WOONSOCKET, R.I., November 9, 2023 – Jay Gillespie, Store Manager at the CVS Pharmacy on Highway 210 in Sneads Ferry, NC, was awarded a 2023 Paragon Award from CVS Health. The annual Paragon Awards recognize the best of the best among CVS Health’s colleagues and are among the highest honors awarded by the company.
Paragon Award recipients are chosen for their commitment to company values and for their dedication to fulfilling CVS Health’s purpose: bringing our heart to every moment of your health. At the same time, they have demonstrated their ability to deliver outstanding business results, lead their teams to excellence, and make substantial contributions to the communities where they live and work. They are considered role models for the entire company.
A retired U.S. Marine, Jay joined CVS Pharmacy eight years ago to start his second career. Gillespie, a loving father and husband is passionate about creating simplicity for his team to help them better serve their customers at his busy store. Despite having to overcome injuries from his time in combat, Jay is known for navigating the challenges he faces with a positive attitude that inspires trust in his team members and the customers they support.
Beyond his store team, Gillespie is equally committed to the military community in North Carolina where he leads the Retail Work Experience Externship program to support military personnel as they transition to civilian life, encouraging many to also consider CVS Health for their second careers.
“Jay really is such a huge part of this Marine community here in Sneads Ferry,” said Charona Remillard, District Leader at CVS Pharmacy. “He does an amazing job connecting with those individuals and his colleagues. He is so driven and focused, and it comes from deep inside, establishing a relationship with customers and colleagues on personal level and it allows him to be the extraordinary leader we look for at CVS.”
Every year, CVS Health honors Paragon Award winners from its thousands of store managers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and pharmacy benefits management employees. The winners were nominated by their supervisors and eventually voted on by CVS Health’s senior leaders. The 2023 Retail Paragon Award winners are being recognized in October as part of the company’s National Customer Service Week activities.