Women Who Shape The Plateau: Brandy Letson

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: March 2023 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Brandy Letson and Dr. Patti Wheeler

It’s startling to realize that Brandy Letson has only owned Cashiers Valley Pharmacy (with her husband Mark) since 2015.

She’s made such an impact on the Cashiers community that it seems like she’s been here forever.

In a way, it all makes sense that she’d end up here – an important player in the health of her community.

“I grew up in a small town in the upstate of South Carolina My mom was a nurse and my dad was a machinist for Michelin Tire,” she explains. “I enjoyed a wonderful childhood growing up in a rural area, surrounded by our pets and local wildlife, so I come from a long line of animal lovers. 

“During college, I began working for a local CVS Drugstore, where I realized that people loved a knowledgeable and friendly pharmacist. I applied to pharmacy school and was accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston in 2004. During my time in Charleston, I served as Alumni Liaison for Phi Delta Chi, a service fraternity, and President of the National Community Pharmacists Association student chapter at MUSC. 

“I graduated in 2008, became a pharmacist for CVS and Omnicare (a long-term care pharmacy), moved to Greenville,  and met my husband. We married and welcomed our first daughter, Madden, in 2010, then had our second daughter, Ceci, in 2013. We moved to Cashiers and purchased Cashiers Valley Pharmacy in 2015 and have spent the last eight years serving our community.”

OK – that’s the CV details of her story, but what is it about Brandy and her just-this-side-of-hectic life that’s embroidered her so deeply within Cashiers?

“Mark and I support several local animal-welfare and rescue organizations. After losing our daughter Madden shortly after she was born prematurely in 2010, our family began working with the March of Dimes’ targeted research campaign and with an organization for grieving parents called Share Upstate. Both of these organizations were very important in our journey as parents to two premature babies and to our healing as parents who lost a child. Here in Cashiers, I’ve enjoyed serving on the Board of Directors for the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce for the past several years.”

“I don’t know how critical I am to the community, but I love forming relationships with my patients and helping them meet their healthcare goals. One incredible part of being part of the medical community in the Cashiers area is that the providers in this area are so collaborative. I can call most providers on the Plateau any time that I have a question or need to resolve a therapeutic issue for a patient, which isn’t too common these days. There’s a tremendous amount of mutual respect among providers here.”

That part about “I don’t know how critical I am to the community” reflects her inherent modesty, so let’s turn to her friends to get some insight into why Brandy is one of those Women Who Shape the Plateau. 

Her friend and fellow Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce board member Sarah Jennings says, “Brandy arrived in Cashiers ready to get involved.  She understood her role as a small business owner in a small town and she has taken that responsibility seriously.  Whether it is delivering medication to a patient because they can’t physically drive to get it themselves, purchasing supplies for the schools or supporting a community member who has endured tragedy, she quietly lends a hand.”

Or there’s Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce’s Stephanie Edwards – “Brandy is a shining example of a smart, successful businesswoman and a dedicated and loving wife and mother.  Her many talents and community contributions are outshone only by her fabulous personality!”

And finally, there’s the friend who knows her best of all, her husband Mark Letson: “She is one of a kind! When she was working for a large chain pharmacy, she saw that numbers were the priority, not patient care. She wanted to look into what pharmacy ownership really looked like, so we drove to D.C. and attended a pharmacy owners workshop. Taking information from that conference, we began calling independent pharmacies around the Southeast to try to find a fit. Once we found, negotiated, financed and moved up, we found out that was the easy part. She treats everyone the same with a great attitude. She stays late for those who are held up in traffic or not discharged from the hospital before we close to ensure they have everything they need. I must take her in during snow and ice storms because someone ‘may’ need something. Patients call her on her days off and after hours routinely.”