CVS Caremark Sponsors 2nd Annual Wake Forest Retail Innovation Challenge: Enhancing Seniors' Lives
Student teams from nation's top MBA and undergrad programs will compete to deliver the most innovative retail idea to better serve the aging population
CVS Caremark President and CEO Larry Merlo to deliver keynote address on reinventing pharmacy for better health
CVS/pharmacy Chief Marketing Officer Rob Price to moderate discussion panel on aging and serve as a Challenge judge
Nov 14, 2013
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) announced today that it is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Wake Forest Retail Innovation Challenge, being held at the Wake Forest University School of Business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on November 14th and 15th.
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The theme of this year's Retail Innovation Challenge is "Enhancing Seniors' Lives." With 10,000 people in the U.S. turning 65 years old every day, an age demographic that takes two to three times more prescriptions, on average, than those who are younger, CVS Caremark is in a unique position as a pharmacy innovation company to deliver solutions to better serve the aging population and to foster new ideas in the retail space to improve their lives.
"We are pleased to once again sponsor the Wake Forest Retail Innovation Challenge and participate in this event's spirit of collaboration to help develop new ideas to enhance the lives of our older customers," said Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark, who will deliver the keynote address on how the company is reinventing pharmacy for better health. "Innovation is one of CVS Caremark's core values and it informs everything we do at our 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores, more than 700 MinuteClinic medical clinics, and through our industry-leading pharmacy benefits management business to help people on their path to better health."
The 2013 Retail Innovation Challenge is hosted by the Wake Forest University Center for Retail Innovation. Twenty-one student teams representing the best MBA and undergraduate programs in the nation will each have two minutes to pitch their best retail idea to enhance the lives of seniors. The best five innovation ideas will deliver a formal 30-minute presentation and the top three ideas will win cash prizes.
Rob Price, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of CVS/pharmacy, will serve as one of the judges for the Innovation Challenge and will moderate a discussion panel, "Graymerica – Bracing for the Silver Tsunami," during the Wake Forest event. Price is a member of the 2012 Class of the Henry Crown Fellowship Program at the Aspen Institute (http://www.aspeninstitute.org/leadership-programs/henry-crown-fellowship-program). As part of this fellowship, Price is dedicating effort to unlocking new ideas to improve the lives of seniors.
"As our population ages, retailers must deliver breakthroughs for older Americans," said Price. "CVS Caremark's sponsorship of the Wake Forest Retail Innovation Challenge is a unique opportunity to engage with some of the nation's best young minds on this journey."
"Collaborating with executives from our sponsor companies such as CVS Caremark and experts on aging gives the student teams a wonderful opportunity for hands-on experience in business planning and expressing the kinds of innovative ideas that will make a difference in the future of retail," said Roger Beahm, professor of marketing and executive director of the Wake Forest University School of Business Center for Retail Innovation. "We are excited to learn more from our student teams and reward the best ideas."
About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) is dedicated to helping people on their path to better health as the largest integrated pharmacy company in the United States. Through the company's more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores; its leading pharmacy benefit manager serving more than 60 million plan members; and its retail health clinic system, the largest in the nation with more than 750 MinuteClinic locations, it is a market leader in mail order, retail and specialty pharmacy, retail clinics, and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As a pharmacy innovation company with an unmatched breadth of capabilities, CVS Caremark continually strives to improve health and lower costs by developing new approaches such as its unique Pharmacy Advisor program that helps people with chronic diseases such as diabetes obtain and stay on their medications. Find more information about how CVS Caremark is reinventing pharmacy for better health at info.cvscaremark.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike DeAngelis
CVS Caremark
michael.deangelis@cvscaremark.com
401.770.2645
SOURCE CVS Caremark