Pictured above are Saad Aqqad, Allyson Neal, Brittany Moser, and Lindsey Rowland of Oak Ridge Pharmacy.
Oak Ridge Pharmacy was named the small business of the month in September by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
The pharmacy is located at 854 Main Street West.
The award is sponsored by Enrichment Federal Credit Union, a press release said.
“Driven by the desire to better meet the needs of customers he had served for many years at a large pharmacy, Saad Aqqad opened Oak Ridge Pharmacy in July 2019,” the press release said.
“I just knew there was a need for something more than someone just pushing out pills, and that’s all you really have time to do at the big stores,” Aqqad said in the press release. He had confidence those patients and the Oak Ridge community at-large would support this new endeavor, the press release said.
Aqqad and his team at the pharmacy are happy to be able to customize the way they take care of their patients, the release said. For example, they offer Dispill packaging for the elderly – a personalized multi-dose packaging system sorted and packaged by date and time of day. They also provide a service called “synching” allowing a family to get all their prescriptions on the same date each month, which keeps them from having to come multiple times to get medications for different family members. The staff recommends vitamins and supplements based on the medications their patients are taking. The pharmacy even provides medication delivery for patients.
“Every now and then one of our customers will call me and say, ‘Hey Saad! I know you’re closed, but this just happened,’” Aqqad said. “And I’ll say, ‘Okay, I’ll meet you at the store.’”
Most of all, Saad and his team like being able to take the time to really get to know their patients, the press release said.
“Everybody that comes here feels like a family or friend,” Aqqad said. “What else do you need in a pharmacy? We take care of people. If they want to be here an hour, it’s fine. If they want to be here five minutes, that’s fine too.”
The release said Aqqad and his staff are proud of the local products they offer in the store. From locally harvested honey to Oak Ridge High School Wildcat gear, they strive to provide something for everyone, the press release said.
“We’ve had customers say, ‘Hey! Can I sell some of my local products here?’ The high school teams, if anyone wants to sell shirts here, hats, masks…we have that extra local touch,” Aqqad said.
The pharmacy sponsors a variety of teams and organizations in the community and has hosted blood drives designated for some local patients who had need of blood products due to their illnesses.
The press release said Saad has a deep affection for Oak Ridge.
“There’s just something about this town,” he said. “I knew if you gave something to this town, it’s gonna give back.”
To nominate a business like Oak Ridge Pharmacy for the award, visit Small Business of the Month under the Members tab on the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees that are a current member of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in good standing and show active involvement in the community and/or the Chamber are eligible for the award, the press release said.
This press release was submitted by Kathy Gillenwaters of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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