Mastrian to retire, honored by Rite Aid at Baltimore trade show

BALTIMORE Rite Aid on Tuesday evening paid tribute to one of its executives who played a key role helping to engineer both the turnaround of Rite Aid and that chain’s subsequent successful acquisition of Brooks/Eckerd—Jim Mastrian, Rite Aid special advisor, corporate strategy, who is retiring at month’s end.

“You will not find a leader with more enthusiasm and character,” Mary Sammons, Rite Aid chairman, president and chief executive officer, told Rite Aid associates and partners during the chain’s closing ceremony of its Trade Show held here. “Jim’s leadership is rooted in integrity and from a sense of inner conviction that leaders must live their messages by example.”

Mastrian has served as a pharmacist over 40 years in the retail drug store industry, having joined Rite Aid in 1998 as executive vice president of category management. Before assuming his current role at Rite Aid in 2007, Mastrian had served as chief operating officer since 2005. Before that, he had been promoted to executive vice president of marketing in 1999 and to senior executive vice president in 2000.

Prior to Rite Aid, Mastrian was senior executive vice president of merchandising and marketing for Office Max. From 1990 to 1997 he held positions of increasing responsibility with Revco, a chain of retail drug stores based in the Midwest , rising to executive vice president of marketing. He also held senior management positions at Gray Drug Fair Stores and People’s Drug Stores.