Leading retailers, suppliers gather in NYC for 14th annual Industry Issues Summit
NEW YORK — As New York City enjoyed the first snowfall of the winter season, industry leaders gathered for the 14th annual Industry Issues Summit to discuss the top issues and trends impacting the industry, including the importance of seizing “whitespaces.”
The all-day event was held on Tuesday at the New York Athletic Club, located just across the street from Central Park.
"Industry Issues Summit — now in its 14th year — is a great way to get involved with the industry. We bring together a cross-functional group of retail disciplines from multiple segments of the retail pharmacy business and create a venue that establishes great conversation, industry networking and timely industry insights. With representation from over 25 retail pharmacy companies and over 200 supplies attend this annual event takes place during NACDS week in New York City every year," said Wayne Bennett, publisher of the Drug Store News Group.
The Drug Store News Group's Industry Issues Summit began 14 years ago as a small, closed-door event and over the years has evolved and flourished into a must-attend day of education, networking and dialogue, with three separate panel discussions — Health, Wellness and Technology; Diabetes Leadership Forum; and Industry Issues Summit.
Kicking off the event was the Health, Wellness and Technology panel discussion, which, now in its second year, covered such topics as how to expand the consumer experience in pharmacy; consumer engagement; and how to best leverage mobile technology. Bob Dufour of Blue Ocean Innovative Solutions moderated the discussion.
In its 10th year, the Diabetes Leadership Forum addressed such topics as healthcare reform and its impact on diabetes; what retailers are looking for from their supplier partners; and what is expected to come in 2013. Dave Wendland of Hamacher Resource Group moderated the forum.
Capping off the day’s event was the 14th annual Industry Issues Summit panel discussion, which centered around a discussion on how to find and seize “whitespaces” or, in other words, creating things in the marketplace that are not yet there. Aside from having the right talent, executing against whitespaces and bringing ideas to market that truly matter is perhaps the most important thing an organization can do, panel moderator Dan Mack, managing director of Mack Elevation Forum and strategy leader of the Swanson Group, told attendees.
The all-star panels of retailers and suppliers for the day’s event included:
Robert Tompkins of Walgreens;
Jason Reiser of Sam’s Club;
Ken Keelor of Katz Group Canada;
Michael Bloom of Family Dollar Stores;
Dijuana Lewis of Wal-Mart;
Joanne Leonardi of Ahold USA;
Bill Bergin of Rite Aid;
Chong Bang of Shoppers Drug Mart;
Michael Mastromonica of Costco;
Debbie Krasnow of Giant Eagle;
Jude Pierre-Louis of Walgreens;
Leon Nevers of H-E-B;
Chuck Wilson of Health Mart;
Robert Thompson of Rite Aid;
Craig Norman of H-E-B;
Mike Cantrell of Good Neighbor Pharmacy;
James Weeast of Walgreens;
Darren O'Neill of Health Mart;
Will Abbott of CVS Caremark;
John Luebker of Sam’s Club;
Sharon Glass of Catalina Marketing;
Ron Shone of Pfizer Consumer;
Dale Nepsa of Hyland’s;
Joel Carden of Pacific World;
Janet Carter Smith of GSK;
Dan Quail of Similasan;
Roger Gravitte of Novartis;
Scott Patricki of Pharmavite;
Brian Moore of Takeda Pharmaceuticals;
Tony Hatori of Kowa Healthcare;
Mike LaMotta of Novo Nordisk;
Geoffrey Zassenhaus of BD Medical;
Brahim Zabeli of UltiMed;
Rick Sage of Emdeon;
Mark Cullen of mScripts;
Doyle Jensen of Innovation;
Bart Foster of Solo Health; and
Robert Pakter of PillJogger.
Sponsors were Accent Health, Catalina Marketing, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Hyland’s, Pacific World, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Similasan, Novartis, Pharmavite, Takeda, Kowa Healthcare, Novo Nordisk, BD Medical, UltiMed, PillJogger, Innovation, Emdeon, Optimized Care Network, Solo Health and mScripts.