VP Rotary welcomes recent guests

April 28, Meeting
During the April 28, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club, Rotarian Nick LeBas welcomed Shelly Mouledous with Louisiana Wholesale Drug in Sunset to address the April 28, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club. Mouledous stated the company was founded in 1979 and is owned and operated by independent pharmacists. Currently, the company has 170 stockholders and 19 routes to deliver pharmaceuticals to the many member pharmacies throughout the state, as well as several out of state pharmacies. He noted that within five years, the distribution warehouse will be outfitted with mechanical robotics for dispensing. He stated the company functions as a cooperative, with the company only receiving one percent profit so that the rest of the profits may be put back into the member pharmacies. Louisiana Wholesale partners with a secondary wholesale out of Houston, Texas, and does not service any of the chain pharmacies or hospitals. It strictly works with the local independent pharmacies. Mouledous said the company gives back to the community through its annual high school scholarships for students planning to pursue a degree in pharmacy. He added that the Ville Platte, Mamou, Opelousas area comprises a large percentage of the distribution, with Ville Platte having six member pharmacies, Mamou having five and Pine Prairie having two. When asked why the company was located in Sunset, he said the original founders wanted a central location to accommodate the members and settled on Sunset. A 4,000 square foot facility was recently added to handle the most common drugs distributed.
May 5, Meeting
With no guest speaker available for the May 5, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club, President David Mayeux gave an update on club activities. He noted the Choices program targeting parish eighth grade students will be held next week. He said he and Ronnie Landreneau have chosen the sites for the new Rotary signs. He said signs will be placed at the town entrances coming from Vidrine, Chataignier and the Bayou Chicot Road, pending state approval. Mayeux congratulated the Rotarians who were nominated for and/or received honors at the recent Chamber of Commerce banquet. Nick LeBas was named Man of the Year, Mary Foster-Galasso was nominated for Woman of the Year, Annette Johnson and Larry Lachney tied for Business Person of the Year, and Anita Fontenot’s business, Fontenot’s Hatchery, was named Business of the Year. He also said the group’s annual installation banquet will be held Tuesday, June 16.