SHARKS RX Spring 2017 Magazine

Roselind and Armando Bardisa’s adventures included a run with the bulls in Spain. College of Pharmacy 9 NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY 8 “It’s absolutely like a family,” said Magaly Baro, a customer who became an SMP client 10 years ago on a friend’s recommendation. “It doesn’t matter who I talk to; they know what I need.” Baro has fibromyalgia and has had two spinal-fusion surgeries, so she can’t drive and needs several medications delivered to her home. “They help me as much as they can,” Baro said. “The young lady got me my meds two days before Hurricane Matthew last October. They’re not a little pharmacy any more, but they still go out of their way to make sure things are taken care of.” The cheerful “We deliver” sign on SMP’s original building has developed into a sophisticated computerized delivery system. Besides a squad of phone reps, an SMP pharmacist is available 24/7 to take calls from customers about all aspects of drug treatment. Marco Salgado, SMP’s retail sales accounting manager, has been refining SMP’s prescription delivery list, which assures that 600 delivery customers, such as Baro, get their prescriptions precisely when they need them—or before. It also benefits doctors, who are rated more highly by the federal government when patients with chronic illness are taking meds regularly and maintaining their health. “It’s made our business much more efficient,” Salgado said. “We calculated what we were wasting on gas, we reformat- ted delivery schedules, and cut costs by two-thirds. That’s definitely one of the things I love about Armando. He doesn’t identify with what the other people are doing, but with what they are NOT doing. That takes a special kind of mind.” Salgado has known Bardisa since 1997 and worked with him since 1999. “One of the things I learned with Armando is that when everybody else is going from 1 to 10, he’s already figuring out how to go to 20,” Salgado said. “He always finds a way. When you train yourself to think that The walls of Bardisa’s small office, plastered with awards and annual company goals, show his hard-driving ambition to succeed. (continued from previous page) each year. “The first year, there were only a couple of us. I had to convince everybody to join me,” he said. “Now, we have 15 to 20 people on our team for the South Beach Triathlon.” With so much recognition for his business and community service, 2016 was a big year for SMP and Bardisa. He is keeping an eye on the future, however, mulling over launch- ing several health care businesses. He has a computer file with dozens of communications from venture capitalists eager to work with him. But, that’s down the road. Right now, he’s enjoying his success, working for charities, and being a coach for his three daughters’ sports and activities. “If somebody comes with the right offer, I’d certainly consider it,” he said with a smile. “But right now, I love coming to work.” way, the obstacles start to break down. Then you start to think that way personally, instill it into your family, and see the benefits.” “He believes that if you hire slow and fire fast, then you have an employee for a lifetime,” Salgado said. “I’m almost at 10 years, and I feel I’m growing with the pharmacy.” Employees need to feel they can trust the business owner, Salgado said. “When I started working with Armando in 1997, there was a lot of fraud,” she said. “But Armando always plays by the rules. He said, ‘I will never do any- thing to jeopardize you guys.’ ” Several of Bardisa’s key employees are NSU pharmacy graduates, and they, in turn, are mentoring current NSU pharmacy students. “I am honored to have Dr. Bardisa serve on the COP Dean’s Advisory Board,” said Lisa M. Deziel, Pharm.D., Ph.D., COP dean. “He is inspirational and has provided me with very useful advice. His vision has helped guide the college’s growth, providing innova- tive opportunities for both faculty members and students.” The walls of Bardisa’s small office, plastered with awards and annual company goals, show his hard-driving am- bition to succeed. But the corner closest to his desk is personal, with snapshots of family adventures all over the world, most notably a photo of Bardisa and several others wearing the unmistakable red neckerchiefs of those who run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. “I’m very big on having a full life, and that was one of the scariest moments of my life. Nothing prepares you for how big these animals are,” he said. “There’s no way you’re ever going to outrun them. At the end of the plaza, you’re hugging strangers. You’re alive!” With his wife Roselind, a family physician, Bardisa has run marathons. Now, he has started running triathlons for charity with the SMP running team, which has grown