Richard Schirripa is a retired New York pharmacist and business owner whose career spanned several decades in community health care and small-business development. Richard Schirripa began working in a pharmacy at age 14, and continued in the field while completing his education. He earned a bachelor of science in pharmacy from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy. Over time, Mr. Schirripa owned and managed several pharmacies throughout New York City.
Mr. Schirripa worked at Kings Pharmacy in Brooklyn from 1968 to 1982, where he started as a stock clerk and delivery assistant before moving into management responsibilities at multiple locations. After becoming licensed, he founded Drug Rich Pharmacy in 1982 and operated it for 24 years in the Spanish Harlem community near Metropolitan Hospital. During the AIDS crisis, the pharmacy provided services to local patients and families. In 1989, Mr. Schirripa founded Madison Avenue Pharmacy Inc., which served 9/11 first responders from the World Trade Center and operated for more than three decades. He also owned Carnegie Hill Health and Beauty Aids from 2004 to 2014, where he oversaw retail operations in health, beauty, and medical supplies.
In addition to his business activities, Mr. Schirripa has participated in professional organizations, including serving on the board of directors of the New York City Pharmacists Society as chair of the membership committee and acting as a delegate for the Pharmaceutical Society of the State of New York. He has also been involved with the Italian Pharmaceutical Society. After selling his businesses, Mr. Schirripa retired from Pharmacy in 2021 and spends time gardening, fly-fishing, boating and golfing. He also maintains interests in paleontology and archaeology.