First Posted: 8/6/2014

LUMBERTON — When Jason Foil opened Lumberton Drug in August 2004, the Durham native had a simple goal.

“I wanted to be my own boss,” said Foil, who runs the Fayetteville Road pharmacy alongside his wife, Shelley. “I wanted to get to a point where I could break even and pay my own salary. I thought I’d still be here 10 years later, but I didn’t think it would be the scale that it is today.”

Foil’s business has grown over the past decade. In 2012, the couple opened a second location on West 27th Street. The following year, they opened a third “closed-door” pharmacy that fills and delivers prescriptions to patients.

According to Mike DeCinti, the pharmacy’s operations manager, Lumberton Drug serves more than 600 patients each day across its three locations.

“We’re a small town that has a lot of pharmacies, and the majority of them are chained,” DeCinti said. “The reason we’re more successful is because we take care of the patients. We go the extra mile and make sure they feel like part of the family.”

On Friday, Lumberton Drug will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an outdoor event featuring games, rides, giveaways and free ice cream. The event, which will run from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Fayetteville Road location, will conclude with a live performance from Gary Lowder and Smokin’ Hot, an R&B band from Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Foil said he organized the event as a way to give thanks to the pharmacy’s patrons.

“We wanted to recognize all of the people who have made this store and business so successful,” he said. “We also wanted to celebrate some of the people who aren’t with us, but who were integral to that success. We’ve had some patents who have passed on since we opened.”

Foil cited his staff of 26 employees as another key factor in the company’s ongoing success.

“I have a great staff and I’ve been very fortunate to have made some great hires,” he said.

One of his earliest hires is Kisha Brown, who has worked at Lumberton Drug since the pharmacy opened.

“I love my job, and I’ve come to love our customers and accept them as family members,” Brown said. “We have a personal touch. We recognize our customers and get to know them on a first-name basis.”

“I’ve been extremely happy since day one,” DeCinti said. “Jason and Shelley are just amazing people to work for and this company does amazing things for the community.”

Both Lumberton Drug locations are open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays. For information, call 910-671-9000, or visit lumbertondrug.com.