Capsa Healthcare's Kirby Lester President Zage Retires to an Advisory Role

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The leader of Capsa Healthcare's Kirby Lester pharmacy automation, Garry Zage, RPh, is retiring after steering the venerable brand through a remarkable transformation. Mr. Zage will leave his day-to-day management of the pharmacy automation business on September 1st, but he will remain in a consulting role with the company and in retail pharmacy and healthcare industries.

In 2005, Mr. Zage purchased Kirby Lester from one of the company's original founders, Rod Lester. Zage served as CEO and President of Kirby Lester until 2014 when the company was purchased by Capsa Healthcare. Mr. Zage remained as President and served on the executive leadership team of Capsa Healthcare. During Mr. Zage's tenure, he oversaw 10 new product launches and major product updates, and landed long-term contracts with leading national and regional pharmacy chains, IDN's, and central fill pharmacies. Behind his leadership, the Kirby Lester organization grew into the industry's most comprehensive line of dispensing technology.

"Certainly, I have mixed emotions as I retire from Capsa and the Kirby Lester business," says Mr. Zage. "I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished in a decade-and-a-half. We reinvented the classic tablet counter multiple times, each version better than the last. We made robotic dispensing technology affordable and accessible to more community pharmacies than ever before. Overall, this has been an enviable run of innovation and success driven by a highly skilled group of professionals that I am very proud to work with on a daily basis."

Zage was the only president of a pharmacy automation company who is also a pharmacist. In the start of his career, Zage was recognized as the Outstanding Young Pharmacist in the State of Illinois and then, in 2012, Zage was awarded the highest honor from the University of Illinois as Alumnus of the Year. Zage also served on several boards during his time with Kirby Lester, the most recent being a member of the advisory board at the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy.

"What always has impressed me about Garry is his unique perspective on the ever-changing needs of pharmacists, technicians, and the practice of pharmacy," says Andrew Sherrill, CEO of Capsa Healthcare. "He was an executive by talent, but he was a pharmacist at heart, and he always made decisions based on what would help our customers and their patients. That's a rare combination today. The brand name Kirby Lester is synonymous with integrity, and a lot of that has to do with Garry's leadership over so many years."

Pharmacy Automation, featuring Kirby Lester technology, is one of four Capsa Healthcare solutions categories. Others include Point-of Care (mobile computing carts, wall arm and cabinet solutions, medication computing workstations), Medication Management (medication carts, automated dispensing cabinets, medication cabinets), and Procedural/Supply (medical carts).

About Capsa Healthcare
Capsa Healthcare is a worldwide leader in developing and delivering innovative healthcare products in the critical areas of patient information, medical supplies, and medication management. Capsa Healthcare offers a unique ability to meet the demands of diverse healthcare environments. Product lines include medication carts, medical carts, computer carts, and pharmacy automation solutions. Headquartered in Portland, OR, Capsa Healthcare has 400 employees, with management and manufacturing facilities in Columbus, OH, Huntersville, NC and Chicago, IL, plus distribution partners in more than 70 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.capsahealthcare.com or call 800-437-6633.

SOURCE Capsa Healthcare