they can’t change things because their patient makeup is what it is. And they maybe don’t have the staff to implement new things… you know there’s all kind of different factors. It is interesting to see the different types of entrepreneurs there are in the profession and how they attain that skillset of being more adaptable…being more nimble of kind of being more creative in a ways, is what I see it as - I see it as creativity.
Justin: Sometimes you want to bang your head against the wall, but it’s also kind of fun. There’s always a new challenge, and we’ve been fortunate to continue to evolve and make things work.
Sonja: Excellent. What conversations do you think families should have before a transition that maybe gets avoided or happens too late?
Justin: Well, I could tell you a few things. I was in a unique position in that I never really had to work side by side with my father because he was at PPOK and I was at the stores. We talked every day and we’d do financials and that sort of thing.
[24:45] ButIf you’re going to be in the same four walls with your family members, hopefully you guys get along pretty good. I mean…That’s step one—how well do you get along with your parents? And can you work with them on a regular basis?
But then I think you need to have those conversations of…Yes, I’m your child, but I’m also a health care professional and now a partner. Sometimes you can get into a situation where the child may be treated as an employee instead of a partner. And so you have to really make sure that those relationships are clear up front and that you can kind of separate family from business. I think it’s fairly easy as long as you communicate well and do things, you know, for the betterment of your business.
And then talk about future goals as well. You know, do you always want to work at this one pharmacy side by side with your dad or do you maybe want to have opportunities to maybe branch out and you go over there and maybe develop that one on your own?
Towards the end of my father’s life—this is outside of pharmacy—but I had a different investment. I opened a craft brewery in Norman with two of my best friends. And I’d been talking with my dad about it quite a bit. I’d call him every night on the way home from work.
And he goes, “I always thought you’d ask me to invest in that...”
And I go… Well, dad, I kind of wanted to see if I could do this on my own.
And he paused for a good 45 seconds. And he goes, “I can respect that.”
One of my favorite stories.
Sonja: I love that. That’s so touching. So obviously your father left an incredible legacy—NCPA past president, the Dargavel and Calvin J. Anthony medals, decades of association leadership. How do you honor that while also building your own identity as a leader?
[28:01] Justin: Sure, I mean.Dad’s career speaks for itself. So I don’t know that I need to do anything to try and live up to that. I always tell folks, you know, we’re very different types of pharmacists. He was very business oriented and in the PSAO world, and I’m a little more, you know, boots on the ground and taking care of patients. And so we’ve been fortunate, you know, to kind of… excel in two different ways.
He provided a very good example of what pharmacists can do for the profession as far as getting out and being active legislatively and being involved and making a difference. So that was instilled in me from a very young age, so I’ve been doing that since college. But it was very important for me as I started getting to leadership positions to make sure folks know that we’re two different folks. We have different skill sets. We have different values. We have different ways of doing things patient care wise. And I want to be part of leadership if the skills I bring to the table are beneficial to the organization. And so far, that’s been part of my career that I’ve been very fortunate to be in several different leadership positions in multiple organizations because of that.
Sonja: I love that so much because one of the things that I really value of my board are how authentic they all are. They are their full selves. They come, they bring whatever skillsets each of them brings, they don’t try to pretend like they have some other skillset. They’re very open and honest when they don’t have something. It’s very clear who they are and what they’re bringing to the table. I love that you mentioned that. I think authenticity in this profession is so important, especially if you’re going to try to become a leader…at the NCPA level, association level, I don’t think it really matters what level it’s at. I think making sure you come authentically, bring whatever skills you bring to the table and lead that way, I think it translates really well and I think people learn a lot from it. So I love to hear that.
Justin: You know, people can see when you’re disingenuous very easily. So you have to be yourself.
Sonja: Especially patients, I feel like they pick up on that right away. You serve obviously on the NCPA board and AlignRx. You’re past president of OPA (Oklahoma Pharmacists Association). And the foundation actually received a lot of memorial gifts in your father’s honor. What does that service legacy mean to you? And what advice would you give someone wanting to get involved at the level that you’re at right now?
Justin: Well, I definitely think you need to start locally. I was involved with our state association from the get-go. And had the opportunity to move into leadership fairly quickly. And like you said, I was President of OPhA. I also spent 10 years on our state board of pharmacy in a regulatory role. When people come and your colleagues ask you to step into these positions, I think it’s important if you can, to say yes.
I’ve always taken the position—if I’m not going to do it, who else will? I know that, you know, it’s important to get out of the four walls of your pharmacy and get to the Capitol and lobby for what’s right for patients and right for pharmacy. And, you know just starting at those local levels…and as opportunities open up and doors open for you, it’s important to step through. You know, I tell a lot of pharmacists whose parents are in the profession that:
[31:41] you may have doors open for you that wouldn’t have if your parents didn’t do it before you, but it’s still your job to step through and make a name for yourself. It’s what you do after you get that opportunity that’s important.
Sonja: That’s really good advice. So, the NCPA Foundation has been around since 1953, but I will say in all my years of fundraising, I’ve never seen so much support in memory of someone. Your father truly left such an incredible legacy. What does it mean to your family to know that not only did your father have such an incredible legacy but it also sparked such a big investment in an organization like NCPA Foundation?
Justin: Just a tremendous honor. I’m very proud of him. It was great….
When he passed, it was right during COVID. And so we didn’t get to have a proper funeral for him. And I feel like support like that…
Sonja: He was truly an incredible man. I am just in awe at what an amazing life he led and how many people he touched.
Justin: Yeah, he was great.
Sonja: And he definitely lives on through all of you…
Given everything you’ve experienced, the challenges, the changes of the profession—what gives you hope about the future? What are you excited about? What does 2026 look like for you?
Justin: I’m glad you said that.
[32:24] I’m actually probably more excited about the future than I have been for a long time. We’ve been hit with DIR fees and burger contracts and all these issues the last couple of years. You’re like, how are we going to make it through this? And we look up and we did. 2024 was one of the best years I’ve ever had as an individual pharmacist and 2025 has been even better. I just keep finding these opportunities and we’re just figuring out ways to navigate in the world that we’re in with the PBMs and the way they’re controlling reimbursements. But we’re figuring it out and we’re starting to see real wins.
In Oklahoma specifically, we had a huge settlement with Caremark, CVS, and the state attorney general’s office, and my three pharmacies got pretty sizable checks back from CVS for the first time in my entire career. That’s a huge win. People are starting to see that there needs to be transparency, that pharmacists are valuable.
COVID was a horrible situation, but independent pharmacy came up as champions in our immunization efforts. I think folks are starting to really realize how important we are to the healthcare system. And I think we’re at a true tipping point—things are going to get better and continue to improve.
Sonja: I completely agree. And I think what really is that shining light is when patients know and patients start to tell each other. “Oh, hey you’re still getting prescriptions filled at CVS!? Like, why are you doing that?!”
Justin: Yeah, for sure.
Sonja: Like, “Did you know about PBMs? Do you know what’s going on?” A lot of people still don’t have a lot of clue, but they’re starting to pick it up. But I think we’re going to see more and more of that because of also how well organized and vocal pharmacists are. Especially independent community pharmacists.
I’m very impressed with the profession and what it’s been able to accomplish the last few years, especially. But I think you’re right, it’s like… I feel like the sky’s the limit of where we’re going.
Justin: I agree 100%.
Sonja: So what would you say to a pharmacy student right now who’s wondering whether or not to take over their family store?
[35:52] Justin: I think it’s definitely something you should consider. I really am proud of continuing the legacy of my family. And, you know, I get to go to work and there’s days that I see someone that my father took care of in 1977. And they’ve got their kid and their kids’ kids and their kids’ kids’ kids that are all still coming to my pharmacy. And I hear stories about what dad did for them. And you can’t get that in any other setting. So I just love being part of the community that way and continuing to take care of patients in Midwest City.
Sonja: If you could go back to tell your 2003 self one thing as you’re officially joining the family business, what would it be?
[36:38] Justin: Stick it out. Don’t be too stressed when the taxes hit you. Probably have more conversations with dad about maybe looking at additional opportunities. I think it was easy for me to get pigeonholed a little bit in the pharmacy when we were partners because he was busy with his project and I’m busy with mine. Had I maybe looked at where I can professionally grow at a slightly younger age—it was just a little bit later in my career that I did that. That would probably have been the thing I would have done slightly differently. I might have a few more pharmacies if I would have done it that way.
Sonja: So where can people find you and connect with you if they want to get in touch?
Justin: A couple different ways. I have an email address: OUPharm@mac.com. They can get a hold of me at Valu-Med Pharmacy in Midwest City, either through the socials or just give me a call I think it’s all on our website, Valu-Med Pharmacy. And then find me at conventions. I’m always at NCPA. I’ll be at the Multiple Locations Conference. I’ll be at the legislative fly-in. I’m always happy to talk with pharmacy students. Anybody that wants to chat about the profession, I’m happy to do it.
Sonja: Well, Justin, thank you so much. Thank you for being candid. Thank you for showing up as your full self. And we really appreciate all the wisdom you shared with us today.
Justin: Of course. Thanks for having me.
Episode Summary
Justin Wilson grew up in his father Lonnie’s pharmacies in Midwest City, Oklahoma—dusting shelves, making deliveries, and not entirely sure he wanted to follow in those footsteps. But a visit from pharmacist Matt Osterhaus during pharmacy school changed everything, showing Justin that clinical care and independent ownership could go hand in hand. He completed a community pharmacy residency in Iowa, came back to Oklahoma, and began transforming the family stores from the inside out.
In this conversation, Justin gets real about the parts of pharmacy ownership nobody warns you about—the tax bills that made him question the whole endeavor, the first time he had to fire a pharmacist (solo, after his dad bailed on him last minute), and the years it took to earn the trust of staff who’d known him since he was a teenager. He talks about how his father gave him room to lead while still holding him accountable, why he financed his ownership stake rather than having it handed to him, and the 45-second pause that became one of his favorite memories with his dad.
Justin also shares practical strategies for keeping pharmacy teams motivated—from quarterly pharmacist dinners to sending staff to national conferences with a simple mandate: bring back one thing that improves the business. And despite years of DIR fees, PBM challenges, and industry turbulence, he says he’s more optimistic about independent pharmacy’s future than he’s been in a long time.
