PCCA has named Tom Marks, RPh, FIACP, founder of Martin Avenue Pharmacy in Naperville, Ill., as the 2003 Dr. M. George Webber Pharmacist of the Year. This award is presented annually to the PCCA member who demonstrates service excellence with patients, healthcare providers and pharmacy colleagues, alike.

L. David Sparks, PCCA’s President & CEO, presented the award during the January International Seminar. “For 2003, we are very pleased to recognize a pharmacist who has become one of our profession’s best ambassadors. Tom is known for his constant willingness to network and share with fellow compounders, and for his tireless commitment to protecting and advancing phar-macists’ right to compound.”

It was a magical evening as Tom’s colleagues, Pharmacists Peter Ford, John Preckshot, Jeff Jackson, George Roentsch, John Voliva, and Andy Johnson, all shared their many experiences of how Tom has impacted their lives over the years through friendship and net-working. Tom’s wife, son and daughter sent their congratulations via telephone link – enabling the audience to listen in.

	Practices pharmacy compounding with the utmost in safety and quality standards
	Gives of his / her time and technical know-how to all PCCA compounding pharmacists
	Attends both International and Regional Seminars
	Attempts to meet all the compounding needs in their community and is not a single-therapy specialist
	Demonstrates the highest ethical and professional standards
	Has contributed in an innovation that has significantly benefited the compounding profession
	Is successful but necessarily "huge"
	Has a giving spirit

Tom is a 1971 graduate from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in Chicago, IL., with a bachelor’s of science degree in pharmacy.
He founded Martin Avenue Pharmacy on Friday the 13th, in April 1973, with the philoso-phy of meeting patients' special needs. Tom’s first staff member was his mother. The family tradi-tion has continued as Tom’s first-born son, Matthew Marks, now works full time as market-ing director. Check out the pharmacy’s Web site at www.martinavenue.com to view some of the award-winning television commercials and cam-paigns the pharmacy has produced. The Web site itself was named an award-winning educational site.

Although the pharmacy’s location has not changed in more than 24 years, it has increased in size. When Martin Avenue Pharmacy first opened, the practice occupied 400 square feet. After five renovations, the pharmacy now
encompasses more than 2,000 square feet located in a medical building in the western suburbs of Chicago. The most recent renova-tion was completed in April 1997, tripling the size of the compounding laboratory and including the addition of a sterile compound-ing room with laminar flow hood.

During his career, Tom has won several awards including: Innovative Pharmacy of the Year 2000 presented by the Illinois Pharmacists Association; the National Conrad Jobst Precision award, 1998 to 2003; and the Pharmacy Patron award by the Illinois Pharmacy Foundation. He was named PCCA Pharmacist of the Month in September 1988.

In addition, Tom is a Full Fellow of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists and an Elected Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries. Tom is a member of many organizations including the American Pharmaceutical Association, National Community Pharmacists Association, Illinois Pharmacists Association, and Du Page County Pharmaceutical Association.

Deeply involved with compounding over the years, Tom has helped to spread the word regard-ing custom medications through his extensive par-ticipation
on boards and advisory groups. He has served on the International Academy of
Compounding Pharmacists Board since 2001. Tom also had the honor of being appointed by the Governor of Illinois to the University of Illinois Advisory Committee and served in that capacity from 1985 to 1990.Congrats, Tom Marks!
Congratulations to Tom Marks, RPh, FIACP, of Martin Avenue Pharmacy in
Naperville, Ill., for being named PCCA's Dr. M. George Webber Compounding
Pharmacist of the Year! Tom Marks, RPh, FIACP: Pharmacist of the Year TOM MARKS, RPH, FIACP.