The Apothecary Shops' founder and CEO named semifinalist in Ernst & Young competition

PHOENIX John Musil, founder and CEO of The Apothecary Shops, a specialty pharmacy provider operating in seven states, has been named a semifinalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 in the Orange County/Desert Cities region, The Apothecary Shops announced Thursday.

Musil is one of 26 regional nominees selected by a panel of independent judges made up of regional business, academic and community leaders and executives from a field of 60 nominees “who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses.”

Winners will be announced June 17.

“Just to be nominated is quite an honor, but, the fact  is, this reflects the collective effort and commitment by the entire organization much more than individual recognition,” Musil said.

Since founding The Apothecary Shops in 1996, the company  has expanded to 17 locations in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, California, New Mexico, Ohio and Missouri.

Earlier this year, The Apothecary Shops became a Tier 1  Specialty Provider of the cancer drug Nexavar (sorafenib) by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals. Nexavar is the first oral cancer  therapy that inhibits both tumor and tumor blood vessel growth among patients with advanced kidney and liver cancers.

In 2009, The Apothecary Shops completed construction of a 5,000-sq.-ft. clean room and expanded its state-of-the-art mail-order fulfillment center in Phoenix to 21,000-sq.-ft., allowing The Apothecary Shops to generate sales in all 50 states within the company’s specialty service areas.