Tony Civello, Kerr Drug

Drug Store News, April 21, 2008

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When chain pharmacy was staggering under the impact of federal reimbursement cuts and burdensome regulations a few years ago, it found in Kerr Drug chairman and chief executive officer Tony Civello a leader who seemed born for the role. With his clear-eyed assessment of the dangers posed by Medicaid cuts, declining pharmacy reimbursements and mandatory mail-order plans; his willingness to take on both Congress and the managed care industry; and his ability to call his own industry colleagues to action with strong language, Civello seemed the perfect choice to head the National Association of Chain Drug Stores as its chairman from 2005 to 2007.

Civello led the buyout of Kerr in 1997 and guided its evolution from a traditional drug store retailer to a retail health and wellness leader. But before coming to Kerr, he built a career spanning four decades at Pittsburgh-based Thrift Drug after his graduation from the University of Pittsburgh's pharmacy school in the mid-1960s.

Through his leadership of NACDS, as well as his numerous appearances on Capitol Hill in support of pharmacy initiatives and his other activities, Civello has become one of retail pharmacy's best-known advocates. He's also a tireless champion of a broader healthcare role for community pharmacists, and he's put his career and the company he leads on the line in support of that effort.