NACDS' Value, Relationships Featured at Annual Meeting

PRESS RELEASE

West Palm Beach, Fla.

— National Association of Chain Drugs Stores (NACDS) members today heard a report on the organization’s position of strength in the healthcare, retail, public policy and political environments. A consistent theme emerged: NACDS’ focus on value and on industry relationships fuel its success.

NACDS Chairman John Standley, who is also chairman and chief executive officer, Rite Aid Corporation, and NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, delivered their reports in remarks during a business program at the NACDS Annual Meeting.

“As chairman, one of my top priorities has been to connect the dots and help all of us appreciate the value offered by NACDS, especially as we navigate this dynamic healthcare and retail marketplace,” said Standley, who is completing his one-year term as NACDS chairman of the Board.

“It’s been an honor to be your chairman over the past year. This has been a tremendous experience for me personally to take on such an important role at such an important time for our business. It’s also been a great year because we’ve made critical progress toward reaching our full potential as an industry.”

Standley described “five pillars of value” that summarize the results of NACDS and the NACDS Foundation: “strengthening our collaborative relationships; protecting patient access to our pharmacies; expanding patient access to health services; facilitating the cutting-edge research of the NACDS Foundation; and telling our story, especially to our elected officials.”

Standley noted the importance of the NACDS Total Store Expo in fostering collaboration among NACDS members and other industry segments: “It brings the right people together, and helps them collaborate, innovate and succeed.”

The 2015 NACDS Total Store Expo will be held August 22-25 in Denver.

Reflecting NACDS’ focus on the entire store and on collaboration with diverse suppliers, Standley noted, “Our pharmacists are delivering more health services than ever before and they can be empowered to do even more in the future. As this transformation takes place, our front-end business is evolving too, with a greater emphasis on health and wellness, retail innovation and meaningful differentiation.”

Complementing Standley’s remarks, Anderson detailed the importance of the relationships that flourish through NACDS.

“I give great thought about why this meeting is so special, and why NACDS is such a special organization. This is no ordinary association, this is no ordinary meeting, and you are no ordinary association members,” he said.

“It all comes down to relationships: relationships between our chain and associate members; relationships between competitors who come together in the NACDS Boardroom and committee meetings; the relationship between the NACDS members, and decision-makers in federal and state government; the relationship between NACDS and the media, as we continue to communicate that our members are the face of neighborhood healthcare; and the relationship between our members and staff.”

Anderson drew a parallel between NACDS members’ meetings with government officials that facilitate pro-patient and pro-pharmacy policy, and the industry’s collaboration at NACDS meetings and conferences.

“NACDS has built its brand on meetings that leaders don’t want to miss, in government and in the industry alike. And we’ve built our brand on effectiveness — the effectiveness that never confuses action with results,” Anderson said. “The power of these relationships has yielded results in areas that matter in the pharmacy and in the front-end.”

Anderson also noted a 30-year partnership between NACDS and the Palm Beach Habilitation Center, through which persons with disabilities are employed to compile the “product boxes” that contain offerings from NACDS associate members that are sent to Annual Meeting attendees after the event.

Standley and Anderson acknowledged Brian McNamara, Head of Europe and the Americas, GSK Consumer Healthcare, who supported and spoke at this morning’s NACDS Annual Meeting Business Program. Similarly, Caitlin Pappas, vice president, U.S. consumer sales, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, is supporting and will speak at Tuesday morning’s NACDS Annual Meeting Business Program.

Today’s Business Program also featured a keynote address by Salim Ismail, technology strategist and executive director, Singularity University.