Lynne Fruth

Photo by Ed Lowe.

By Arianna Whitehair

“I like to say that I didn’t choose my career, it chose me.”

Lynne Fruth, president and chairman of the board for Fruth Pharmacy—a regional chain of retail pharmacies—stepped up to the challenge of saving her family’s business with little experience and a lot of determination.

Fruth graduated from West Virginia University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in education and received her master’s in education from Marshall University in 1996. Her degree, specialized to focus particularly on learning-disabled and low achieving students, showcases Fruth’s never-ending love of a good challenge and passion for helping others.

“I grew up believing I could do anything, and to this day, I still believe that,” Fruth says.

Fruth credits her parents, Jack and Frances Fruth, for playing a big part in shaping her ambition, drive for success and strong work ethic. From them, she learned the importance of not only striving for individual achievement, but the importance of being a team player.

“In a time where parents seem to be promoting their own children and wanting them to receive all the credit and recognition, I am so thankful that my parents instilled the value of teamwork and everyone’s contribution,” she says.

After her father’s passing in 2005, Fruth Pharmacy was facing a crisis of leadership. Knowing the business would not survive if this continued, Fruth took a leap of faith and never looked back. Just nine months after beginning work as a full-time employee with the pharmacy, Fruth became president. “I was the one who possessed the passion to carry on this family business,” she says.

The road to success, however, was not without setbacks. “I had to figure out how to cut costs, restructure our debt and improve operations,” says Fruth.

When panic struck in 2009 after the pharmacy’s New York-based bank went dark, leaving Fruth without any operational cash, her tenacity was put to the ultimate test. “To make payroll, Fruth Pharmacy needed $3 million in three days,” she recalls.

After making some tough decisions and utilizing her fine-tuned leadership skills to push her team in the right direction, Fruth came out of this nearly devastating setback stronger and more united than before. “From this experience, I learned to never give up,” she says.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Fruth Pharmacy was ready to do what it does best—serve its community. “When the pandemic began, I told our pharmacists that the work they would do during the pandemic would be the most impactful work of their professional career,” Fruth says. “Now, I know this is true.”

A pillar of hope during an unsteady time, Fruth Pharmacy worked tirelessly to keep safety supplies stocked and expanded its delivery capabilities by implementing curbside pick-up in less than a week.

“Our Fruth pharmacists stepped up to serve their communities. Fruth Pharmacy pushed hard for access to vaccinations to ensure that West Virginia would not be left out as vaccines headed to largely urban areas,” says Fruth.

Working alongside health care and community partners to plan and facilitate COVID-19 testing and vaccination events, Fruth Pharmacy administered over 40,000 vaccinations and over 50,000 COVID-19 tests. Fruth cited Fruth Pharmacy’s ability to help the community through the pandemic as one of the most rewarding moments of her career.

“I love the ability to meet many West Virginians across our footprint at these events. The people have been so appreciative that it makes these hard days fun,” she says. “It helps to remind us of why we are working in this field.”

Fruth was named West Virginia’s Wonder Woman for her drug abuse and recovery efforts in 2017 and was granted the Chain Drug Marketing Association Jack E. Fruth Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 for her impact in retail pharmacy. Her most fulfilling accomplishment, however, is her induction into the Marshall University College of Business Hall of Fame in 2012, an honor her father was given years before. Lynne and Jack Fruth are the only father and daughter duo to have achieved this. “I hope that my life will have a fraction of the impact of my father’s life,” she says.

While Fruth’s success continues to soar, she never forgets her humble roots. “I never dream of living anywhere else, and no matter how far I travel, I am always happy to come back home,” she says.