“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” – Roger Staubach

Editor's note: Life's journey leads to discovery, even when preparing for surgery. To find recommendation for tools to help with healing and mobility after a hip fix led to Hancock Pharmacy & Surgical in Meriden, Connecticut. Yes, the advice and consultation were pretty wonderful; devices to aid putting on a sock and other contraptions really do matter to heal and get back in the saddle. Listening to the scope of the business here (we always ask questions) and how it has adapted and grown – well, that was eye-opening.

Delivery, no charge. All over the state. Uniformed drivers – employees – put on some 600,000 miles last year. A fleet of vehicles – all owned by the company – housed in an underground garage on site, secure and maintained. Open 365 days a year. Hancock Pharmacy & Surgical employees 114 people. Fifteen are pharmacists.

“Right now we service 288 facilities throughout Connecticut, anywhere from a four-person group home to a 500-person population at a care facility,” said Greg Hancock, president. He is son of founders Stanley and Lorraine Hancock, who started the business in 1959. “We have to deliver when people need it, and we cover the entire state – 365 days a year.”

Trusted service pairs with state-of-the-art technologies and three locations.

“A colleague of mine in Texas said he has never seen an independent with 24 vehicles on the road making deliveries anywhere else in the country,” said Hancock. “It's a service that's well needed and is another factor that sets us apart.”

Greg Hancock graduated in 1984 from the University of Rhode Island School of Pharmacy and is a registered and licensed pharmacist in Connecticut.

“Actually I started working here when I was about 4 years old – doing Sunday papers, going to church with my Dad, going to the diner, then coming to work,” he recalled. “In 1984, I became a second-generation pharmacist here.”

His father is gone now, but the life lessons remain.

“My father believed in me, I believed in him – so we decided to expand. We went from a 3,200-square-foot pharmacy that he built – to now 25,000 square-foot-plus.”

About The Business

“Right now we have three locations, our main one in Meriden, which is a combination pharmacy, retail and long term care. We have an office, another pharmacy in New Haven, Connecticut, at 1 Long Wharf; and a closed-shop pharmacy also located in Meriden, Connecticut, at 29 Gravel Street.”

“A closed-shop pharmacy means it deals with long-term care facilities like nursing homes, rest homes, group homes,” he said. “A closed-shop pharmacy requires different software and computers – but also allows us to buy better, have better dispensing fees because everything is on a delivery basis.” The location “just got approved to put a 12,000-square-foot addition. As we keep growing, we want to expand that part of the business as well.”

The Meriden store is a state-of-the-art pharmacy – but there's also gifts, cards, hardware, school supplies. Surgical and mobility supportive care, aisles of choices.

“The difference we feel is our employees and our customer service, he said. “We're open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and have a drive-through window (at the East Main Street/Gravel site) which we open at 6 a.m. for nurses, people going to work early in the morning, and for convenience. It actually closes at midnight for late night for people who have gone to walk-in clinics, hospitals – they need to fill their prescriptions and get home. Being a combination and a closed-shop pharmacy, we have a pharmacist on 24/7.” Since Greg works 120 to 125 hours a week, he also has the option of sleeping quarters, on site. “I'm up at 5 every morning – drivers get in 1 a.m. – so I can get 4 to 5 hours of sleep.”

Dedication. To help heal, regain mobility, retain independence, soothe a child, help a loved one – “we are here” – are three words of value.

“When people trust you with their health, you need to be open and reliable,” said Hancock. “We think out of the box and pair that with old-fashioned basics – a pharmacy with people who help others. What they need, when they need it.”

“Our second site is in New Haven, 1 Long Wharf in the large medical building there; it's been phenomenal. We do a lot of behavioral health medications, substance abuse medications and pain medications. In that store alone we do about 75 to 100 deliveries a day. It's opened the hospital network for us in New Haven. Our third store is a closed-shop pharmacy and are just finishing up and will opening shortly.

“We have 15 pharmacists on duty here to provide superb service, and when we are open there is always a pharmacist on duty.”

Adapt and change. Shift, spot new opportunities, expand and serve people. Respond and be nimble, find a solution to roadblocks, overcome obstacles and deliver with dedication to customer service.

“All of our drivers are uniformed and all of our deliver vehicles are the same color (company name and number in a reflective display) to be distinctive. Our drivers are employed by the pharmacy – we do not outsource anything.

“My father always said that service is the number one priority – all businesses can use same computers, handle same products – but it's people who make the difference here. Service has a lot to do about greeting people, to know them and if out of anything, we take care of them. Following up with doctors and getting pre-authorizations.”

Story continues on page 2 – with more photos including a vintage image of Hancock's circa 1960s.