Your ThoughtSpot 2022 Day 2 Summary

Hello and welcome to No prescriptionpodcast from Drug topics. I’m your host, Lauren Biscaldi, Managing Editor. Welcome back to Day 2 of our special coverage of AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s annual ThoughtSpot conference and trade show in Orlando, Florida.

Day two of this eventful event began with a dynamic general session where attendees gathered for a program of exciting announcements and insightful conversations. Let’s hear the welcome message delivered by Brian Nightengale, president of community and specialty pharmacy and long-term care at AmerisourceBergen:

Nightengale: “Good morning everyone and welcome to ThoughSpot 2022! It’s really amazing to see everyone here in person in Orlando. All I can say is: finally. We’re finally here in person. I know we are all excited to be together again. It just got me thinking [that] there really is no substitute for connecting with each other face-to-face.”

AmerisourceBergen management then joined moderator Gina Clark, executive vice president and chief communications and administration officer, for a fireside chat about the state of the pharmaceutical industry. From equity in access to care and advocacy to reimbursement and more, Bob Mauch, Rich Tremonte, and Anne Anaya shared some invaluable insights into the future of independent community pharmacy.

From there, Good Neighbor Pharmacy President Jenny Zylka sat down with this year’s Pharmacy of the Year finalists: Bushard’s Pharmacy and Apothecary of Laguna Beach, California; Roden-Smith Pharmacy of Clovis, New Mexico; and Gateway Pharmacy in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The stories of these 3 pharmacies are nothing short of inspiring and are a true testament to the value independent pharmacies provide to their communities. Earlier this month, the Drug Topics team had the privilege of interviewing Marissa Fader, Micah Lansford, and Mark Szilagyi. Want to learn more about these exceptional pharmacists? Check out our coverage linked in the show notes.

Speaking of inspirational stories, NFL legend, Pro Football Hall of Famer, bestselling author, Season 3 winner of dancing with the stars and former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith took the general session stage as the day’s keynote speaker. This multi-hyphenate delivered a powerful speech focused on finding success through teamwork and perseverance.

Jenny Zylka then welcomed the 2020 and 2021 Pharmacy of the Year winners to the stage for their moment in the spotlight. Congratulations to Sparky Hedden of McCoy-Tygart Drug and Jane Nicholson of Mahaska Drug for your well-deserved awards!

As every year, the general session ended with the announcement of the winner of the Pharmacy of the Year Award for 2022. Let’s listen:

Zilka: “And the award goes to…Gateway Pharmacy!”

Szilagyi: “Thank you AmerisourceBergen for the many years of working with you on this amazing event every year. I’ve been here for the last five, six years and it’s just been a fantastic time, thank you for hosting. Special thanks to Mark Ciarlone, our business coach. You don’t take no for an answer.

This job, as you know, is a lot of hours and a lot of frustration. Thank you to our families for your endless support. Thank you dad, thank you mom, thank you Jen. Finally, Mr. Emmitt Smith… You are a true inspiration. But I have to say, being from Philly… Go Eagles.”

Congratulations to Mark, Jen and the Gateway team!

Energized and refocused, ThoughtSpot attendees gained access to the expansive exhibit hall and marketing lab, where—in addition to perusing exhibitor booths and grabbing sweet conference giveaways—attendees participated in interactive activities, networking opportunities, and educational presentations by AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy Leaders. And in the front part of the exhibition hall, attendees had the opportunity to view a fully built pharmacy interface – a visual representation of the role of pharmacies as the beating heart of the healthcare system.

And at 2:00 p.m., the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Women in Pharmacy workshop began, featuring veteran firefighter, adventure racing world champion, Guinness World Record holder for kayak endurance, and best-selling author Robin Benincasa. Beninkasa is also the founder of The Project Athena Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps survivors of medical or other traumatic setbacks achieve their dreams. Her insights on leadership, team building, and extreme performance left attendees feeling energized, empowered, and ready to tackle the personal and professional challenges ahead.

Thank you so much for joining us over the past two days as we recapped this year’s ThoughtSpot Conference and Trade Show. It was great to be back in person and we’re already looking forward to next year. See you in Las Vegas!

You can follow Drug topics coverage of ThoughtSpot 2022 on our website, drugtopics.com/conference/thoughtspot, or on your favorite social media feed.

As always, thanks for listening and we hope to see you next time — at the counter.