PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2025
JASON COSTA
Horizon Pharmacy LLC CEO and president
WHERE JASON COSTA GOES, growth follows – whether it’s with programs, employees or a company’s financial strength.
Expanding Women’s Health in Newport
South County Health has expanded its award-winning Center for Women’s Health to Newport, offering a…
Learn More
He’s touted as a problem-solver and change agent. For more than two years, he’s lead Horizon Pharmacy LLC in Warwick as CEO and president. Automation and workflow enhancements have resulted in a 17% increase in the number of patients served over a period of 26 months.
Additionally, $375,000 in social enterprise investments was secured to broaden program offerings and expand into multistate operations during Costa’s brief tenure to date.
Over a career that spans nearly 30 years, Costa has held many leadership positions. Such roles include being chief finance and administrative officer at Newport Mental Health, chief operating officer of T1D Exchange and chief finance officer for Historic New England.
“I strive not to be a typical [chief financial officer] but to be more mission-centric, to understand the mission of the organization and connect with the mission,” Costa said.
He says navigating change is critical and one must see possibilities in every aspect of business.
“I don’t want to be Dr. No, thanks for the idea but it’s not in the budget,” Costa said. “I want to be Dr. Maybe when ideas come to me. I’ll ask a lot of questions to understand why something is important.”
The best leaders are great listeners Costa says, noting that it builds trust and rapport. When people trust you, he says, they will follow you to the next thing, even if change is scary.
Costa also says that leaders need to be curious about people and find out what motivates them.
“Find the right person to do the right job. Help people see what they’re good at. Praise them and give them a fine reputation to live up to,” he said.
Those philosophies have served him well, racking up wins such as Newport Mental Health’s transformation from near insolvency in 2018 to eliminating all debt within 36 months and expanding operations from $6.5 million to $18 million. He’s also secured millions of dollars in grants for organizations.
