Mike Schwartzwald
Mike Schwartzwald, pharmacist and owner of Arrowhead Pharmacy and GuidePoint Pharmacies, has been named one of three finalists out of 350 nominees for the 2011 Next-Generation Pharmacist Entrepreneur of the Year award by Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times magazine.
Schwartzwald owns Arrowhead Pharmacy in Grand Marais, as well as GuidePoint Pharmacies in Brainerd, Redwood Falls, Rochester, Worthington and Winthrop.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award salutes pharmacy professionals who define the industry’s future and demonstrate distinctive entrepreneurial spirit and passion, making an indelible mark on the reputation of the industry. The winner will be announced Aug. 29 in Boston.
“I’m very humbled,” Schwartzwald said. “Being chosen as a finalist is a great honor.”
Schwartzwald has tailored his pharmacies to be an extension of the health care profession, focusing on the health and wellbeing of patients through medications and lifestyle changes. GuidePoint Pharmacies offer cholesterol screenings, blood pressure checks, flu shots and other vaccines, as well as body fat analyses.
“We are an advocate for our patients,” Schwartzwald said. “My vision for pharmacy has always gone beyond moving pills from big bottles to little bottles.”
Schwartzwald serves as a mentor for the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy students, working with them for months at a time, providing a glimpse of what life as a pharmacist will be like.
He is also known for offering support where it’s needed, even helping a recently closed pharmacy get started again.
“I want to ensure independent pharmacy remains viable,” he said. “I’m trying to help small town pharmacies remain an important part of their local health care team.”
Between all of Schwartzwald’s pharmacies, around 70 people are employed throughout Minnesota.
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