Tony Civello, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Kerr Drug, has been awarded the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award.

"It is truly fitting that Tony receives chain pharmacy’s highest honor," said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson.

Civello was recognized for his nearly five decades of service to pharmacy and the chain drug store industry.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tony Civello, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Kerr Drug, has been awarded the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award.

Civello was recognized for his nearly five decades of service to pharmacy and the chain drug store industry.

Civello led Kerr from 1996 through its sale last year to Walgreen Co., running one of the most innovative chains in the country. He earlier rose through the ranks at Thrift Drug, where he began his career as a part-timer in 1965 while attending the University of Pittsburgh’s pharmacy school.

Civello has been a highly engaged member of NACDS. He joined the association’s board in 1998 and served as chairman from 2005 to 2007. He also served on the NACDS Foundation board from 2003 to 2013.

"It is truly fitting that Tony receives chain pharmacy’s highest honor," said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. "Bud Fantle was a mentor to Tony in his early days of pharmacy, showing him ‘the ropes’ in an industry that even then was evolving and changing rapidly. Always the selfless leader, Tony put the profession of pharmacy, his fellow employees, patients and customers first. And with an eye towards the future, he empowered many to rise to the challenge in becoming the next generation of pharmacists and industry leaders."

The award was presented to Civello at the NACDS Annual Meeting by Mark Griffin, president and CEO of Lewis Drugs, and Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark Corp.

The Fantle Award was established in 1989 to recognize exceptional accomplishments and contributions to the industry. Chain pharmacy’s highest honor, it was renamed in 1996 in honor of Fantle, of People’s Drug Stores.