Former Walgreens SVP writes book on company's outreach to workers with disabilities
CHICAGO — Former SVP Walgreens Randy Lewis on Wednesday announced the release of his book "No Greatness without Goodness," which outlines the progression Walgreens has made in giving people with disabilities the opportunity for employment.
According to Lewis, 1-in-5 Americans has a disability, and nearly 70% of people with disabilities and 95% with severe cognitive disabilities, such as autism, will never hold down a job.
Having experienced success with the Walgreens disability initiative and knowing it had the potential to make an impact on the broader workplace, Walgreens invited other companies to visit their facilities and see the program in action. Dozens of companies took them up on their invitation —Lowes, Best Buy and Proctor & Gamble, to name a few, have launched their own initiatives, Lewis noted.
Lewis led the logistics division for 16 years as the chain grew from 1,500 to 8,000 stores, he noted. Today, Walgreens' distribution centers boasts 10% of its workforce consists of people with disabilities.