THRIFTEE MOVING HEADQUARTERS TO BUILDING ON STARKEY ROAD

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 20, 1993                   TAG: 9303200038
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
THRIFTEE MOVING HEADQUARTERS TO BUILDING ON STARKEY ROAD
The Thriftee Group, a mail-order firm specializing in diabetic supplies and prescriptions, said Friday it will move its headquarters to Starkey Road Southwest.
The 6-year-old firm will occupy the 10,800-square-foot former Smithey & Boynton building, said Anita Hassell, human resources manager. It has been in the Travelers Building on Virginia 419.
All but six of Thriftee's 43 local employees work in the headquarters, said Hassell. The company also operates a retail store, Thriftee Pharmacy, on Apperson Drive in Salem.
Hassell said the business grew out of a small mail-order operation run by Thriftee pharmacies, which were bought by the current owners in 1987.
Thriftee Group is owned by Ken Payne of Roanoke and Clay Wisely of Staunton. Payne's ADS Software business also will have offices in the Starkey Road building.
The mail-order company has sales and distribution centers in San Jose, Calif., and Tampa, Fla. Hassell said the Thriftee catalog offers a range of supplies for diabetics, including syringes, cleaning solution and insulin pumps, plus special diet products such as sugar-free candy.
Diabetics also can order insulin through the company. Hassell said many of Thriftee's customers live in rural areas and choose mail-order shopping over a drive to a pharmacy.
Items are shipped by UPS, she said. The company also files insurance forms for customers.
The focus on people with diabetes extends to the retail pharmacy, Hassell said. In addition to its regular drugstore items, the store has a special training room where newly diagnosed diabetics can learn about products and medication techniques.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB