Building Specialized Pharmacy Services from the Ground Up

By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager

These days, you may find Rich Grossman with his nose in a good book, on the golf course perfecting his swing or spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He’s doing his best to lead a restful and relaxing retirement – not an easy task for a man who spent decades building successful companies and advocating for his true passion: pharmacy. 

Grossman hit the ground running following graduation from the U-M College of Pharmacy in 1979 – almost immediately becoming part-owner of a drugstore/pharmacy in Allen Park, Michigan. 

“Once I started running that store, I knew I wanted to get into entrepreneurship,” Grossman explained. And that – he did. For the next 15+ years, he went on to buy and run more and more stores. Ready to take the next step, he was a part of  Sav-Mor Franchising Incorporated’s founding group and quickly became CEO of the drugstore franchise. 

“I was the person in charge of all of the contracts, marketing, sales and growing the franchise,” explained Grossman. “I also continued to own my own Sav-Mor stores. I learned both the legal and administrative side of running multiple locations.”

It was Grossman’s positive mindset that allowed him to juggle multiple responsibilities and take on roles he didn’t have prior experience.

“As challenges presented themselves, it gave me opportunities to learn skillsets that were needed to keep our businesses alive.”

Facing a Market Challenge

And it’s a good thing Grossman was always ready to tackle a challenge head-on. Less than a decade after taking over as CEO of Sav-Mor Franchising, the concept of managed care arose – and large auto companies in Michigan entered partnership agreements with out-of-state mail-order pharmacies. 

“We immediately were losing a third of our business,” explained Grossman. “We had to, then, start advocating for community pharmacy to legislators.”

So, to Lansing and Washington D.C Grossman went – multiple days a week. Knocking on doors and talking to any lawmaker who would listen, Grossman pushed for any willing provider legislation that would allow any healthcare provider to join an insurance network as long as the provider (in this case, community pharmacies) agreed to the company’s terms. 

Unfortunately, at that point, this legislation did not pass – and it was back to the drawing board for Grossman. 

“I knew that if we were competing against mail-order pharmacies, then we should start one ourselves.”

The problem? Mail-order pharmacies were not legal to operate in the state of Michigan at this point. So, back to the capitol Grossman went to advocate for this allowance, and by 2007, legislation passed to allow central fill and mail-order pharmacies to operate in the state.

By 2009, Grossman was helping lead Michigan’s first automated mail-order pharmacy: Novixus Pharmacy Services. 

Retirement Gone Wrong

Grossman served as Chief Operating Officer at Novixus and stayed with the company when they were bought out by a private equity firm in 2017 – helping with the transition. 

In 2019, Grossman decided to retire – but that didn’t last long. He ended up remaining with Novixus in a consulting role for three years, as the company re-branded to Birdi. After helping them put up a new building and implementing new technology, he stopped consulting and stepped in as their CEO in December 2022 until his second attempt at retirement in December 2024.

“During that time, I worked harder than I ever did in my career.”

Grossman was successful in his second retirement attempt, but it was no easy feat for someone so dedicated to improving the field of pharmacy. 

 “I never dreaded getting up and going to work. I loved what I did. When things changed, I looked at it as an opportunity or a challenge.”

Leaning on the Teachings of the College

For Grossman, he says his work ethic and ability to problem-solve sprouted during his time at the U-M College of Pharmacy program. 

“The College of Pharmacy taught me how to learn and how to be confident in trying new things.”

 It’s that curiosity to branch out that inspires his advice for current pharmacy students. “Do not pigeonhole yourself into one area of pharmacy as you’re learning. There’s so much you learn in college that you don’t even realize you can use. Give yourself the opportunity to find what you really love and go for it. There’s a zillion things you can do with a pharmacy degree.” 

Advocating for Pharmacy

Another piece of advice he has for students and young pharmacists – advocate for the profession.

“Something I learned quickly in my career is that you have to build relationships with legislators, so when you need help, they are there to listen and understand. We really have to know how to tell the story of pharmacists.”

He says that story is expanding. 

“We have to allow pharmacists to do more than put pills in a bottle. Our skillset is much broader than that. We’re qualified to manage therapies, give vaccinations, manage conditions like diabetes and blood pressure, consult on prescriptions and so much more. The role of the pharmacist will continue to evolve, and that’s exciting to me.”