Episode 291: Stacking Up Success for Pharma and Rare Disease with Jonathan Ogurchak CEO and Founder of STACK and Co-founder Zeal Specialty Pharmacy; Pittsburg, PA, USA
A few years ago we had the pleasure of speaking with Jonathan Ogurchak about the success of his company STACK. Now we have invited him back to see how the business has progressed and learn about his new venture, Zeal Specialty Pharmacy.
As a pharmacist, Jonathan observed significant inefficiencies and a need to modernize processes. This set him on a course to develop and deliver better technology that would ultimately improve patient care. Today, he is a recognized serial entrepreneur, a leader in technology, and a man whose latest endeavor is centered on the delivery of medication to individuals with rare diseases.
Here are highlights of our conversation:
-An Update on STACK: The business has expanded its product offerings including a new product called On Queue, an operations workflow platform to enhance the pharmacy patient journey and capture valuable data. They now have customers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Dubai.
-Healthcare Compliance: STACK software helps organizations manage compliance by providing easy access to regulations for different states and purposes and automating processes for accreditation, compliance, and training for pharmacies.
-Zeal's Branding Strategy: Jonathan explained the origin of the company name "Zeal" as a play on the term "zebra" in the medical community, representing rare and orphan diseases. The zebra also represents an effort to connect with patient communities through tasteful and purposeful branding.
-Advice for Founders: Finding a mentor and maintaining a network for personal and professional growth is critical for new founders. He shared his experiences as a business owner and entrepreneur, highlighting the need to foster a healthy balance between work and personal life. He shared the significance of family and prioritizing time with loved ones, as businesses and jobs can change but family remains constant.
-Building Culture: Jonathan discussed the pharmacy's leadership development initiative, which includes a book club focused on customer service and growth. He mentioned the book "Unreasonable Hospitality" and the Disney Institute program. Jonathan also shared that he encourages team members to explore different industries for innovative ideas.
About the guest:
Jonathan Ogurchak, PharmD, CSP, CPHIMS, is a specialty pharmacy veteran, having served in numerous roles across pharmacies, associations, and education for the last 15 years.
Currently, he is the CEO & Founder of STACK, a software firm with two commercially available platforms: its namesake, STACK, a pharmacy information management platform designed to curate and organize information necessary to run successful pharmacies, professional associations, and higher education institutions; and OnQueue, a workflow platform built to optimize the patient journey for pharmacies and clinics. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Zeal Specialty Pharmacy, an independent rare-disease pharmacy leveraging both the above technologies to create the best experiences possible for patients, prescribers, and pharma partners across the country.
Jonathan is an adjunct faculty through Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh, precepts pharmacy students virtually at 25 schools of pharmacy nationwide, focused on specialty pharmacy programs and processes, and his specialty pharmacy textbook is in pre-publication.
Connect with Jonathan:
Website: https://www.managewithstack.com/
Website: https://www.zealsp.com/
Connect with Allison:
Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/
#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast
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