Pharmacist is award finalist

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BRAINERD — Mike Schwartzwald, pharmacist and part-owner of GuidePoint Pharmacy, has been named one of three finalists out of 350 nominees for the 2011 Next-Generation Pharmacist Entrepreneur of the Year award by Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times magazine.

Schwartzwald owns GuidePoint Pharmacies in Worthington, Brainerd, Rochester, Redwood Falls and Winthrop, as well as Arrowhead Pharmacy in Grand Marais.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award salutes pharmacy professionals who define the industry’s future and demonstrate distinctive entrepreneurial spirit and passion, making an indelible mark on the reputation of the industry. The winner will be announced Aug. 29 in Boston.

Schwartzwald has tailored his pharmacies to be an extension of the health care profession, focusing on the health and wellbeing of patients through medications and lifestyle changes. GuidePoint Pharmacies offer cholesterol screenings, blood pressure checks, flu shots and other vaccines, as well as body fat analyses.

Schwartzwald serves as a mentor for the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy students, working with them for months at a time, providing a glimpse of what life as a pharmacist will be like.

He is also known for offering support where it’s needed, even helping a recently closed pharmacy get started again.

Between all of Schwartzwald’s pharmacies, around 70 people are employed throughout Minnesota.

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