Before I even started pharmacy school, I knew I wanted to own an independent pharmacy. That dream always included compounding. I saw it as essential, not just for building a business, but for offering patients something more meaningful. Something more personal.

My first exposure came through an elective in school, followed by a rotation that turned into a full-time position at Grandpa’s Compounding Pharmacy in Placerville, California. That experience became foundational. I spent four years there, learning the ropes, watching what it meant to be a true community compounder. Eventually, I opened Parkside Compounding Pharmacy 40 miles down the road in Sacramento, and eight years later, I bought Grandpa’s files. That move doubled my compound script volume overnight and brought my journey full circle.

Why I Stayed Independent, and Why I Joined PCCA

At the beginning, I tried going it alone. I had my own formulas and sourced ingredients from wherever I could. I even whipped up a homemade VanPen® knockoff for my transdermals. But as my patient base grew and the complexity of compounds increased, I knew it was time to take things to the next level. That meant joining PCCA.

Their formulas, their bases, their support — it’s all been game-changing. The research & development are second to none. The clinical support and education are unmatched. But what’s stuck with me the most is the culture. PCCA’s team is welcoming, collaborative and professional in a way that motivates me to build the same kind of atmosphere in my own pharmacy. I’ve been a member for over a decade now, and I can honestly say I’m in it for the long haul.

The Word I Come Back to Is Hope

One of my earliest mentors told me, “What we sell here is hope.” And that’s stuck with me. When patients walk through our doors, they’ve often exhausted every other option. They’ve tried medications that didn’t work or treatments that left them feeling worse. So when we hand them a compound, customized just for them, it represents something bigger: a path forward.

Hope also applies to me. In a pharmacy landscape dominated by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), rigid contracts and razor-thin margins, compounding is the part of my business I can actually control. It’s where I can invest and consistently see growth. It’s the piece that gives me professional satisfaction and financial stability, now and into the future.

Changing Lives, One Solution at a Time

Minnie’s story is one I’ll never forget. She’d struggled with hypothyroidism for years, allergic to the fillers and dyes in synthetic thyroid meds. When WP Thyroid® was pulled from the market, things got worse. She found us through our website and, with guidance from the LDN Foundation in the United Kingdom, reached out.

We worked closely with her physician to start a titration protocol with low-dose naltrexone (LDN). Nine months later, she no longer needed thyroid medication. After 24 years of trying every option available, she felt clear-headed, energetic and pain-free. Her brain fog lifted. Her muscle aches disappeared. Her quality of life changed completely.

These are the kinds of moments that remind you why this work matters.

Bringing Compounding to the Community

We’ve found success through creativity and consistency. My director of sales and marketing, Michele Alvord, and I regularly give lunch-and-learns at local vet clinics. We sponsor events like the annual Doggy Dash to support the animal shelter, and we’ve even flown in guest speakers to educate health care professionals in our dedicated presentation space. Our weight loss program, driven by compounded semaglutide in SubMagna® SL HMW, has seen huge traction, and we’re using Instagram to keep that momentum going.

SubMagna, by the way, is my current favorite PCCA base. It’s anhydrous, masks bitterness and boosts mucosal absorption — perfect for our sublingual semaglutide suspensions. We’ve gone all in on the weight loss space because of it, and it’s been incredibly rewarding.

Compounding Is Part of Who I Am

At this point, compounding isn’t just something I do — it’s part of who I am. I’m a dad. A business owner. A potter in my free time. But professionally, what sets me apart is being a local expert in personalized medicine. In my little corner of the world, people look to me for answers, and I take that seriously.

If you’re a pharmacist or technician considering compounding, here’s my advice: Find a way in. Be willing to start small. Show up when others won’t. Make yourself available. I’ve hired foreign-trained pharmacists who started at minimum wage just to earn their licensure hours. Now they’re full-time team members. This field rewards persistence — and curiosity.

There’s nothing quite like it.