Wesley “Trey” Waters III, PharmD ’02, was one of five alumni to receive Campbell University’s Distinguished Alumni Award during homecoming weekend on Oct. 19.
In just 10 years since leaving Buies Creek, Waters has become owner or partner of six pharmacies in North and South Carolina.
A 2002 graduate of Campbell’s then School of Pharmacy, Waters has also completed a fellowship in anti-aging regenerative and functional medicine and is currently pursuing a master’s in functional and regenerative medicine.
His advanced studies have equipped him to deal not only with pharmaceuticals, but he is helping his patients understand the value of using nutraceuticals and homeopathics as well.
With all of that success, Waters said he was “very, very humbled” to be named a Distinguished Alumnus of Campbell University.
“From a very early age, my parents told me every single day I was somebody,” Waters said. “They always told me to save my money and work hard, and I can do anything. All I had to do was believe it. And I did. That’s how I got to where I am today.”
Waters said he knew he’d need a good work ethic to succeed. He told the story of one of his first jobs out of college, where he asked the manager what the pharmacy’s hours were.
“He said Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 10 to 6,” Waters said. “I said, ‘I’ll take it.’”
For two years, Waters worked approximately 77 hours a week. At the age of 25, he purchased his first pharmacy.
Today, in an effort to increase the health and welfare of his constituents, he has instituted a healthy aging and wellness program at all of his pharmacies. He also routinely provides consultations with his patients on a variety of subjects, including weight loss, hormone imbalance, ADD/ADHD, thyroid health, pain management and other timely subjects.
Waters is actively involved with Campbell and currently serves on the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Dean’s Board of Advisors. He also serves on the North Carolina Mutual Retail Advisory Board and is a member of Professional Compounding Centers of America, American Pharmacists Association, International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists and the Guild, a group of functional medicine eye doctors and compounding pharmacists.
“I was a 3.0 graduate, not a 4.0 grad,” Waters said. “I guess that makes me a lifetime learner. I learn every single day, and I want to continue to learn every single day.”
Photo by Bennett Scarborough