Matt Pike brings extensive pharmacy background to new position
Smith Drug Company (SDC) has announced that Matthew Pike has been named to the newly-created position of Associate Vice President of Strategy, Industry Relations. In this role, Pike will work with Smith Drug Company to develop and operationalize strategy designed to maximize efficiencies and market share. Pike will also leverage his background as a resource for industry relations.
“To have someone of Matt’s caliber on our team is a tremendous asset,” said Jeff Foreman, RPh, President, Smith Drug Company. “Matt brings a great deal of experience and knowledge of the industry. Our team has tremendous depth and expertise already, but Matt’s arrival strengthens it even more. Smith Drug Company is poised for success against the challenges that lie ahead, and our customers will benefit from this.”
A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelors of Pharmacy degree, Pike was an award-winning sales representative for Eli Lilly and Company before joining their Government Affairs team, and ultimately becoming a global product manager responsible for development of strategy, messaging and marketing techniques for pharmaceutical products. Pike went on to work for Wolters Kluwer Heath as Director of Drug File products and Medicine Shoppe International in roles that worked directly with customers and product development.
Pike joins Smith Drug Company from Walgreens, where he was the Director, Generic Pharmaceutical Purchasing, negotiating pricing and terms for more than $8B in annual spend. Pike also served as liaison to Walgreens Boots Alliance Development, LLC in Switzerland. Throughout his career, Pike has focused on strategy and data-driven analytics, as well as building relationships with customers, vendors, and agencies. In his new role, he will focus on using these skillsets to work with leadership on crafting the vision for the future.
“The opportunity to join this team is incredible,” said Pike. “The bench strength already in place is noteworthy throughout the industry, and I am looking forward to the great things we will all accomplish together as we continue to differentiate Smith Drug Company in the marketplace.”
About Smith Drug Company
Smith Drug Company (www.smithdrug.com) is the original division of J M Smith Corporation, and one of America’s premier wholesale drug distributors. Launched in 1944, the division serves pharmacies in 23 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands through distribution centers in Spartanburg; Paragould, AR; and Valdosta, GA.
Burlington Drug Company has been operating in the Burlington, Vermont area for 125 years, serving independent community pharmacies and long-term care facilities across New England, New York, and Pennsylvania with a full array of products and services designed to help community pharmacies better their patients.
South Carolina’s third-largest privately owned company, the J M Smith Corporation is headquartered in Spartanburg and operates through multiple business units: Smith Drug Company, QS/1, Integral Solutions Group, RxMedic Systems, Inc., Integra LTC Solutions, LLC and Burlington Drug Company.
