The 2026 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo (TSE) Business Program continued with strong momentum today with the first public look at the Association's new strategic framework, a member-built direction for how NACDS and the industry will lead what comes next. NACDS Chair David B. Warner, president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., and NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson described the vision in a program that also included a vibrant discussion with General David Petraeus (Ret.), former commander of U.S. Central Command and former director of the CIA, now a partner at KKR and chairman of the KKR Global Institute.

A Position of Strength

Underscoring a core theme that he established at the NACDS Annual Meeting in April, Anderson traced the Association's progress through what he called distinct rhythms: the rhythm of discipline that NACDS forged during the 2007-2008 financial crisis; the rhythm of focus that showed influence compounds when members align behind clear priorities; the rhythm of courage the industry demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the current rhythm of transformation and acceleration.

Building on that, Anderson described NACDS' current focus on "putting the recognition this industry earned to work - building an infrastructure for sustained progress: advocacy strength; trusted partnerships and broader coalitions; policy and payment pathways; business connections; technology; and talent."

He pointed to results across advocacy: the most expansive federal PBM reforms in history, enacted earlier this year, with implementation and oversight now the priority; hundreds of state-level PBM reform laws; and the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee's approval of the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act in May. Through the Milken Institute, Your Care Coalition, and a growing network of state partners, patient advocates, employers, and healthcare leaders, Anderson said, NACDS has built new partnerships and deepened existing ones, helping establish pharmacy as a leader in Food Is Medicine, take on the growing challenge of chronic disease, expand test-and-treat services, and advance payment for pharmacist-provided care.

He cited this year's NACDS TSE, with more than 50 AI-enabled exhibitors representing the largest AI presence in the show's history, and the inaugural class of the NACDS Emerging Leaders Academy, bringing 49 pharmacy students and 20 deans from colleges of pharmacy to TSE.

"As I look back over the past 20 years, I am proud of what NACDS has built together: strength, influence, credibility, and trust." Anderson said. "We have used that strength to deliver for members, advance pharmacy, and serve the American people. Today, NACDS enters its next chapter from a position of strength."

All In: A New Strategic Framework

Warner told attendees the framework is the product of listening to members who were "positive and productive; candid and direct" about what NACDS and the industry need next. He said, "today we are beginning to preview NACDS' new strategic framework - not every detail, not the full rollout, but the first clear look at the direction we are building with you - and how member input is becoming action."

"The clearest voice in this strategic framework is yours," Warner declared to NACDS retailer and supplier members.

"This framework is one of the clearest examples of what 'All In' means," Warner said. "It was built with members who are all in, all in with their ideas, concerns, and expectations, all in with their belief that NACDS has an important role to play in helping pharmacy lead what comes next."

The framework's first imperative, Shape the Future of Pharmacy, moves pharmacy beyond dispensing toward care delivery, health and wellness innovation, and sustainable economics.

The second imperative, Strengthen Member ROI, commits NACDS to making its value even more visible, even more usable, and even more practical for every member.

"What one store does locally, NACDS does nationally," Warner said. "What works in one state, NACDS helps scale across the country."

A Defining Moment

Warner framed the preview as a call to collective action rather than a finished plan and said NACDS will keep engaging members as the framework develops.

"We are at a defining moment," he said. "The direction is clear: all in on members, all in on value, and all in on the industry's future. Become the leader of tomorrow's community pharmacy."

For more information on Total Store Expo, visit tse.nacds.org.