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The HDA Research Foundation (formerly the Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research), Genentech Inc., a member of the Roche Group, and Mylan Inc., honored Henry Dale Smith, Jr., of H. D. Smith Holding Company with the 2016 Nexus Award for Lifetime Achievement. The HDA Research Foundation is the charitable research arm of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA, formerly the Healthcare Distribution Management Association).
The pharmaceutical distribution industry’s highest individual honor — presented at the HDA 2016 Business and Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo. — the Nexus Award recognizes exceptional character, professional accomplishments, and leadership in HDA, the industry and community. The award was first presented in 1956.
“On the 60th anniversary of the Nexus Award, we are thrilled to celebrate Dale, whose vision has had an enormous impact on not only his company, but on HDA and the distribution industry as a whole,” said John M. Gray, HDA President and CEO, and President, HDA Research Foundation. “The HDA Research Foundation is pleased to recognize him with the industry’s most prestigious award.” Mr. Smith follows in the footsteps of his father, Henry Dale Smith, Sr., and longtime H. D. Smith colleague Joseph Conda, Nexus Award honorees in 2003 and 1998, respectively.
As the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the parent company of H. D. Smith, Mr. Smith oversees all of H. D. Smith’s business units, providing strategic direction and guidance alongside the company’s board of directors. Under his leadership, the Springfield, Illinois-based H. D. Smith grew from a regional wholesaler to a national wholesaler — one of the largest independent wholesalers in the U.S. — with distribution centers spanning across the country.
Further, Mr. Smith has led the company to form greater partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, and his guidance has allowed the company to provide a variety of services and solutions to help its customers, including retail and regional pharmacies, health systems and others, maximize efficiencies when serving patients.
Mr. Smith began his career at H. D. Smith in 1974, performing functions in nearly all of the company’s departments, from accounting to warehouse operations and delivery. He also concurrently served as Vice Chairman and President of J M Smith Corporation in the 1990s, which was founded by his grandfather. He is a graduate of Davidson College.
Additionally, Mr. Smith is a co-founder of Wholesale Alliance, LLC, a cooperative with the mission of helping pharmacies provide critical services. He chaired that organization from 1997 until 2005. Also in 2005, Mr. Smith was named the Illinois winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Health Services/Life Sciences category.
Mr. Smith is an active HDA member and has served on the Alliance’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee since October 2011. In addition, he has been a member of HDA’s Public Policy and Industry Relations Councils.
James Reilly, Vice President, Access & Channel Management, Genentech, Inc., and Vice Chairman, HDA Research Foundation, said, “Genentech is proud to support the 2016 Nexus Award, continuing the tradition of celebrating the individuals who have shaped the future of the healthcare distribution industry. We congratulate Dale on this prestigious honor.”
“Mylan is pleased to be a first-time sponsor of the Nexus Award — a longtime symbol of excellence in the healthcare distribution industry,” said Robert Potter, Senior Vice President, North American National Accounts and Channel Development, Mylan Inc. “Dale is a shining example of the values this award embodies.”
