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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tom Ryan and Mary Sammons have received the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ryan, who just retired as chairman of CVS Caremark Corp., served as president and chief executive officer of the company from 1994 until this year. He joined CVS as a pharmacy intern in 1974. He moved up the ranks, holding various positions before being named senior vice president of pharmacy and then executive vice president of stores. An NACDS board member, Ryan served as the organization’s chairman from 1997 to 1998.
Sammons joined Rite Aid Corp. in 1999 as president and chief operating officer, and subsequently served as CEO until 2010. She continues to serve as the company’s chairman.
Before joining Rite Aid, Sammons held several senior-level positions with Fred Meyer Stores Inc., becoming the chain’s president and CEO in 1998. An NACDS board member, she served as the organization’s chairman from 2003 to 2005.
“Both Mary and Tom have demonstrated incredible leadership in guiding their respective companies,” Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark and past chairman of NACDS, said at the organization’s annual meeting. “We applaud and honor them tonight with this award and express our gratitude for their outstanding contributions to pharmacy.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 1989 to recognize exceptional accomplishments and contributions to the chain drug industry. It was renamed in 1996 in honor of the late Sheldon (Bud) Fantle of Peoples Drug Stores.
“Bud was a personal friend and mentor, and I know he would appreciate the contributions of tonight’s honorees,” Merlo said.
