LA GRANDE — From prescriptions written out by a Royal typewriter to robotic technology packaging prescriptions, Bob Coulter has navigated Red Cross Drug Store through decades of innovation.

Now, he and his family are not only celebrating 40 years of ownership, but also of growth, technological advancements and a family-oriented culture they have cultivated over the years — complete with a staff-organized block party on Saturday, July 29.

“We started out with a typewriter, then computers came in within a pretty short time after we took over in 1973,” Coulter, owner of Red Cross Drug Store at 1123 Adams Ave., said.

He recalls typing a series of 53 letters or numbers for one Oregon Health Plan prescription, having claims rejected due to typos, and retyping the prescriptions to submit again. Now — thanks to computers — the claim process is cut down to a couple seconds at most, and the packaging of prescriptions is expedited by automation as well.

“Not every prescription, but 90% of them come through some form of technology,” Coulter said.

Coulter celebrates 40 years in business, 32 of them at the 1123 Adams Ave. location, which the business moved into after buying out Glass Drug from Glen Troyer in 1991.

“We’ve got more windows than any other business in La Grande,” Coulter said. “We’re on a very busy corner, and location is the No. 1 word in marketing.”

In addition to being on the corner of Adams Avenue and Depot Street, which has “good visibility,” Coulter said business increased by 20% within days when Safeway pharmacy moved from 2006 Fourth St. — where Cook Memorial Library is now — to its current location in the early 2000s.

“We’re thankful for that, but in the end it took technology to provide the service, and having the right people that care about providing good care so people can live a healthier life,” Coulter said.

Family

Bob and his wife, Sue, both have pharmacist licenses, and their daughter, Leah, is the general manager of the store.

“(Leah) has been raised in the drug store,” Coulter said. “She was born the second year we moved back to town in ’84, so she kind of understands our philosophy, but we really treat our employees as if they were an extended family member.”

The longest working staff member at Red Cross Drug Store, Corie Fowler, certified pharmacy technician, said she loves working for the Coulters and their family-owned business.

“They’re very flexible with your personal family needs. That’s very important to me,” Fowler said. “I’ve seen the Coulters for years go above and beyond to take care of customers and make sure their needs are met, and I see that carried on for all the years that I’ve been here, faithfully.”

Red Cross Drug Store Pharmacist Darcy Blackman remembers a time when she was given a week’s paid leave to help run a local baseball tournament “just because (the Coulters) love being community oriented.”

“They basically paid me to go help the community,” Blackman said.

Carol Campbell, who has been a customer since before the business moved to Adams, stated that the staff members are “always friendly and do a good job.”

Future

Bob and Sue Coulter both renewed their pharmacist licenses in June, which are valid until June 2025.

“I think we’re just going to continue to (provide) excellent service,” Coulter said. “Our big push is for synchronized refill. One stop, once a month visit to your pharmacy. … That helps us partner with a patient so that they don’t have to make multiple trips downtown.”

Fowler said Red Cross Drug Store is looking to further grow its institutional pharmacy, which provides prescriptions to places including foster homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and correctional institutions in Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties.

As for Bob Coulter, he’s not rushing to slow down.

“We’d like to stay a little bit involved in the business,” he said of he and his wife, Sue. “Cover vacations or time for pharmacists to live their life. … I enjoy work.”

Coulter said the couple will, however, want to spend more time with their grandchildren and ease up on the reins eventually.

“I don’t have any big plans for extended travel or buying an RV or anything like that, or playing golf every day,” Coulter said. “I enjoy people, I enjoy my staff. … It’s a good place to work. I’m very proud of our business.”

Event

Misty Golden, the front-end manager of Red Cross Drug Store, organized a block party on Depot Street at the covered parking area next door to Benchwarmers. The event will go from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 29.

Golden said the event will be 1980s themed, with first come, first serve burgers, salad and beans from Jimmy B’s BBQ.

There will be games including ’80s trivia and a “guess which employee is who from the ’80s,” as well as kids activities like face painting, and opportunities to win prizes in games or through a raffle drawing.