A Unique Prescription for Success
As a pharmacist and entrepreneur, Jack Yeung ’05Pharm.D. relies on his problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and an ability to effectively communicate complex information. His successful ventures span industries from medicine to entertainment to hospitality.
Dr. Yeung explains that he is “first and foremost a pharmacist,” but has forged a path that satisfies his drive for innovative business development and executive leadership. His expertise in health-care solutions is matched by his creative vision, and both are driven by his unwavering commitment to enrich the lives of his communities.
St. John’s carved a path and helped me expedite the process of figuring out how to thrive in various business areas and how to make it work.
Born into modest circumstances, Dr. Yeung’s family moved several times and eventually settled in Woodhaven, Queens. They owned a restaurant—which led him to initially be wary of pursuing his own business career. “Early on, I despised the idea of owning a business,” he reflected. “My family felt trapped within the four walls of the store, always needing to run the business.”
Following his sister, Helen, to St. John’s University, Dr. Yeung admits to initially feeling like “a small fish in a big pond.” He worked his way through, even after scholarships dried up, relying on classmates and study partners to help keep up with his academics. He created a strong community of lifelong friends, some of whom would become future business partners.
Most importantly, it was at St. John’s where he met Jenah Sekai ’05Pharm.D. and turned a lab partner into his life partner. “We met in anatomy lab,” he recalled. “When she came in, there was one seat available. It was next to me, so we became lab partners.”
His pharmacy course load was intense. Hoping for a grade point average boost, Dr. Yeung enrolled in summer business classes, discovering that he “really had a knack for it.” He would go on to use the lessons learned in his childhood to create a tremendously successful career—on his own terms.
“I built businesses that did not require any one individual to be superb,” he said. “Instead, I built a team that could run a system that was superb—a superior system that allowed me to scale and grow in my business career.”
After five years with Walgreens, Dr. Yeung took his first bold entrepreneurial leap, and in 2010, opened a pharmacy with a partner in Danbury, CT. More than just a facility that filled prescriptions, the store quickly became a trusted neighborhood resource. His success allowed him to expand his footprint, adding hybrid pharmacies. He now oversees five retailpharmacies, one in long-term care, and two compounding pharmacies.
With successful startups in his portfolio, Dr. Yeung turned his entrepreneurial energy toward new industries. In 2016, he joined fellow St. John’s alumnus Nazmul Huda ’05Pharm.D. as a franchisee for The Halal Guys, expanding the innovative chain.
He traces the courage he now holds back to his college experience. “At a young age, I didn’t have as much confidence in myself. St. John’s carved a path and helped me expedite the process of figuring out how to thrive in various business areas and how to make it work.”
Making a difference in the lives of his patients is what drives him, more than recognition or accolades—although he has those, too. A recipient of the Millenia Movers and Shakers Award from the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Yeung’s work in medicine is grounded in compassionate care. Whether he is performing CPR on customers or organizing overdose prevention programs, he saves lives.
“We host Narcan clinics all over Connecticut, and we go into addiction clinics, rehab facilities, and sober homes. We educate them on addiction and the importance of carrying Narcan. We’ve heard many times where people used our training to save a roommate or a family member—and we’re really proud of that.”
A father of four children, Dr. Yeung’s proudest accomplishment is his family. As a child, his familymoves felt disruptive. Now, as a businessman always on the move, the choices he makes, by design, are profitable, meaningful, and profoundly human.
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That dedication would lead her to more than 30 years of service within the public health arm of the federal government, providing national leadership on alcohol and substance abuse treatment and prevention. She served as Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and Senior Adviser within the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, a cause dear to her heart since the early days of her career at Catholic Charities.
From late-night gigs as an undergraduate to chart-topping success with his wife, Donna Summer, St. John’s alumnus Bruce Sudano ’69SJC has enjoyed a career defined by persistence, faith, and song.
“I grew up in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn—it was a very eclectic neighborhood,” Mr. Sudano said. He attended Our Lady Help of Christians for elementary school, and then Brooklyn Preparatory High School, before enrolling at St. John’s University.
The son of Eastern European immigrants, Ron Weidner ’81CBA arrived at St. John’s University with a world view shaped early by resilience, faith, and responsibility that only intensified during his time there. “I grew up in a tight-knit Gottschee community in Brooklyn and Queens, NY, surrounded by people who had lost everything during World War II and rebuilt their lives from scratch,” he explained. “From an early age, the values in our home were apparent: work hard, be grateful, serve others, and never take freedom or opportunity for granted.”