nacds SPEAKS OUT: Raising the Profile of Community Pharmacy

Greetings! As the new presidentand chief executive officerof the National Associationof Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), Iwould like to introduce myself andshare some of my thoughts on chainpharmacy and the evolving role ofpharmacists. I was delighted to benamed to this position, and I look forwardto representing your industry.

Community pharmacy is the foundationof the American economy—chainpharmacies operate >38,000 pharmaciesin this country, employ 112,000pharmacists, fill >2.3 billion prescriptionsyearly, and have annual sales ofnearly $700 billion.

Retail pharmacy is a cornerstone ofcareer opportunity, as represented byyou, the readership of Pharmacy Times.The pharmacy is also a cornerstone ofthe local community. Nobody is closerto the American people, in terms oftheir health care, than their communitypharmacist. I look forward to workingwith all aspects of the industry and theNACDS membership to promote, educate,and represent community pharmacy.

I hail from a small town in Illinois,where my father was a factory workerand custodian and my mother a nurse.I attended Cornell College in Iowa, andin 1975 I came to Washington, DC, towork for Congressman John B. Anderson(no relation). I became a senior staffmember, and when he ran for presidentin 1980, I unsuccessfully ran forhis congressional seat.

I then took an executive position atthe American Frozen Food Institute,where I worked for 20 years, the final10 years as president and chief executiveofficer.

In 1999, I took over as chief executiveofficer of the National RestaurantAssociation, what I like to call "the realNRA." During my 8 years at the NRA,membership grew by 73%, we built a$2-million political action committee,and our revenues increased from $43million to $53 million. Our revenuesover expenses for 7 fiscal years were$21 million. I will make sure thatNACDS is just as successful in runningits finances and being good stewardsof the resources given to us by ourNACDS member companies.

At both associations, I implementeda new model of association leadershipthat focused on government affairsand media outreach. We became successfulby focusing on lobbying,research, and communications. I havelearned that a successful associationmust be successful in communicatingwith its target audiences, whether it ispharmacists like you, the Americanpeople, members of the media, lawmakers,or regulators at the state andfederal levels.

As I step into my new role at NACDS,I look forward to working on yourbehalf as we move community pharmacyforward and make our voiceheard on issues that are of vital importanceto this industry.

Mr. Anderson assumed the positionof president and chief executive officerof the National Association ofChain Drug Stores on February 23,2007.