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Chain Drugstore Daily 4 7 Monday, August 21, 2017 JBK ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL BRINGS COMPANIES AND CANDIDATES TOGETHER An interview with Julie Kampf, Chief Executive Officer, Founder and Chief Possibilities Officer, JBK Associates International. CDD: Tell our readers about JBK. JK: JBK Associates International is a woman-owned and led business, provid- ing full-service executive talent solu- tions across a wide spectrum of indus- tries and functional responsibilities, with a special focus on diversity in the workplace. We are a client-centric, laser-focused, boutique firm; we are not now, nor will we ever be, a large 'me- too' company. CDD: How do you keep the company dynamic without losing that 'boutique' specialness? JK: Our team is committed to achieving successful outcomes that support the long-term growth of organizations around the world in both the for-profit and non-profit arenas. Our services are completely customized and based on each organization's needs. Our services are never the 'canned, one-size-fits-all' solutions found elsewhere. CDD: You're service-oriented rather than product production. How is it you fit here at NACDS? JK: Since I founded JBK 14 years ago, I have built JBK into a firm with a track record and reputation for incredible client service. Many of our clients are here at NACDS and we are highly con- sultative in ensuring they can connect with us on providing the most extraor- dinary talent the market has to offer. After all, innovation is what drives growth, and the talent that we bring to our clients provides amazing opportunities for innova- tion. CDD: How do you accomplish that? JK: Our searches are based on the potential for success rather than simply on skills and skill levels. We take into consideration the potential for success for both the client company and the candidate. Once we identify a qualified candidate, we then take 'good fit' one- step further, as we believe that the can- didate must also be a good fit for the culture of the client organization. Tangible skills and experience are, of course, vital in hiring, but extraordinary leadership skills and the ability to be agile and adapt are key critical compo- nents as well that our clients insist upon. Our own company culture is based on hard work, results, diversity, social responsibility, mutual respect and appreciation, and we take special care in providing an environment where our employees can suc- ceed. CDD: JBK has gathered many awards over the years. JK: Yes, we have been honored with a variety of awards. Most recently JBK Associates International was named one of the 2017 Best Places to Work in New Jersey for the second consecutive year. JBK Associates has been named to the list of Top 500 Privately Owned Companies in the US. We are also on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies for four consecutive years, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. CDD: Do you have offices other than your headquarters in New Jersey? JK: Yes, we have satellites in New York, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Florida, Michigan and Switzerland. For more information, go to www.jbk associates.net or call 201.567.9070. WRIGLEY AND MARS CHOCOLATE PARTNER WITH RETAILERS TO DRIVE SALES Consumer choice is more important than ever in the shopper experience, and with transactions happening in more places, retailers now have unique challenges and opportunities to meet these needs. Knowing this, Wrigley and Mars Chocolate set out to help their partners better understand shopper behavior at checkout. By leveraging investments in both global research and targeted retail programs, they launched Transaction Zone Vision (TZV). The TZV program is based on the finding that providing a variety of strate- gic choices to meet shoppers' needs leads to increased sales when checking out. They narrowed these needs down to three areas – Refresh, Reward, Remind™. Consumers are either looking to refresh after shopping, reward themselves or remember items they've forgotten. By prioritizing products that address these needs, more sales are captured. This shopper-centric approach helps shoppers find exactly what they need when they need it, and in turn encourages incremen- tal purchases. Wrigley and Mars Chocolate also rolled out proprietary tools within the TZV program to analyze retailers and build customized recommendations that satisfy the Refresh, Reward and Remind need states, optimize category adjacen- cies and maximize conversion of incre- mental items. More than a dozen retailers nation- wide are seeing results. For example, Wrigley and Mars Chocolate recently worked with a grocery retailer to test a redesigned self-checkout, and subse- quently saw need-state items experience a 20 percent dollar sales lift. The test indicates strong growth in unit sales and household penetration, as well as basket size. The beau- ty of the TZV is that it can be applied to any retailer and the companies have active partner- ships across drug, value, mass and food channels. Drug Store Insights One relevant trend for drug stores is shoppers are prioritizing products that support health and wellness. However, depending on the shopper, this could be a variety of different items. For example, shoppers may pick up Orbit™ sugarfree gum not only to refresh themselves, but also for the oral health benefits. It's also interesting to note that 89 percent of drug channel shoppers believe a reward like confectionery has a place within a bal- anced lifestyle. Offering shoppers a range of options that let them choose what they need in the moment will ulti- mately help them feel better about their experience. Outside of the register area, Wrigley and Mars Chocolate have started applying the next phase of research to the area where shoppers wait in line to pay. They found several oppor- tunities where drug stores can maximize this time, including: featuring eye-catching floor dis- plays, advertising promotions and seasonal confections in the check- out queue; and engaging shoppers in "the other front end," or the pharmacy, where nearly two-thirds of shoppers wait for prescriptions. The pharmacy counter and area around it can include additional displays of need-state products Over the next year, Wrigley and Mars Chocolate will be exploring oppor- tunities with mobile and e-commerce. These recommendations will allow the companies to further help retailers imple- ment the TZV program and satisfy the key Refresh, Reward and Remind need states. For more information, go to www.mars.com, call 800.631.7630 or contact your Mars Chocolate or Wrigley representative. patients' lives.' Can you explain how Prasco does that? CA: For more than 15 years, Prasco has maintained a leadership position in the category of Authorized Generics (AG). Through our AG program, we offer brand medications at generic prices in more than 20 therapeutic cat- egories. These products are manufac- tured by the most innovative and trust- ed pharmaceutical companies in the world. They meet the highest regulato- ry standards in the industry, delivering effective, reliable experiences for patients. By selling these products in our Prasco label at generic prices, we make them more affordable and acces- sible, allowing people to live longer, healthier lives. CDD: With prescription drug pricing becoming a dominant healthcare issue, how does Prasco help counteract rising drug costs? CA: Although Prasco AGs are brand products marketed under a private label, they are priced as generics. So we play an important role in contribut- ing to the savings generated by the generic industry, which was more than $250 billion in 2016 alone. One of the numbers we care deeply about is the more than $16 billion in savings attrib- uted specifically to Authorized Generics in the past five years. AGs continue to drive down healthcare costs through increased competition in the marketplace, expanding the availability of necessary medications at lower prices for consumers. Everyone wins when an AG enters the market. CDD: Your current tagline states, 'Strong Partnerships, Innovative Prasco (Cont'd. from p. 1) Solutions.' Can you elaborate? CA: Our business strategy is centered around partnerships and collaboration. Prasco has worked with nearly 50 well- established, brand pharmaceutical com- panies. These relationships are the lifeblood of our business; they motivate us each day to be creative and find solu- tions that are mutually beneficial. That's Strong Partnerships. At Prasco, we like to say, 'If you've seen one generic launch, you've seen one generic launch.' What we mean is that every new product opportunity is unique. There are mar- ket conditions, competitive circum- stances, supply issues and customer demands to account for. At Prasco, we understand the need to be innovative, creative, nimble and forward-thinking. We have experience in every type of launch and use a fresh approach to solve complex challenges. That's Innovative Solutions. CDD: What's next for Prasco? CA: As a leader in Authorized Generics, Prasco will continue to bring long-term solutions to the generics industry. We are ready to work with new and existing part- ners to meet their demands in the chang- ing generic market. We are very excited about the relaunch of Prasco's corporate website. The new Prasco.com helps consumers – which we define as physicians, pharma- cists and especially patients – understand the value of Authorized Generics and become more familiar with our product line. As market dynamics continue to change and patients become healthcare 'shoppers,' access to our product line is becoming even more important. For more information, visit booth #1013 or go to www.prasco.com.