Michelle and Russell in their Terry White Chemmart Woods Road pharmacy last week, which opened five years ago.
Reaching a milestone of 25 years in the one business is impressive but to own and manage a successful business for that long side by side with your spouse is a great feat with Russell and Michelle Ingram celebrating that milestone today.
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Russell and Michelle took ownership of the then Amcal Pharmacy, now Terry White Chemmart, on March 1, 1998 and have never looked back.
Now in 2023, Russell has been a pharmacist for over 35 years, originally beginning as a hospital pharmacist working at Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute for eight years before moving to Wangaratta to become Deputy Director of pharmacy at NorthEast Health for five years.
Michelle has been a community pharmacist for 30 years and started at Yarrawonga Pharmacy with Peter Tonner and Craig Lawless after seeing an advert in the trading post and buying Craig's car.
Russell and Michelle Ingram pictured in 2000, two years into their ownership of Amcal Pharmacy.
“Our own pharmacy was always part of our life plan,” Michelle said.
“After working with Peter Tonner for a couple of years, Peter together with his long-time business partner Robert Davies offered partnership to me as I was commuting from Wangaratta at the time.
“Together Russell and I decided it was a great business opportunity and that we would build a house and grow our family in Yarrawonga.
“We had four children in five years so Michelle was in and out of the business during that time,” Russell added.
“Having your own business provides plenty of flexibility which was great for both of us being able to do kinder duty, school sports days and taxi our children around after school.
“The downside is then catching up on work after hours.”
To succeed in business it takes a great team of staff as well as upright management with Russell and Michelle lucky to have several staff who have remained with Amcal/Terry White for over a decade, a credit to the Ingram’s dedication to their business and workers.
“We are very lucky to have had some great staff over the years, a good team creates both the first impression and provides the backbone of the pharmacy,” Michelle said.
“We would particularly like to thank our 10 years plus staff members - pharmacist Cameron Wood, office managers Lisa Slattery and Sharon Foster and retail manager Louise Olphert.
“Our longest serving three very special people deserve a huge thank you.
“Bev Whinray has been providing webster packs to clients within our community with dedication, warmth and care for over 15 years.
“Tegan Powell who started as a junior, is friendly, flexible, always learning and teaching and is our go-to-person for everything 20 years later.
“Jodie Fletcher has also been the town's fragrance queen for more than 25 years and has an impressive memory for local faces and a flair for buying Christmas stock.”
Many staff have helped make Terry White Chemmart Yarrawonga what it is today alongside owners Michelle and Russell Ingram including this group of main stayers who have all been with the business for 10+ years: (l to r) Sharon Foster, Michelle Ingram, Cam Wood, Jodie Fletcher, Lisa Slattery, Russell Ingram and at front Louise Olphert and Tegan Powell.
While Russell and Michelle have ensured their relationship has remained strong and have separated work from personal life, they have also had to find their ways to work together whilst also not spending too much time in each other’s pockets.
“Working almost every day with your spouse for 25 years provides some challenges for both us and occasionally for staff,” Russell said.
“Luckily the pharmacy is large enough and there is a variety of things to do each day so that we don't often work side by side for long!
“Many years ago we divided the management areas - Michelle specialises in HR and accreditation and I specialise in professional services such as medication reviews and dealing with the ‘government’.
“I can only recall one occasion when staff were running for cover...”
Being in one business for as long as the Ingram’s have, there have been many memorable moments from physical changes within the store and the naming of the pharmacy to babies, weddings and funny experiences with customers.
“Losing Peter Tonner too soon to cancer was huge. He was our partner, mentor, friend and a big personality,” Russell said.
“Having our own babies and staff having babies and getting married has also been a highlight.
“Switching from Amcal to Terry White; the refit after outgrowing our premises several times and expanding into the carpark (a new storeroom), then upstairs (staffroom), the Chiropractors (webster packing area), then travel agents (bigger beauty room, dedicated vaccination and sleep services space).
“We have had so many refits and rejigs but still we have kept the pillars.
“We have been lucky to have conferences away with staff both within Australia and overseas and the annual "girls trip" to gift fair is always a hoot,” Michelle added.
“Christmas parties, Christmas eve drinks, farewells and other social occasions are always fun and often memorable.
“But it is all the little moments that make everything worthwhile. Russell sharing a terrible Dad joke with a customer, being part of our customers lives, getting to know them and hearing about the happy and the sad.
“Becoming friends with co-workers. Supporting local people and events from Cod classic to darts and being part of this community.”
To add to their successful primary business in Belmore Street, five years ago the Ingram’s also established a pharmacy at the Woods Road Medical Hub.
“We love that so many customers as well as staff and suppliers know the Woods Road Pharmacy as the "little shop" and the Belmore one as our ‘big shop’,” Russell said.
“It has been five years since the ‘little shop’ opened in the Woods Road medical hub and exactly a year since it became a Terry White Chemmart so we could offer catalogue items and the loyalty program customers were asking for.
“Woods Road is about convenience - to medical services, for parking, avoiding the main street crush in peak times.
“We keep adding more shelves and more stock as this new area of Yarrawonga grows. It also has a quite different vibe and is more relaxed than the ‘big shop’.”
So what’s next for the Ingram’s?
“We have no plans to retire just yet - we are still educating children, but we are both trying to work four days a week when it's possible and in a couple of years hope we can wind down a bit more,” Michelle said.
“We just want to say a thank you to all our wonderful staff and customers over the years - you keep every day rewarding.”
