Pharmacy Students Guarantee Top Three Finish in National Business Plan Competition

The Ole Miss pharmacy student team was one of the top three finalists in the 2026 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition, announced at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting in July. Ole Miss is guaranteed a first-, second-, or third-place national finish.

“We’re so proud of our team and what they’ve accomplished,” said Donna Strum, dean of the school. “This is very much a student-driven initiative, and they have done an impressive job developing their plan and presentation.”

The road to this moment began well before this year. After about a decade away from competing nationally, the chapter returned last year and placed in the Top 10. Thanks to a new elective class taught by Dr. Lindsey Rayborn and Dr. Meagan Brown, students were introduced to the realities of owning a pharmacy, with segments focused on topics such as business principles, financial considerations, and marketing strategies. The course also exposed students to innovative clinical services as revenue streams by having owners from across the country as guest speakers. The course provided the framework for students to transform their coursework into a full business plan competition entry.

“The class really helped us, because it focused on the business side of things,” said student member and former chapter president Anna Claire Roberson. “Learning about the financial responsibilities of owning a pharmacy gave us great insight, and we couldn’t have submitted a viable business plan without taking the class.”

The plan the students built focused on purchasing a pharmacy in Oxford that is located near a cluster of medical offices. A mentor from this pharmacy also helped guide the students through their business plan creation. The students branded their business Velvet Ditch Drugs, and emphasized nutrition and supplement counseling to target the growing emphasis on mental and physical wellness in the Ole Miss community.

For this year's entry, the team added a mobile health app that tracks blood pressure, glucose levels and weight to help patients and pharmacists monitor health outcomes over time. Because the concept ties directly back to the wellness focus of the original plan, the students were able to present actual projected metrics alongside it, giving the pitch an added layer of credibility in front of judges.

“The national competition is valuable because it requires students to hone their entrepreneurial skills by developing a viable business plan and demonstrating its benefit to the community,” said Lindsey Rayborn, clinical assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice and the chapter’s faculty advisor on the Oxford campus. “Our NCPA chapter offers great training opportunities because the students decide what they’re going to do and they drive the process.”

Next up, the students will travel to Kansas City, Missouri, in October to deliver a 20-minute presentation of their business plan. The presenting team includes Roberson and Hannah Clayton who competed on last year's Top 10, along with Mary Margaret White and Mecklyn Vaught. The students will refine their presentation before heading to the NCPA Annual Convention, but regardless of the outcome, Clayton said the experience has already paid off.

“I may open my own pharmacy one day, and if I do, I won't be as scared to navigate the ins and outs of the laws and regulations that go along with it,” Clayton said. “This experience has given me great ideas about how to positively impact my community's health, and that’s the kind of business plan I’d like to follow.”