<p>This week, the NACDS Annual Meeting provided a comprehensive platform for collaboration among senior level executives from NACDS-member chain and supplier companies. The event—which garnered immediate and positive feedback from participants—proactively facilitated top-to-top business and strategic exchange that led to productive outcomes.</p>
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<p>An impressive lineup of speakers brought insights and forward thinking on the industry and strategies for navigating business in an era of unprecedented change in policy, technology and consumer trends. Speakers included top political strategist and former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, bestselling author Peter Diamandis and longtime journalist Jane Pauley.</p>
<p>Newly-elected NACDS Chairman of the Board John Standley, chairman and CEO of Rite Aid Corporation, said, “It’s a really exciting time to have this role. Our industry is going through such dramatic change and there are so many exciting opportunities for us to continue to evolve our business and the whole pharmacy industry.”</p>
<p>Standley described Rite Aid’s innovations to transform into a growing “retail healthcare company,” emphasized that this transformation is underway in companies throughout the industry, and noted the vital role of NACDS in fostering this progress through government affairs and through the Association’s calendar of meetings and conferences.</p>
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<p>Reviewing his term as NACDS chairman, Bob Narveson, president and CEO of Thrifty White Pharmacy, emphasized pharmacy’s commitment to serving patients and consumers and NACDS’ value to chain and associate members as they work to effectively meet those goals. He said, “I can’t imagine a more exhilarating job than working with all of you to ensure NACDS delivers results with the important work of serving patients and consumers as the face of neighborhood healthcare.”</p>
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<p>NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, said that he is often asked what makes an association successful. He said, “My answer is nuance and intuition. And it’s the people of NACDS—the Board, the chain and associate members and the staff—who help to create the nuance and intuition of NACDS.”</p>
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<p>Anderson cited experience, wisdom, efficient execution and collaboration as key traits that help effective associations identify emerging trends, opportunities and threats. Anderson also noted the expanding role pharmacies play in healthcare delivery. He said, “Pharmacy should have bipartisan appeal. You provide market-based solutions for healthcare—and for health and wellness. There isn’t anybody closer to the patient than the pharmacist.”</p>
<p> An aggressive schedule of Strategic Exchange Appointments between companies and a comprehensive Meet the Retailer program once again proved integral to the success of the event. Participant Ron Clerico of Cardinal Health reflected on his positive experience during the event in an interview on NACDS-TV, noting that the NACDS Annual Meeting is always “very strategic.” Clerico said, “It’s a great way to get a pulse of what’s going on in the industry and find out what’s on top of everyone’s mind at any given moment.”</p>
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<p>The last night of this year’s dynamic NACDS Annual Meeting concluded with a presentation of the Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award to Anthony N. Civello, who served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Kerr Drug, Inc., for his nearly five decades of service to pharmacy and chain drug store industry. In addition to serving on the NACDS Board of Directors for 16 years, Civello served as chairman of the Board from 2005-2007, and also served on the NACDS Foundation Board from 2003-2013. The award is chain pharmacy's highest honor.</p>
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<p>Now that the NACDS Annual Meeting has concluded, the focus turns to the <a href="http://tse.nacds.org/">NACDS Total Store Expo</a> in Boston, August 23–26. </p>
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