Coming from a business background, it was inevitable that Neel Tanna would eventually open his own business.
On Aug. 1, Tanna and his wife Rupal took that step with the opening of Duncan Pharmacy on Canada Avenue.
“That was always our dream to go into business for ourselves,” says Neel, who worked for Rexall for several years, including a recent stint as manager of Rexall’s store in Chemainus.
“My family has always been in business and with that background I wanted to do that,” he says.
Rupal Tanna is a clinical pharmacist with Island Health and will be in the Canada Avenue pharmacy for a couple days a week.
Neel says the response over the last month has been very positive with customers appreciating the location in a popular strip mall.
“It’s a very busy street with lots of traffic going by all day. It is a good location for us.”
Duncan Pharmacy is part of the Remedy’s Rx family and is 100 per cent owned and operated by Rupal and Neel Tanna.
Their objective is to provide a level of personal attention that the larger chains are unable to match, since the owners focus on building relationships with members of the community in which they live. The Tannas live in Duncan.
Duncan Pharmacy offers low dispensing fees, flu shots, travel vaccines, diabetes education, and free prescription delivery.
Located at 921E Canada Ave., Duncan Pharmacy is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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The Family Business Association Vancouver Island (FBAVI)) has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 Family Business Excellence (FBE) Award and the Young Entrepreneur Award.
The FBE Award is given annually by FBAVI to recognize, celebrate and promote achievements of Vancouver Island family businesses and the considerable contribution they make to both their local communities and the national economy.
The Young Entrepreneur Award recognizes an outstanding young leader in the family business.
The recognition for both awards from the Vancouver Island family business community is an honour and a privilege.
Past FBE Awards recipients include: Proline Management; DriveWise BC; Titan Boats; Tru Value Foods; Wilson’s Transportation; Canada Homestay Network; Capital Iron; Country Grocer; McCall Gardens; Pacific Sands Resort; Robinson’s Outdoor Store; Monk Office and Accent Inns.
The first two Young Entrepreneur awards were given to Andrew Wilson in 2019 and Daisy Klaibert in 2018.
Nominations will be accepted until Oct. 11. The celebration gala will take place on Feb. 12, 2020 at the Union Club in Victoria.
To be eligible for the Family Business Excellence Award an applicant must be a Vancouver Island-based family-owned business.
A family business is defined as a business that has one of the following characteristics: 1) has been owned and operated by different generations of a family, or 2) where the potential exists for ownership to be passed on to another family member, or 3) more than one member of a family has active employment in an organization owned by a family.
To be eligible for the Young Entrepreneur Award an applicant must be 35 years of age or younger, and involved in a family business on Vancouver Island for a minimum of three years.
To nominate a family business or young entrepreneur, (self-nominations are welcome) visit the FBAVI Website at www.familybusinessassociationvi.ca or contact Bernadine Rudichuk, executive director, at 250-532-2402 or info@fbavancouverisland.ca.
FBAVI is an organization filled with knowledgeable family businesses and advisors to family businesses. For 20 years they have focused on providing relevant educational events and a framework for peer support groups, recognizing that the challenges of operating a family-owned business are unique.
Opportunities to mix and engage with other family businesses is often exactly what is needed to overcome the challenges of running a family business. It’s a way to find inspiration, ideas and energy from like-minded people who appreciate the opportunity to learn from each other. The Platinum sponsor is Dean Innes of Sotheby’s Realty International. Gold sponsors are Bellrock Benchmarking; CIBC; Country Grocer; Country Grocer Salt Spring Island; Hot House Marketing; Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort; Reed Pope Law & Wilson’s Group of Companies.
Black Press and the Business Examiner are media sponsors.
