Kearney drug store owner named Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - The owner of Kearney based Innovative Rx was announced as the Small Business Administration’s Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year.

The Nebraska office of the SBA named Rachel Daly, PharmD, RP, owner of Kearney-based Innovative Rx. This award honors Nebraskan small business owners for their sustained growth, resiliency and contributions to their local communities.

“I’m excited to announce Rachel Daly as the SBA Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year for 2023,” SBA Nebraska District Director Tim Mittan said. “We are thrilled to have such a vibrant, energetic and passionate entrepreneur as our Small Business Person of the Year. Rachel opened her business shortly before the pandemic and faced challenges from the very beginning. She was able to utilize the Nebraska Business Development Center to help her strategize and create the best path forward. Her talent, commitment, ability to take calculated risks and knowing when to access resources is what has made her the success she is today. The Nebraska SBA and our partners are happy to be part of Daly’s resource pool. It is an honor to work with such a talented business owner.”

Innovative Rx is a fully licensed compounding pharmacy servicing Kearney and the surrounding cities. Daly earned her doctorate from the UNMC College of Pharmacy and opened her business in September, 2019 so that she could provide specialized medications for her patients’ needs.

Despite the pandemic, Daly has grown her business from her as the sole employee to ten total full and part-time employees. Daly worked with the Nebraska Small Business Development Center (NBDC) in Kearney to receive assistance with her business plan, conducting a financial and market-industry analysis, and loan packaging services in 2019. NBDC Kearney Center Director Odee Ingersoll nominated Daly for the award.

“Rachel is a fantastic business owner. I was so pleased to hear that the SBA Nebraska District Office had selected her and her business Innovate Rx of Kearney, NE for this year’s state-wide award,” Ingersoll said. “She began her business during a difficult time and worked hard to keep everything moving forward, and in the process looked for ways to serve her community. Her business has continued to improve and grow, and Rachel has been a wonderful client for NBDC and my center here at the University of Nebraska Kearney. I hope I can continue to assist her and Innovative Rx in the future!”

The small business awards program is part of National Small Business Week (NSBW), which is being held April 30 to May 6. NSBW highlights the resilience, ingenuity and creativity of these award winners who have demonstrated staying power, growth, resilience and contributions to their communities.

The NSBW Virtual Summit will be held on May 2 and 3, and will include honoring small businesses around the country, educational sessions, online business resources, and exciting speakers. Highlights of the summit will include virtual booths to develop one-on-one connections with public and private sector partners, and the summit will conclude with the awards ceremony honoring more than 60 small business owners, including Innovative Rx.