Hy-Vee's Edeker 'Honored to Serve NACDS at Crucial Time'

Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee Inc., highlighted the value that his company derives from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) as a grocery retailer, and declared that he is “ready to serve” NACDS chain and associate members at a “crucial, evolutionary time.”

Edeker – who accepted the chairman’s gavel from John Standley, chairman and CEO of Rite Aid Corp. – delivered his first remarks as the newly-elected chairman of NACDS at the organization's annual meeting this week in Palm Beach, Fla. 

In forecasting what lies ahead for NACDS over the next 12 months, Edeker described 10 perspectives on the state of “ever-evolving healthcare," which include ongoing changes related to medicaid; healthcare delivery; attitudes and expectations of care; specialty pharmacy; quality measurements; technology and patient-managed health; millennial trends; cybersecurity; growing collaboration among companies through NACDS; and government and political involvement.

“The evolution of healthcare is here, with pharmacies as the face of neighborhood healthcare,” Edeker said. “The new healthcare definition includes environmental factors, nutrition, the social environment, emotional and spiritual factors. All of that is now in the healthcare definition.”

Noting the priority areas that will help NACDS members succeed in the present environment, Edeker said that NACDS’ ability to bring the industry together through efficient meetings and conferences is among the areas that have impressed him most, along with its effectiveness in government relations.

The new NACDS chairman signaled his company’s strong commitment to using NACDS meetings and conferences – including the 2015 NACDS Total Store Expo, which will be held in Denver this August – to work with supplier partners on business planning and on innovative projects. He also noted the importance of the NACDS RxIMPACT grassroots advocacy program for effective government affairs, as well as the importance of the NACDS Political Action Committee.

In addition to noting the results and value of NACDS, Edeker described the public-health focus of the NACDS Foundation, including research in the areas of medication adherence and point-of-care testing, which was further supported by an announcement that the executive committee of Hy-Vee elected to make a one-time gift of $100,000 to the NACDS Foundation.

In summarizing his remarks, Edeker outlined the rationale for his decision to engage in NACDS, saying that “in a typical week I spend 40 to 50 percent of my time dealing with some health, wellness or pharmacy issue. I realized I had a great need,” he continued. “It was a strategic decision because this is where I need to be to move my company forward. Here we can have a voice. Here we can have an impact. And I am here to serve.”

NACDS represents traditional drug stores and supermarkets and mass merchants with pharmacies.