People on the move … Nov. 22
Drug Store News has rounded up all the retail pharmacy comings and goings to help keep you informed. Here are this week’s announcements.
The Giant Company announces leadership appointments
The Giant Company has announced that Brian Lorenz has been named vice president of omnichannel fresh merchandising and Kathy Sweigert has been named vice president of the Mid-Atlantic division.
Lorenz will report directly to John Ruane, president of The Giant Company, while Sweigert will report directly to Dave Lessard, senior vice president of operations, customer experience and perishable distribution. Both appointments are effective Monday, Nov. 27.
“Brian and Kathy bring vast experience to our business, with more than 40 years of retail grocery experience between them and have a strong understanding and appreciation of the needs of our team, customers, and the communities we serve,” said Ruane. “I am excited to see them grow in their new roles and continue to contribute to The Giant Company in meaningful ways.”
In his new role, Lorenz will lead omnichannel fresh merchandising, including the produce/floral, meat/seafood, and deli/bakery departments, while Sweigert will oversee retail operations at 100 Giant and Martin’s stores across Central and Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Lorenz joined The Giant Company in 2014 as district director. He has held a variety of positions across the Ahold Delhaize USA family of companies including district director and portfolio lead. Most recently, Lorenz served as category director, bakery/deli, a position he has held since 2018. Prior to joining The Giant Company, he held a variety of positions at Walmart and Tops Markets.
In 2023, Lorenz received the company’s highest honor, the Presidents’ Award, for consistently delivering exceptional performance, contributing to the organization’s success in countless ways, is a role model for the company’s values, and brings the company’s purpose to life in all that they do. He currently serves as the co-chair of the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. Lorenz is a graduate of Youngstown State University.
IA elevates Tom Utech from president and chief operation officer to CEO
IA, a company that provides an integrated pharmacy fulfillment platform for retail, health system, and government pharmacies, announced that current President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Utech, Pharm.D., has been appointed the role of CEO.
Utech replaces Marvin Richardson, who is retiring after serving as CEO since March 2020. Richardson, an industry leader within pharmacy automation and centralization, will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Managers and as an industry advisor to the CEO and chairman of the board.
“Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive process and multi-year organizational succession plan to identify the best candidate to continue to lead iA,” said Greg Wasson, iA chairman of the board. “We thank Marvin for his unwavering commitment to the pharmacy industry and his vision for iA over the last four years. We are building on our past success and future growth; I am excited for Tom to continue to drive iA towards our company mission to Unleash the full potential of pharmacy.”
Utech joined iA in 2020 as chief strategy officer. In 2022 he was appointed president and chief operating officer. In this role, Tom oversaw the development and execution of iA’s growth strategy, portfolio, technology development, sales, operations and customer success. In his previous role as chief strategy officer, Utech oversaw the advancement and development of iA’s portfolio of solutions, including the launch and expansion of NEXiA and the launch of SmartPod, iA’s next-generation robot that delivers scale in a central fill pharmacy environment.
Utech is a pharmacist who has worked across a range of pharmacy environments, previously leading the Integrated Solutions business within BD and overseeing pharmacy operations at large medical centers. Across his career, Utech has focused on transforming medication management and is committed to working with pharmacy providers to take advantage of iA’s suite of pharmacy automation solutions to transform their operations with meaningful outcomes that benefit their patients and pharmacy staff.
Richardson has served as CEO since March of 2020 when an investor consortium led by Greg Wasson, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO, and Richardson acquired a majority stake in the company. Richardson is a 43-year veteran of pharmacy and healthcare and an established entrepreneur, having co-founded Capstone Consulting LLC, a pharmacy automation consulting company, in 2015. Prior companies founded and co-owned by Richardson include Low-Cost Health Care, PrairieStone Pharmacies and DailyMed, a compliance packaging company.
Apnar Pharma LP announces the appointment of Gregory T. Stofko as executive vice president of sales and marketing
Apnar Pharma announced the appointment of Greg Stofko to executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Stofko has more than 25 years of experience in various leadership roles with such companies as Cypress Pharmaceuticals, Acella Pharmaceuticals, LLC and most recently Alembic Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in launching the US sales and marketing division, Apnar said.
Apnar Pharma is a privately owned, rapidly growing pharmaceutical company engaged in the acquisition, licensing, development, sales, marketing and distribution of generic pharmaceuticals drugs and over-the-counter and non-prescription items for the U.S. market.
“In addition to our strategic partnerships, we have a highly experienced team of professionals that specialize in analytical development and analysis, formulation development, regulatory affairs, quality control and quality assurance, manufacturing, accounting, marketing, distribution and finance, who all work together to provide quality medicinal products,” the company said.