BEACON PRESCRIPTIONS COMPOUND PHARMACY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Pharmacist / Co - Owner ( AKA Nikki )
Annik Chamberlin graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 2004 and has worked in independent community pharmacy since. She bought the pharmacy with her business partner Ashley Colasanto in 2010. She has a passion for the profession of pharmacy and serving her human and animal patients, alike.Nothing is more exciting to her than going above and beyond for positive patient outcomes.
On her downtime, Annik enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She has a golden retriever, Juneau and a Shih Tzu Poodle, McKinley as well as five chickens. She finds great pleasure in being active outdoors, and dreams of long vacations in Alaska and traveling across the United States.
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner
- Co - Owner of Beacon Prescriptions
Ashley Colasanto, co-owner of Beacon Prescriptions, is the daughter of original owner and founder Elliott Colasanto. Her father opened the business 1988 when Ashley was just 6 years old. Ashley began going to work with her father on Saturdays when she was 8 years old, and it was during those early years that she developed a passion for being a part of the family business.
Ashley graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 2004 with a BA in political science. Upon graduation, her intention was to attend law school; however, when she came back to Connecticut and began once again working at the pharmacy alongside her father it got into her system and she decided not to leave again. In December 2010 Ashley and her business partner Annik Chamberlin bought the business from Elliott Colasanto.
Ashley's greatest passion is for her incredibly large family. She has nine siblings, which includes 3 biological and 6 adopted siblings. Of her adopted brothers and sisters, 2 each are from Russia, China and Ghana. She also has 2 nieces and 1 nephew that had her wrapped around their fingers from the day they were born. Additionally, Ashley is an avid reader and enjoys traveling the world.
Brooke had an early start to a career in pharmacy. She fondly remembers going to the pharmacy on Saturdays with her pharmacist father Elliott, who then owned Beacon Prescriptions. She began working at her father's pharmacy in 1995 and has been here ever since. Brooke also holds a Bachelor's of Science in public health/health promotion. Brooke has worked in most areas of the pharmacy, but says the lab is definitely her favorite. Currently, she is proudly head of our shipping department. Since taking over the shipping department, she says she does miss mixing up compounds and enjoys when she can spend time in the lab. Brooke says she loves making all types of compound formulations for our animal patients; especially suspensions for exotics since they smell good (strawberry, mango, and piña colada) yum!
When Brooke is not working, she can be found spending time with her husband and two children (Peyton and Skylar). She adds, that she spends a lot of time on the soccer and lacrosse field. Brooke also enjoys doing anything creative such as, scrapbooking, interior design, and decorating.
Christie has been employed by Beacon since 2013, and has looked forward to coming to work everyday since. She loves, and tries to learn something new everyday. Christie is lovingly known around Beacon as the Capsule Queen. Christie also has the incredible knack of always referring to herself in the third person. She is the proud mother of an incredibly smart and beautiful 10 year old daughter, and the aunt of a 14 year old Yorkie. While working at Beacon, Christie has found enjoyment for country music, pack stats, and being part of a work crew that has the entire team's best interest at heart. She is also a member and volunteer of the Harry Ruffin Jr. American Legion Auxiliary Post 206 in Middletown. More information about her volunteer work can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/Harry-Ruffin-Jr-American-Legion-Post-206-Middletown-Conn-06457-403858616491676/
Courtney recently began working at Beacon Prescriptions in 2016. We are excited welcome a huge animal lover to the bunch! Courtney is currently a Senior in High School. She plans to attend Central Connecticut State University for Nursing, then later attend Quinnipiac University to get her A.P.R.N. She has participated in Drama Club, Italian Club, and was cast in a summer theater show, All Shook Up at her High School. Outside of work Courtney enjoys playing with her three dogs (Fudgepop, Jupiter, and Snickers), photography, theater, and going to concerts.
Elliott Colasanto opened a pharmacy in 1988, while he was the owner of Beacon Prescriptions, his hard work over the years was a major part in building the foundation for success Beacon has today. Elliott achieved his dream of having a community pharmacy, dedicated to always going above and beyond for his customers. When Elliott saw a need for compound medications to be accessible to both human and veterinary patients and completed his first PCCA compounding course in 2003. Later adding a compounding lab within the pharmacy in 2004. To his employees, Elliott has not only been a mentor but a role model to many of us over the years. We are grateful for the values he has instilled in us and look forward to the future success of Beacon Prescriptions. We wish Elliott a wonderful retirement!
Jackie has been a proud and enthusiastic member of the Beacon Prescriptions team since October 2012. Having started at the age of 16, she has grown immensely in her career at the pharmacy. Currently Jackie is a pharmacy technician and specializes in billing compounded medications to insurance companies. Jackie is fluent in Spanish and takes pride in being a bilingual staff member. She even lived in Oaxaca, Mexico for a month in the summer of 2014, where she taught English to college level students (and of course, toured all of the pharmacies down there!). She currently attends the University of Connecticut in Storrs where she is perusing a career in pharmacy. She credits Beacon for allowing her to realize that pharmacy is her life calling and passion. To Jackie, there is no better feeling than seeing a smile on a customer's face.
Job Titles:
- Pharmacist to Join the Beacon Prescriptions
Jessica L. Cavallaro is the newest pharmacist to join the Beacon Prescriptions pharmacy family. She brings 15 years of experience as a pharmacist, having graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1999 with her B.S. in Pharmacy and in 2001 with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She then furthered her clinical knowledge at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where she completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency. Jessica has worked as a pharmacist in hospital settings as well as in community settings, but enjoys her work most when she is able to spend time directly with patients. She is as equally an animal lover as she is a people person, spending most of her spare time on her family's horse farm in Ellington, tending to her chickens, parrots, and ferret. She even has a house chicken, Toe Toe (pictured), who is the comedic subject of many morning conversations with her colleagues. Jessica is excited to join a team that truly cares for its patients, both human and animal.
Kayla is currently a student at Southington High School. She enjoys working as a pharmacy clerk at Beacon Prescriptions. She became a "Beaconite" because her brother, Steven, was worked here when he was a high school student. He is currently studying to become a pharmacist at University of Rhode Island. Kayla says the path that brought her to Beacon was a great one. She feels blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people when she is at work. Kayla has been active in Girl Scouts for the past 10 years. She has earned my bronze, silver, and gold awards. She is also a loyal member of the SHS Key Club and an animal lover. Her future plans include attending to college, to study elementary education. Her goal is to become a 1st grade teacher! When She's not at school, you can usually find her spending time with friends, shopping at the mall, or taking classes at the YMCA. Kayla truly enjoys helping others whenever possible.
Kayley has been part of the Beacon family since October of 2012 and works as a Pharmacy Clerk. One of Kayley's biggest role models is her aunt, Annik Chamberlin, owner of Beacon Prescriptions. While working along side her aunt, she quickly fell in love with a career in pharmacy. Kayley is currently attending the University of Connecticut as a pharmacy major. At Beacon, she is known for always having the biggest smile on her face and taking care of not only the customers, but our employees as well. One of her biggest goals in life is to help others through pursuing a career in pharmacy.
Lacey came to Beacon Prescriptions Compounding Pharmacy in 2012 after not finding joy in her previous position as a certified florist. Lacey immediately fell in love with the family environment Beacon provided. She is known for her constant smiling face, and her comic relief.
Lacey and her husband were married in October of 2014, and together they have a rescued lab/pit bull mix, Oakley. According to Lacey, he is the smartest, most loving, and sweetest boy ever! Lacey's favorite thing to share with Oakley are her ice cream cones - don't worry, it's his favorite thing, too!
In her spare time, Lacey enjoys many things. Her absolute favorite thing to do is to take care of her husband and spend quality time with him. She is also a very passionate dancer, loves to watch movies with her husband, and loves to laugh at her overall silliness.
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Lauren has almost 15 years of experience working in a pharmacy. She joined Beacon Prescriptions Compounding Pharmacy in February of 2011 where she specializes in billing compounded medications for humans, but as an animal lover, she enjoys filling those as well!
Lauren and her husband were married 12/13/14, and are expecting their first baby May 2016. Helping them welcome their new human baby are their 3 fur babies. A cat, Cassiopeia, who is completely mute - she meows but no sound comes out; Mr. Nigel Murray, a very enthusiastic 120lb American Bulldog, who just had CCL repair surgery; Betsy Ross, a rescued French Bulldog, who loves to pout.
In her spare time, Lauren enjoys anything crafty, especially crocheting. She likes to spend time with her husband, read any book she can get her hands on, and kissing on her dogs. She and her husband are both avid Red Sox fans, and support men's basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University
Lisa lives a few miles away in Middlefield with her husband and two daughters. She has always had a passion for dogs. Lisa and her husband own and operate a small kennel housing for German Shepherds; who they train for the show ring. She really enjoy working at Beacon due to the family atmosphere that exists between both the employees and customers.
Luke graduated from the UCONN School of Pharmacy in 2003. He has been working at Beacon Prescriptions Compounding Pharmacy since 2012. He says that he loves working with the highly dedicated and fun staff at Beacon. He enjoys that his position allows him to learn something new and exciting every day in the field of compounding. Luke is always ready to take on a challenge and loves the satisfaction that come with compounding specialized medicine for his customers
When Luke is not working, he enjoys spending time in the kitchen, and adds the kitchen is his happy place. When one of the staff is not sure where to find Luke, the first place they go to is the kitchen. They will likely find him with his mouth full of some tasty treat. On weekends, you can find him with his wonderful wife and two children attending swim meets during the winter, soccer games during the spring/fall, and trips to the beach in the summer. While most people are still sleeping in the morning, you will likely find him running. Luke loves staying active both at work and at home.
Mary Norbut graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy back around the time Dave was born. She enjoys dividing her time between Beacon's traditional retail pharmacy side and the compounding lab. She is known for being cheerful, for figuring out allergy problems (inspired by her daughter with celiac disease), and for drinking green stuff for lunch (ok, it is blended vegetables & fruit).
Mary is a swim mom who enjoys her time with her fireman husband and two slightly over-scheduled daughters. They have rescued a dog (who needs compounded medication), a cat, and a bird. Mary enjoys taking pictures, scrapbooking, Disney World, and participating in half-marathons and triathlons.
Roberta has been working in the pharmacy field since 1991, and with Beacon Prescriptions Compounding Pharmacy since 2004. She says that she loves working for a great family owned business that not only helps people but animals as well. It has always been important to her to serve and help others. She says she enjoys working with a great team who are compassionate, knowledgeable, caring, and fun. Roberta grew up in Wolcott, and has had either a cat or dog her whole life, and at one point even acquired a hamster! Roberta lives with her husband of 37 years, enjoys spending time with her family, working out, gardening, relaxing in the pool, and traveling. She is affectionately known at the store as "Mama Beacon" and loves taking care of her fellow employees, plants, and whatever else may need a little "TLC".