Third-generation pharmacist Scott Davidson is following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one.
Born and raised in Flin Flon, Davidson launched his career in 1989, working alongside his father, Murray Davidson, at the Flin Flon Dispensary on Church Street.
Now Davidson’s name will appear alongside his father’s again: engraved on a prestigious community service award from the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba.
Davidson is the recipient of this year’s Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Bowl of Hygeia Award.
The award, distributed by pharmaceutical organizations across North America, recognizes pharmacists who have demonstrated a commitment to the welfare of their communities. Davidson’s father received the same award in 1989.
“He’d be thrilled,” said Davidson, when asked how his father, who passed away in 1996, would react to the news.
“He was the epitome of what a winner should be. He was my mentor, someone I tried to emulate throughout my career.”
Davidson has aimed to follow his father’s example in giving back to his home community. He has focused most of his efforts on two local institutions that are close to his heart: the Flin Flon School Division and the Flin Flon Bombers.
In 2004, Davidson established the Neighbours Helping Neighbours program at the Main Street Pharmasave, through which the store donates one per cent of every purchase over five dollars to a local school. With each transaction, the customer can choose which school receives the donation.
At the time, the program was being piloted in a few other Pharmasave stores and Davidson thought it would be a good fit as a customer loyalty program in Flin Flon.
“My kids were going to school, and I could see that they needed this and the other thing. I thought that would be a good place to put some donations,” he recalled.
Davidson says since the program was launched, the store has donated close to $100,000 in financial and product donations to schools in the region.
“We are very grateful to Scott Davidson and Pharmasave,” said Dean Grove, assistant superintendent for the Flin Flon School Division, when asked about the program. “The money has gone into additional resources for the students, so it’s been put to good use at all the schools. It just shows [Davidson’s] overall philosophy of being a good community member.”
Davidson has also been involved with the Flin Flon Bombers for many years, joining the board as president from 1997 to 2001, the year the team hosted the Royal Bank Cup.
“Hockey was a big part of my youth,” said Davidson, who grew up playing the sport in Flin Flon and watching his two older brothers play for the Bombers.
Pharmasave continues to be a corporate sponsor for the team, and a portion of the proceeds from Bombers merchandise sold at the Main Street Pharmasave store goes back to the team.
“I want them to always do well – I have a soft spot for them,” Davidson added, “and if I can support them financially, that’s key.”
While Davidson is well known to many Flin Flonners as a pharmacist, he has also made his mark on this community, and others, as a businessman.
Early in his career, Davidson began to buy out his father’s share in the Flin Flon Clinic, and went on to manage the clinic and purchase the building.
When the Northern Health Region opened a clinic in the Flin Flon General Hospital in 2011, Davidson adjusted, repurposing the building as a hospital-adjacent dispensary and multi-use office space.
In 1994, Davidson partnered with Pharmasave to open the first Pharmasave retail store on Main Street, which moved next door to its current location in 1999.
He later partnered with other Pharmasave owners in the region, buying pharmacies and converting them to the brand. They eventually formed a pharmacy group called Rubicon, which owns most Pharmasave stores in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“I was very interested in the business side of community pharmacy, because there is a real opportunity there to grow, if you have the desire,” Davidson said.
“That was something that, right from the time I graduated, I wanted to do, and so I’ve pursued that.”
Today, Davidson continues to serve as the pharmacist and manager at the Pharmasave Health Centre on Church Street, a role he enjoys.
“Pharmacy means a lot to me in that you can help people and you are working with people. It’s a feel-good profession,” he said.
Susan Lessard-Friesen, registrar with the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba, said a number of people came together to nominate Davidson for the Bowl of Hygeia award this year.
“One supporter referred to him as a ‘pillar of the community,’” Lessard-Friesen said.
“Another stated that they took it as a privilege to provide a letter of support and that Scott exemplified service to the community.”
Lessard-Friesen noted a few of Davidson’s accomplishments that contributed to the nomination committee’s decision: he helped initiate an endowment fund for the Flin Flon Bombers, has been recognized by both the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Flin Flon, and is a Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow.
Lessard-Friesen noted that the Bowl of Hygeia is one of the most prestigious awards a pharmacist can receive, and there are always a number of candidates each year.
While the honour belongs to Davidson, he is quick to give credit to others, including his current business partners, Corey and Susan Thompson, for their role in his accomplishments.
“My successes have come from the people I surround myself with: my family, and my staff – who I consider family. They have made me successful,” he said.
Davidson will receive the Bowl of Hygeia Award on Saturday, Apr. 9 at an awards gala hosted by the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
