NACDS Chair Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens
NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson
With a backdrop of increasing healthcare challenges, the 2025 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo (TSE) has commenced, spotlighting a crucial call to advance the industry and serve all Americans amid rising rates of chronic disease and threats to pharmacy access. In a packed ballroom during Sunday morning’s Business Program, Association leaders laid out their plan to ensure NACDS remains action-oriented and results-focused to add value to the work of retailer and supplier members.
The Importance of the NACDS Total Store Expo
NACDS Chair Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens, noted the importance of TSE: “What I’ve always loved about this event is that it’s where partnerships start, where innovations emerge, and where good conversations turn into real opportunities.”
NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson echoed the theme: “Many of you are new to NACDS. I think that illustrates what a vibrant and robust organization NACDS has become. It bodes well for the future of our industry, and for this great association.”
Adapting and Growing the Value of NACDS
Gates described his focus on “listening, learning, and building a plan that reflects what matters most” to NACDS members. As part of a “100-Day Plan” since accepting the Chair’s gavel at the NACDS Annual Meeting in April, he detailed the findings of his discussions with retailers, suppliers, and industry partners, of visits to chain members’ headquarters and stores by the NACDS senior staff, and of a membership survey.
He noted the major outcome of this work: a new NACDS planning process focused on four areas: “outside expertise to accelerate planning and future-proof our approach; defined ROI so every member can see NACDS value clearly to them; focused and impactful reimbursement policies that are achievable; and a retooled Retail Advisory Board that is more action-driven and member-led.”
He emphasized that NACDS’ work aligns with key priorities driving pharmacies: the need to accelerate pharmacy modernization; to elevate community pharmacy; and to drive unified advocacy.
Gates also noted that the future vision builds on the Association’s track record of success: “We’ve already proven that when we act together, we can expand the scope of practice across multiple states, win meaningful reimbursement changes, and block harmful legislation before it takes root.”
Anderson emphasized NACDS’ commitment as a member-driven association: “This association reflects the membership: forward-leaning, bold, and always searching for better ways to meet the challenges, and better ways to serve.”
He continued, “Pharmacies are broadening health and wellness services — delivering preventive care, screenings, immunizations, and nutrition counseling. Many are leading wellness programs, helping people make informed health choices. Pharmacies also are harnessing technology, rolling out digital tools to make care more personal and efficient. The same goes for the entire shopping experience — throughout the store and beyond. They’re advancing automation, robotics, and ‘AI’ — to smooth operations, to reduce costs and to remain competitive, and to empower pharmacists to focus on patients.”
Anderson noted NACDS’ complementary initiatives: “NACDS has an important role to play, through collective power: telling the story, pushing the issues, and bringing about game-changing innovation.” He described an action-focused project announced by the Milken Institute and commissioned by NACDS — a plan titled “Advancing Health through Expanded Access to Pharmacy-Based Care.” He also noted the now-obvious importance of NACDS’ pioneering role in Surescripts, which has emerged as a key player in technology-driven healthcare, and the Association’s current work on the front lines of “AI.”
Confronting the Challenges
Gates and Anderson addressed head-on the reality that the NACDS Total Store Expo and NACDS’ vigorous initiatives occur amid significant pressures and threats for pharmacies and for the entire healthcare delivery system. They noted that preventing pharmacy closures and access reductions is a matter of importance for individuals and communities throughout the nation. New data from Morning Consult, commissioned by NACDS and soon to be made public, shows 83 percent of Americans say they would be concerned if their local pharmacy were to close. Almost everyone — 97 percent — believes it’s important to take action to reduce pharmacy closures.
Gates and Anderson noted the collaborative advocacy of NACDS and allied organizations for meaningful reimbursement reforms, and specifically, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms at all levels and branches of government.
Consistent Theme of Leveraging Technology
The Business Program spotlighted technology’s growing role in pharmacy with Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation and a leader in new technology, delivering the keynote. Diamandis challenged attendees to look beyond incremental change and seize the opportunities that can redefine how the industry serves patients and consumers.
Call to Action
Gates summarized his call to action — which reflects his approach throughout the first 100 days of his term as NACDS Chair: “Don’t wait for the roadmap, help us build it. Don’t assume someone else will make the call or send the email, do it yourself. And don’t think for a second that your voice doesn’t matter, because together it absolutely does. We can modernize faster. We can elevate community pharmacy. We can drive unified advocacy that changes laws and that changes lives. But only if we do it with purpose. Only if we do it with partnership. And only if we do it with a plan that works in today’s world, not just on paper. Making change in pharmacy is not a spectator sport. Your role is simple but not easy: show up.”
Anderson sounded a complementary call to action with NACDS at the core: “That’s the mission of NACDS — to be the face of neighborhood healthcare that America needs and expects us to be, and to usher in a brighter day for healthcare and a vibrant total-store environment for you to serve consumers as you are called and inspired to do. Despite the challenges, there is a real reason for optimism. Together, we can turn uncertainty into progress and challenges into breakthroughs. The strength of NACDS — and the strength of this industry — is its resilience, its innovation, and its heart. Let’s keep pushing forward together, united in purpose and bold in action.”
For more information on Total Store Expo, visit tse.nacds.org.
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