Startup pounds it

Jillian Dano was a young teen in Watertown, N.Y., when an interaction with an independent pharmacist sparked her career dream. She fast-tracked through pharmacy school and found work as a pharmacist in St. Petersburg.

But Dano always felt an entrepreneurial calling.

So after investing hundreds of hours in planning and store build-out, and with help from silent partners, in June Dano opened her own independent compounding pharmacy, Sarasota Apothecary. As a compounding pharmacist, Dano is qualified to fill prescriptions for both humans and animals. For people, she specializes in bio-identical hormones and custom medications, such as those free of dyes, preservatives and sugar. For veterinary uses, she can provide gel formulations applied behind the ear, and other options.