Summit Pharmacy Solutions reopens with new ownership after 10-month closure
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – One of South Lake Tahoe’s oldest independent retail pharmacies is back open and ready for business despite a brief closure due to the loss of the pharmacy’s previous owner, Douglas Mundy.
Here to manage the business is Tahoe local, Christian Markt who previously managed Raley’s Pharmacy. While working at Raley’s, Markt and his wife had a few kids and decided to move to Hawaii. After living there for several years, he received a call from Mundy who said he was ready to sell the pharmacy, but was in need of a pharmacy manager before finalizing the sale.
“I knew, being an independent company like this, the opportunities to really help people and make an impact on people’s lives is there. Whereas, if you work for a corporate entity, you’re limited by the corporate structure.”
With future projects in store for the business and the fact that he would be working at an independent retail pharmacy, Markt decided Mundy’s offer was worth leaving Hawaii for, so he and his family came back to Tahoe. In that process, Mundy passed away.
“[Pharmacies] have changed a lot, and the opportunity to sell your independent pharmacy is not very high anymore. So he got to do that, but unfortunately, he passed away and didn’t get to ride off into the sunset and capitalize on his investment,” said Markt. “But it’s really important to keep his legacy going and help the community. That’s why we’re here.”
Summit lost many of its customers due to the store’s closure from January to October of this year. When Mundy passed away, things took a halt, and all previous prescriptions were transferred to other stores.
“He and I were going to work together, nothing would have ever closed. He wouldn’t have lost any of his customers, but as soon as he passed away, all his numbers, his pharmacy license, his insurance contracts, his credentialing, all of it went with him.”
It took months for Summit to regain a permanent license and insurance contracts, but they’ve managed to get themselves over those humps. Now, their main goal, and biggest challenge, is informing the community that they’re back open and ready to pick up where they left off.
The pharmacy, now owned by California locals, aims to continue providing excellent service to its patrons, offering wheel chair rentals and sales, scooters, walkers, c-pap machine supplies, and more. “We carry products nobody else carries,” added Markt.
Customers can expect to be treated as a priority, with wiggle room on costs for prescriptions and more freedom to assist those in need. “You’re going to get more one one-on-one time. You’re going to get your questions answered easier, faster. You can always come in here; there are two of us pharmacists always working.”
Summit Pharmacy Solutions accepts most major insurances and is open Monday-Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They’re located at 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Suite 1, in South Lake Tahoe. To speak with someone on their team, call (530) 541-0870.
