By Donna Thornton/News Editor
When H.M. Hutcheson opened Super Bee Discount Pharmacy in 1971, he couldn’t have known that two generations of pharmacists would follow in his footsteps, serving their friends and neighbors with personalized customer service and care that goes beyond the requirements.
Hutcheson’s granddaughter, Abby Lynn Adams, completed her state pharmacy board tests this month, and is joining her grandfather and her mother behind the counter at Super Bee in Rainbow City.
In addition to Abby’s mom – Debbie Adams – the middle generation in this family of pharmacists includes Debbie’s sister Kim Davis, and included their brother, the late Mike Hutcheson until his death last year.
Debbie Adams said she and her siblings, and later her daughter, worked in the pharmacy when they were teenagers.
“We decided we liked it and would follow in my father’s footsteps,” Debbie said.
She’s pleased to see Abby coming into the family business.
“We think she’s going to bring some fresh new ideas to the business,” Debbie said, to complement the constant updating she and her father do to stay informed on current medical practices and medication updates.
But some things won’t ever change at Super Bee.
“We want to continue the tradition of friendly, personalized customer service,” she said.
That service can be observed at Super Bee on a daily basis. Many customers are greeted by name and some were pulling Abby out for a hug and congratulations – evidence of a long-time business relationship with the multiple generations of the family at Super Bee.
Debbie said the business has been fortunate in stability with their staff as well.
“One of our technicians has been with us about 35 years,” she said.
All the pharmacists at Super Bee, Debbie said, are committed to working with health care professionals and customers to help those customers achieve and maintain the best health possible.