Keyes, Lindholz and Anderson hail pharmacy's achievements

ARLINGTON, Va. – During the final NACDS LIVE virtual event of 2020, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores leadership reflected on a purpose-driven year and on new approaches to meeting Americans’ needs that will continue in 2021.

Billed as “A Conversation with NACDS Leadership,” NACDS chair Rick Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer, Inc; NACDS vice chair and treasurer Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health; and NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson discussed business insights and COVID-19 response intricacies of keen relevance to NACDS chain and supplier members alike.

Common themes that emanated from the one-hour discussion about 2020’s historic challenges and the future outlook include the importance of focusing on a company’s purpose; the acceleration of innovation and use of technology; staffers’ dedication and results that will be remembered forever; and the importance of retailer-supplier collaboration and united action through NACDS. Keyes and Lindholz described specific examples of operational evolution related to the entire store that resulted from leadership in the face of COVID-19.

Keyes stated: “We’re making such a positive difference in such times of uncertainty. We’ve always known we’re an essential part of the ecosystem _ from food to healthcare. And it’s been great to see how we’ve risen up to serve the country and how we’ve taken care of customers. In many ways we’re going to play a role in healing our country in rolling out these vaccines.”

Lindholz noted: “We have amazing people in this industry. I’m so proud as a pharmacist to be able to be there for the country at this time. We learn from these times as healthcare professionals, when we are part of something so much larger than ourselves. We will look back and be so proud of what we’ve been able to do, and we will be able to come out of this pandemic stronger than when we entered it.”

Anderson said: “The pandemic has illustrated perfectly the role of NACDS members in our society and the role NACDS plays in uniting the industry. NACDS members are saving lives and enhancing lives every day. I have no doubt that 2020 has been, and 2021 will be, the finest hour for pharmacy. Noble deeds will be taken on this coming year.”

The event’s recording and those of prior NACDS virtual events are available on the NACDS.org Resources page.