‘You can tell Brabu is a happy place to work just by the warmth of the staff’s smiles and the degree of comfort the staff exhibit in performing their tasks.’
<p style=”text-align: right;”><strong>—Kuen-Hee Han</strong>
LIVABLE wage? Check.
Employee benefits? Check.
Work-life balance? Check.
Meaningful work? Check.
Career growth? Big check!
For a relatively small company that operates mainly on Saipan, Brabu Pharmacy and Wellness Center does not measure small in fostering a meaningful environment for its employees’ development and well-being.
Brabu Pharmacy’s pharmacy Aide Loc Thi Vu checks the shelves to see if she needs to restock.
That’s on top of a joyful culture that makes employees look forward to going to work. There’s none of the cold and clinical atmosphere typical of pharmacies and medical environments. At Brabu, the warmth and joy of people who love working there is immediately felt once you enter their doors. That upbeat atmosphere is seen in the employees’ helpful attitudes, smiles, humor, and fast service.
“You can tell Brabu is a happy place to work just by the warmth of the staff’s smiles and the degree of comfort the staff exhibit in performing their tasks,” said Kuen-Hee Han, who handles the pharmacy’s marketing and media relations.
DHL’s Michael Cruz, right, plays a vital role in supplying pivotal medications in a timely manner.
That lightness of spirit stems from the pharmacy’s leaders: Ted Parker, Managing Partner, who leads the way with his gentle, insightful jokes that help to set the tone.
“As a workplace, Brabu Pharmacy makes a point of using humor. We try to alleviate stress as much as we can by fostering a cooperative and cohesive environment where we work as a team,” said Han.
Career growth
That capacity to find joy in one’s workplace is largely due to employees recognizing that they have no bigger cheerleaders than Parker himself and Administering Partner Kathy Yuknavage.
Since June 9, 2009, when Brabu Pharmacy had its start, it has made a name for itself as a champion for building local capacity, celebrating the career and educational milestones of their employees, and encouraging their professional growth—not just in words but in actual practice (Brabu pays for their full-time staff’s study hours).
“We have always championed professional development and educational development for our employees, whether that is online or through Northern Marianas College. We have paid our full-time employees for their study hours. We are proud to say we have trained many pharmacy technicians while some have gone all the way to earn their doctorate,” said Han.
Destiny Camacho, who is a pharmacy aide and is currently enrolled in a Pharmacy Technician course and is a Northern Marianas College student in business courses, replenishes the pharmacy’s shelves.
Parker is quoted in a previous interview of how proud he and Yuknavage were when Patsylynn Cepeda became their first staff member to earn a doctorate in pharmacy and return to work at Brabu.
In addition, many have undergone training at Brabu, and Parker and Yuknavage have mentored and helped certify more than a dozen pharmacy technicians over the years. They have also helped enroll staff in online training or at Northern Marianas College. In that earlier interview, Parker said these are often the highlights of what they do: celebrating their staff’s individual achievements and career growth.
That celebratory note even spilled into how Brabu celebrates its own milestones. For its 15th anniversary last June, they went on a sunset cruise along the Saipan Lagoon.
Brabu Pharmacy’s drive to empower its employees has also allowed its pharmacy technicians to become the first in the Pacific region to be certified to administer vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. That enabled them to administer the vaccines curbside, which was quite helpful to the homebound who were unable to go to the Commonwealth Health Center to get their shots or those with compromised immune systems who are trying to avoid crowds.
The company celebrates not just milestones related to pharmacy. Brabu Pharmacy administrator specialist supervisor Erica Leon Guerrero is in America Samoa right now and will soon be aboard the research vessel Nautilus of the Ocean Exploration Trust as a NOAA intern after graduating from Oregon State University with a BS in Environmental Science. She will be on the vessel for a month (https://nautiluslive.org/education)
‘Valued and respected’
It’s not just about the employees’ career growth that matters. Han said their employees’ well-being is also front and center at Brabu Pharmacy, where they are respected and valued. She recounts instances where employees have suffered medical emergencies or have taken extended maternity leaves and other such situations where both Parker and Yuknavage “have shown graceful patience and compassion as employers.”
From left, Pharmacist Patsylynn Cepeda; certified pharmacy technician Trina Ito; pharmacy aide Loc Thi Vu; and pharmacist PhD interning for an upcoming board exam Alina Ishikawa.
Han said Brabu Pharmacy also encourages those who have received training off-island to return to the islands. “Hopefully that will allow someone to take the helm so Ted and Kathy can retire and partake in their favorite activities: fishing and playing music,” she added.
In truth, helping the CNMI build local capacity and getting more residents involved in the work of running pharmacies not only ensures the future for Brabu and other pharmacies, but it also paves the way for newer generations to take the helm and bring even more new ideas to the table, which in the end will only benefit the community more.
Core belief
That, in a nutshell, appears to be at the core of how Parker runs Brabu Pharmacy. He is quoted in a separate interview recalling a lesson from his father, a retired pharmacist, who told him to always care for the community and that his business will succeed so long as he gives people an education, a livable wage, respect, and a workplace that shows appreciation for their efforts.
From left, pharmacist Patsylynn Cepeda; certified pharmacy technician and IT graduate Kina Sablan; pharmacist PhD interning for upcoming board exam Alina Ishikawa; and pharmacy aide supervisor Felicia Hicks.
And pharmacy work is not just about dispensing medicines. If you look at the products Brabu Pharmacy stocks, they also have products that promote the well-being of the environment with more environmentally friendly laundry products, sunscreens that do less harm to coral reefs, over-the-counter items for the daily needs of people, and even pet products—making the trip to Brabu Pharmacy not just a medicine run but also a perfect time to stock up on daily essentials.
“Brabu’s commitment goes beyond simply providing prescriptions. We look at the total well-being of both our clients and individuals who work for us. We take this to heart in everything we do,” Han said. “Brabu Pharmacy… is committed to our islands’ well-being, whether that pertains to our people, animals, or environment.”
Values-driven operation
She said Brabu puts this into practice by encouraging recycling and taking action through the pharmacy’s prescription bottle recycling and promoting less use of plastic bags.
That recycling program is a game-changer: instead of throwing away your empty prescription bottles, you can turn them over to Brabu, which will make sure they are refilled with the same medication for the same person.
That concern for the environment is a constant mantra at Brabu and guides all their actions, whether that is through packaging or stocking up on products.
“At every opportunity we try to be conscientious stewards by stocking and researching products that address the need to do less harm. We also carry products that are locally made whenever they are available. We feel the urgency as we well know our islands have limited resources and we must guard what we have,” said Han.
Brabu Pharmacy, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary, has three branches:
∙ Gualo Rai (670-233-2668)
Open Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
∙ Dan Dan (670-235-2668) next to Staywell.
Open Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
∙ Kagman (670-488-2668) (next to Kagman Community Health Center)
Mondays to Fridays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Employees of Brabu Pharmacy and Wellness Center at the Gualo Rai branch mug for the camera.
Brabu Pharmacy co-owner Ted Parker, right, talks with some of his staff.
