Albert and Harry Warner, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Will Keith and John Harvey Kellogg, Walt and Roy Disney…. The history speaks for itself, brothers make the best business partners. At the 100 year old Walker’s Drug Store, you can find the Lemelin brothers taking charge and making a name for themselves in their North Carolina customer centric pharmacy. Last month, we took some time to learn more about the man behind the coat – Jeff Lemelin, so it’s only right that we flip the coin and focus on the other half of the mighty Lemelin duo – Greg Lemelin.
Born and raised in the greater Charlotte area, Greg Lemelin works as the Manager at Walker’s Drug Store. Greg, along with his brother Jeff, attended the East Mecklenburg High School. Greg recalls that many of his childhood days were spent in the pharmacy, helping to do different tasks around the store such as ringing up the cash register and updating price labels on products, delivering prescriptions and so on. When we sat down for a chat with Greg, he verbally painted a picture of a little dark-haired 9-year-old boy, using a milk carton to give him just enough height to peep over the counter, collecting money and dishing out receipts to customers. Although he passed on the coat and pursued a degree in textile science and engineering, Greg has more than a bit of pharmacy blood coursing through his veins, so it’s no surprise that he took up the mantle of running the family business with his brother.
It might surprise you to know that Greg was quite the gymnast as a child, going as far as competing at State, Regionals and Nationals. Living only 15 minutes away from the gymnastics center, with both of his parents staunch supporters he was able to pursue his dream until injury led to the decision to no longer compete. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in textile and science engineering, Greg spent some time working in the industry. He quickly moved his way up the ladder, and was soon offered a position in Mexico City. Moving to Mexico was a hard decision for him, as Mexico City had a high crime rate at the time, and Greg was father to a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. He was also the owner of a gymnastics gym. Leaving his family for a 2 year stint where he could only return every 6 months did not sit well with him, so he decided to return home and help his father with the pharmacy.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” – Proverbs 3:5-6. This short Bible verse is what guides and motivates Greg everyday, in both his work and family life. Running a pharmacy certainly isn’t easy, especially when you learn that Greg’s day often starts at 4:00am and can run well into the evening. However, he compares running a pharmacy to gymnastics, analogizing “you gotta have a plan and stick to that plan. Like in gymnastics, you have a set routine, there’s always something that’s gonna go wrong and you’ve got to be able to pick it up and keep going.” Greg is married and has three daughters; one in college, and two that he coaches in competitive gymnastics.
Next time you see Greg, you can tell him that now you’ve got the skinny on him…lol. Visit our site or call (704) 321-0027. Walker’s Drug Store – the drug store that cares!