Phipps Pharmacy Marks 25 Years of Innovative Service

McKENZIE (July 7) — Phipps Pharmacy recently marked 25 years of service and will soon celebrate a new beginning for the growing company with the opening of a new storefront.

Owner and pharmacist Dr. Jay Phipps spoke with The Banner about this exciting time for the company, its staff and, most importantly, its patients.

Phipps hails from the hills of Appalachia in Rogersville, Tennessee, 60 miles east of Knoxville. He recalls his drive to work hard, beginning with his first job on a farm at 12 and then in construction at 14. A first-generation college graduate, he worked the graveyard shift at a factory during his undergraduate program at Walter State Community College. Phipps earned a bachelor's at Carson-Newman University and worked in the pharmacy at Baptist Hospital in Knoxville.

With his sights fixed on pharmacy school, a dean told him he would never get in because he lacked leadership experience. The future pharmacist and business owner took those words to heart and became more involved in organizations and associations.

During his time at the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy in Memphis, he rose to national president of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Students of Pharmacy and developed relationships that would change the course of his career and life.

During Phipps' residency, Dr. Tim Tucker of Huntingdon sought his services in a new pharmacy. That discussion led to a partnership between the two and Tim's brother, Dr. Tony Tucker, to open City Drug on the McKenzie Medical Center campus on June 5, 2000.

After a year and a half of what Phipps calls "a good partnership," he bought out the Tuckers to become the sole owner and, around 2004, changed the name to Phipps Pharmacy.

2004 was also when Phipps first expanded with the purchase of Hopper Drug in Bruceton, which is no longer part of the Phipps company.

In 2008, the company expanded again with the purchase of a pharmacy in Jackson. Phipps also purchased a second building in Jackson near Union University and was mere weeks from opening when a tornado destroyed it. The second Jackson location was rebuilt and opened but was eventually closed and absorbed into the first Jackson store.

Phipps faced a crossroads in the mid-2010s when a health issue threatened to change his life. He developed weakness in his dominant right arm due to a bone growth issue and would need a series of surgeries to prevent paralysis. "It really changed my trajectory. What I realized is, you have to be relentless to be successful. You either have to decide you want to take on life or you want life to beat you up. I decided I was going to take on life."

With a renewed sense of ambition, Phipps looked to expand further, first in Huntingdon in 2020 and again in 2021 in Waverly.

Phipps recently bought a building in Martin for a new pharmacy he hopes will open in late 2026. His son, Sawyer, a pre-pharmacy student and football player at UT Martin, will spend the summer doing demolition at the site.

In the past five years, Phipps' staff has grown from 14 to 45 people across all locations.

Until last year, the company's footprint reached into Mississippi, but Phipps cites challenging state laws as a reason he sold that location.

As a past president of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, Phipps is active in making sure that pharmacists can practice at the top of their licence and do what they were trained to do. He cites the help of people like State Representatives Brock Martin and Tandy Darby and State Senator John Stevens in ensuring there aren't as many barriers in this state.

"Since 2021, 2,700 pharmacies have closed in the nation. You've gotta find the right niche to be successful. It makes you be a better businessperson because of the challenges in the market."

Phipps spoke about the support he's felt over his 25 years in business here. "As somebody that moved here and didn't know anyone, the community really took me in and treated me like I was born and raised here. Hopefully, it's partly because I treat people the way I want to be treated and try to really take care of people. I've been involved here over the years, coaching youth sports and working with Scouts. Being involved has helped me get to know people outside of the pharmacy.

"McKenzie's been great. We work really hard on being engaged in the community, sponsoring little league teams and being at events, whether it's here or at other locations."

He noted that the Waverly location opened a month before the region's historic, devastating flooding. "We went door-to-door trying to help people. We try to fill the needs of the community." Jay's partner, Daisy, organized over 15 donation sites around the region, and the family, including their son, Eli, spent weeks distributing food and clothing to the Waverly community."

He said, "Huntingdon has been great, really took us in. While we were remodeling [the former Regions building], people would stop and express excitement. They have made us feel welcome, patients and practitioners.

"Being in a small town is really our perfect business model. Even Jackson is a bigger town divided into smaller towns. They still want the same level of care you do in McKenzie. So there, we're still going to know people's names and about their pets and where they went on vacation."

Phipps summed it up, "It's about being relentless and building relationships. If you take really good care of them, they'll let you. If you don't, if you're just there to throw pills at them, they'll go somewhere else. I think that's where we've stood out over the years. I really think that's why we're 'the cure for the common drug store' [the company's slogan]. We treat people differently than everybody else."

Tentatively opening in the next 60 days, the new pharmacy at 15385 Highland Drive, the former McKenzie Auto Parts, represents a massive upgrade for the experience of Phipps patients and employees alike.

The current location is 740 square feet, while the new building covers 5500 square feet.

There will be two full-size exam rooms for testing (flu, strep, covid, etc.) and two rooms for consultations and immunizations.

A drive-thru window was the most common inquiry from patients curious about the new store, according to Phipps.

The store will eventually utilize robotics behind the counter, but patients won't miss out on the personal touches the staff offers, such as proactive calls prior to refills.

The extra space will allow for health-related classes to be offered, possibly after business hours.

Phipps is planning to offer weight loss and ED services at the new store, something already available in Huntingdon.

The new space means employees will now have a dedicated restroom and breakroom and, for the first time, the owner himself will have an office.

Dr. Phipps owns and operates Health Insurance Solutions, an agency focused on seniors and Medicare, which will have a dedicated office at the Highland store.

With the added lobby space, Phipps can stock more retail items and meet more customer demands.

Phipps hopes to keep a presence at Hometown Health Clinic (formerly McKenzie Medical Center) and is working with the clinic on how to do so. "Hometown Health has been essential for our success, and we want to continue to keep those relationships."

He said, "I think we have a very unique culture. We're solution-focused, we innovate, we change things often. I want to provide the best care. My first 25 years was trying to figure out how to run a business, the next is moving the profession forward."

Phipps beamed as he noted that his pharmacy was the first in the state to be credentialed by TennCare's providers for medical services (flu, strep, covid) and was the first in state to do tuberculosis skin testing. They're also the only pharmacy in west Tennessee to have a community pharmacy residency.

Aside from his duties as a pharmacist and business owner, Phipps is a Carroll County Commissioner in his first full term, reelected after being appointed to a vacant seat.

"It's been rewarding to get to talk to people you wouldn't, hopefully help solve problems, be on the proactive side."

Phipps also does keynote speaking and makes online content on facing and overcoming fear.

He earned his MBA at age 50 from Indiana University's top-rated online program. "I learned a ton. There's more that I don't know about business than I do. You've got to be curious."

Ultimately, he attributes the business's success to the entire team. "Our amazing team is paramount to Phipp's Pharmacy's success. I could not ask for a better crew of pharmacy doctors, pharmacy technicians, patient success specialists, delivery drivers, facility management and administrative team members."

He added, "I also credit the unwavering support of Daisy, my sons, Sawyer and Eli, and my parents, Jerry and Barb Phipps."