Connect 2025 is in the books, and we’re still buzzing about it. Earlier this month, we brought the RedSail Technologies network to Grapevine, TX and proved that everything really is bigger in Texas.
With 650+ attendees, 200+ vendors, 84 classes, 10 CE credits, and wall-to-wall energy, it was our biggest event yet.
Day 1 kicked off with an Opening Reception complete with plenty of Texas BBQ and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, conversations with vendors, and new connections to spend the weekend with.
Day 2 brought big inspiration: We heard from RedSail’s executive leadership team, felt inspired by our keynote speaker and 2025 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year, Chad Houser; sipped our way around the exhibitor hall, and attended classes galore: from live software workshops to business-specific classes every pharmacist needs to hear. For our LTC folks, we finished the day with our inaugural LTC Mixer sponsored by Axys LTC.
Day 3 had us looking forward with RedSail CEO Andy Maurer’s opening talk and roundtables with the team. During class time, we studied up in our Ask an Expert Sessions, asked the hard questions in ownership panels, and strategized what independent pharmacy looks like one, two, five, or even fifty years down the line.
And, on Day 4, we rounded out our classes, made our plans for the future, and headed back home with plenty of big ideas to implement in our own businesses.
It’s safe to say that Connect 2025 delivered, and it’s all thanks to our attendees, exhibitors, and staff. If you didn’t get a chance to make it — or you’re just wanting to relive the weekend — here are 3 big takeaways from Connect 2025 that every pharmacy needs to know:
In his Day 2 welcome message, RedSail’s President of Pharmacy Systems, Josh Howland, offered a fresh take on a familiar topic: optimism.
Howland didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties pharmacies face: from predatory PBM practices to shrinking reimbursements to staffing shortages and the all-too-common feeling of burnout. You know the drill.
But rather than advocating for a naive sense of optimism—blindly hoping for the best but bracing for the worst—, Howland reframed optimism as a strategic choice pharmacies can (and should) make.
For Howland, who echoed the wisdom of Winston Churchill, difficulties present the opportunity to create, automate, and change the status quo.
What does this mean for pharmacies, exactly? It means that, yes, the industry is tough—tougher than it should be, for sure—but that same industry opens new doors: to launch a new program, to roll out that service you’ve been dreaming up, or advocate for reform that creates a new kind of industry altogether.
Howland put it best: “We’re planting trees under whose shade we may never sit.” But that doesn’t make the planting any less worthwhile.
As much as we’re making momentum, the fight is far from over. That’s why advocacy is more essential in pharmacy than in almost any other field.
During Friday’s NCPA Advocacy Update, Anne Cassity, JD, SVP Government Affairs, laid out what’s next in the fight for pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform—and why pharmacists can’t afford to stay on the sidelines.
After bipartisan PBM reform provisions were stripped from the 2024 end-of-year spending bill, Cassity detailed the path forward:
There’s real progress underway. States like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Arkansas have already passed major reforms that set the tone for federal efforts. But to keep things moving, pharmacists’ voices are critical.
Wondering how to make yours heard? Cassity shared a few tips:
As pharmacy evolves, so should the tools we use. Connect 2025 featured dozens of software-focused classes for PioneerRx, BestRx, NRx, PrimeCare, and RedSail users.
Across sessions, we explored how technology can be a force for good in pharmacy, whether it be through smarter automation, AI integration, or better visibility into your business operations.
In his welcome address, Josh Howland outlined three key priorities for RedSail: reinforce new revenue streams; optimize operations and management; and help pharmacies buy and sell better with a variety of current and up-and-coming tools.
Each of our new solutions—from SmartFax to RedSail Pay to RxCash+—is built to save time, strengthen margins, and simplify the day-to-day so that you can focus more on what matters most: your patients.
As Cascadia Pharmacy Group’s Tara Pfund emphasized in her session, Beyond Implementation: Clinical Services in Workflow, technology “will always be at the core of our business.”
That’s why it’s all the more important to make sure that in 2025 and beyond, your technology is working for you, not the other way around.
For all the technical takeaways, operational refinements, and business tricks we picked up at Connect 2025, we found that the one thing we walked away with was a newfound sense that pharmacy’s best days aren’t behind us—they’re still to come.
Whether you’re getting out of your pharmacy and into the world of reform, exploring new technologies, or just working on planting your seeds for the future, we encourage you to advocate for the industry in every way you can.
At the end of the conference, one thing is clear: We’re better together, and we’re just getting started.
We can’t wait to see you at Connect 2026!
