PHARMACY GAME CHANGERS · Building autonomy across ... able to adapt and switch up your game plan, you won’t be able to survive. The duo explains how they’ve been able to adapt

PEOPLE

PHARMACY

GAME CHANGERS

Hello, Pharmacy Owners

In your hands, you hold what represents a microcosm of the Pharmacy Development Services (PDS) community. These are the stories of PDS members who have chosen a different path for their pharmacy ownership journey.

The owners who have said NO to the status quo; choosing to focus on what’s within their control to obtain better profits and patient care. Of course, it’s easy to think that the owners we’re highlighting in this book have achieved a superstar status that’s unattainable by the average owner or that they are an anomaly. But the reality is that they simply decided to embrace a new way of thinking to create their dream businesses.

These are the pharmacy innovators who have committed to opening their minds and collaborating with experts. Strategies are just ideas until these Game Changers rolled up their sleeves to implement and in turn began creating their opportunity to achieve success.

THE PHARMACY GAME CHANGERS

The stories you’re about to read will shed light on how pharmacy owners from around the country have harnessed what they can control to create their own success.

Through these stories, you’ll learn more about...

• How to hone leadership skills, train teams, and delegate efficiently.• The impact of looking at P&L statements differently and strategizing how to improve cash flow and inventory controls. • The therapeutic benefits of implementing clinical services programs to ensure patients can access the best healthcare

that they can afford and will achieve the best outcomes possible.

Most importantly, the owners in this book show you what's realistically possible in an industry many think is past its prime. These are the Pharmacy Game Changers.

THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF PHARMACY SUCCESS

Since launching in 1998, PDS has stuck to the same core principles for pharmacy business. It’s always been about people, processes, profits, and performance. When you have plans in place for those critical areas, you can achieve greatness. These are standard business practices whether you own the tire shop or hair salon down the street, or even Target! Like cogs in a wheel, they all work better together than separately. But what do they mean for the pharmacy community and the solutions PDS provides its members?

PEOPLE Understanding your impact as the pharmacy leader, your store's culture, and ensuring you're hiring high-performers who positively support the team and customers.

PROCESS Policies and procedures that guarantee everyone knows what to do, how to do it and what's expected of them, so they can operate at their peak performance without micromanagement.

PERFORMANCE Gaining a deeper awareness of the pharmacy's metrics, financial or otherwise, allows owners to make smart business decisions based on data versus their gut.

PROFITS The money in the bank that allows you to continually offer the best healthcare services to your patients and provide security to your family, employees, and their loved ones.

We stand proudly behind these Foundations of Pharmacy Success. They're the reason why both PDS and its members are successful. It’s not just the people in this book who have achieved massive results, but the 1200+ locations we work with monthly.

HOW TO READ THE PHARMACY GAME CHANGERS SERIES

In each of the eBooks, we dive deep into one of the Foundations for Pharmacy Success. You will notice there is overlap amongst the four pillars, but each book has a theme to meet your specific needs. Everyone has a unique story, background, employee situation or challenge they are facing. But, because we're all in the same industry we can shorten the learning curve and lift each other. Their success stories show you what's possible when you commit to changing your game.

Please continue reading to gain a better understanding of the hurdles and wins of these PDS members who have achieved remarkable business and personal results. In the spirit of our community of sharing and giving back to the industry, we hope these incredible stories of transformation will inspire you to take the first step in uncovering what's possible for you, your team and your business.

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CHRIS' PHARMACY

AND GIFTS, LLC.

CHRIS WILLIAMS

17X ROISTRATEGIES

RXANALYTICS, SILDENAFIL, SYNCRX+

A COMMUNITY OF RESOURCES THAT

HAS YOUR BACK AT EVERY TURN

A TOOLKIT OF SUPPORT FOR PHARMACY

OWNERS AND OPERATORS

Chris Williams opened his first pharmacy in 2008 and is

now the proud owner of four Chris’ Pharmacy and Gifts

locations across southeastern Louisiana.

After six years in the business, Chris became a PDS

member in April 2014, and now says, “as long as I own a

store, I will be a member of PDS.”

Aside from the stellar results over the past year, he

praises the membership for educational resources and

the robust network of high-performers.

Of the many ways that PDS has helped Williams’s

business, one of the simplest, yet most valuable is the

PDSadvantage Resource Center - an online portal for

invaluable information that’s continuously updated.

One of the tools Chris has tapped into more recently

is the PDS Members-Only Message Board. Calling the

community network, ‘hugely powerful,’ he shares that

when a recent issue surfaced, he was able to arrange

calls with four different PDS members across the country

who had experienced the same problem, and were able

to offer alternative perspectives, solutions and outside-

the-box ideas.

4 ©2018 Pharmacy Development Services

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INVESTING IN SUCCESS AND A POSITIVE MINDSET

“All of the success and enjoyment I have in my job, I attribute to the different mindset

I’ve got from PDS,” states Chris.

Having increased profits 40% over last year, through the PDS RxAnalytics program

and untapped compounding opportunities, Williams is looking forward to growing his

business even further in 2018.

“I know there are plenty of creative opportunities out there and I can’t

wait to go to the PDS conference to swap more ideas. It’s the only industry

event where pharmacists don’t complain.”

Knowing how great an impact his PDS membership and positive mindset shift has

made on his own business, for owners debating the value, he believes they can’t afford

NOT to join.

He has also been able to develop a rapport with his PDS Business Coach, Juliet Brown

and his Performance Specialist, Lisa Baker, to whom he feels very accountable.

Explaining that he can get bogged down with HR issues when managing his 65

employees, Chris credits Juliet with keeping him on task and helps him simplify

procedures, so he can be free to work on the business.

Additionally, he carves out more time by having Lisa work directly with his

synchronization team on their sales and marketing efforts. Building autonomy across

the business has helped him transition the team’s mindset from ‘you’ and ‘mine’ to ‘we’

and ‘ours,’ improving accountability and culture.

Chris shares that his desire is for the stores to run the same or better when he’s not

present, and it’s through the help of several of the PDS training programs, such as

Customer Service Guru and Technician Training, have set the tone for high performance.

“Rather than adopting the chain mentality of thinking, 'How do I say no

to this customer?' I’m encouraging a culture of 'How do we say yes? How

can we better help this customer?'”

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EDEN DRUG

PETE + DEBBIE CROUCH

71X ROISTRATEGIES

RXANALYTICS, COMPOUNDING

SUCCESS DUE TO SUSTAINABLE, LONG-

TERM OPPORTUNITIES

THE POWER OF RESILIENCE

Pete and Debbie Crouch, owners of Eden Drug in Eden,

North Carolina, didn’t think it was possible for 2017 to beat

the success of 2016, but boy, were they wrong!

“PDS shows us all of the opportunities that are available

to make our business grow and thrive.” The duo realizes

that just because you have success with one thing does

not mean things will always work. "We saw amazing

success with compounding, but the margins began to

shrink over time. We continue to prosper by finding other

opportunities to increase our bottom line.”

When asked how PDS has impacted their business, he

explained that they'd been given the opportunity to

network with the most successful pharmacists in the

country. "Collectively, someone has something beneficial

to add to your business."

Over the years, the Crouches have learned that not

everything you pursue is going to be successful, and that’s

okay. ”What works for some, might not work for others.

You have to have the passion and courage to go for it,“

they say.

With the drastic changes in healthcare, you have to be able

to keep up at a rapid pace and push forward. If you’re not

able to adapt and switch up your game plan, you won’t be

able to survive. The duo explains how they’ve been able to

adapt and have not been afraid to try new things because

of the various PDS programs they participate in such as


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CREATING A CULTURE THAT CAN ADAPT

The Crouches have worked on the culture of their pharmacy from day one. They no

longer need to worry when new hires come along because the groundwork for their

company culture has already been laid.

The duo has built a concrete culture around encouraging the positive and impactful

behavior. "We've been able to incentivize our staff with bonuses. This gives them the

energy to try new things and work hard."

“With the help of PDS, we’ve been able to create a culture throughout our

business that teaches our staff to be resilient and adaptable to change.”

Their PDS Coach, Patti Mara, has been instrumental in identifying what's important to

their staff and the culture they breed. They now know how to critically think through

the difficult situations that owners are faced with on a daily basis.

They’ve been able to reinvest into their employees by sending them to the PDS

Advanced Leadership program. “Our key leadership team is all in with helping us do

the heavy lifting.”

“We’ve been given a sense of freedom due to the empowerment of my

employees.”

“The value of PDS is directly proportional to how much time you put into utilizing their

programs. Unless you’re willing to do the work, it’s not going to happen automatically.”

Advanced Leadership and Board of Directors. “We are all able to figure out how

to change course by navigating together.”

“We joined PDS six months after we bought our pharmacy. We had the

clinical skills, but PDS has taught us how to become smarter business

people.”

When asked what challenged their resilience the most in 2017, they spoke about a

tornado that hit their town when they were away visiting grandchildren. Their office/

education building was destroyed, the roof was completely gone. Without even

asking, their staff had secured the financial records and taken all of the precautionary

steps to save anything they could.

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HURRICANE FAMILY

PHARMACY

CLIFF HOLT

11X ROISTRATEGIES

RXANALYTICS

WORK-LIFE BALANCE WHILE

CONTINUOUSLY GROWING PROFITS

Cliff Holt, owner of Hurricane Family Pharmacy in Hurricane,

Utah, was only going to join PDS for one year in 2009. "I

figured if I got the manual, this would be plenty to last me

a lifetime. But at the end of the 12 months, I thought, there

is more to know, and more I need to learn."

2017 has been a tremendous year in business for Holt.

He is opening a third, and purchased a fourth pharmacy.

His hospice company, home health care and two medical

clinics have also all continued to grow. There are many

moving parts for Holt, but because of PDS, he can succeed

beyond his wildest dreams.

“I’m always evaluating every expense to see what

the ROI is and the PDS ROI is simple every year.”

Financially speaking, he did not know what a profit and

loss statement was before he worked with PDS. All he

could do was look at his checking account and knew

things weren’t going well if money was low and he had

to dip into his line of credit. Now as a Board of Directors

member, “Dan has taught us lessons we need to learn,

what to look for financially and how to look at things from

a business perspective.”


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TRANSFORMING INTO A LEADER

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

Holt talks about the benefit of attending the PDS Advanced Leadership program The

life lessons he’s has taken away from this training program have strengthened his

relationships, not just professionally but personally.

"Advanced Leadership has not only helped my pharmacy, but it has also

changed all aspects of my life, and something like this just cannot be

measured with dollars."

He's able to relate to his employees and be present as their leader. "For me, that is

the ultimate bottom line. I want to be a better husband, dad, friend, employer, and

teammate" PDS has given Holt the tools to become better at all of these things. "From

the programs and the people, that is what PDS is all about."

Through Holt’s mentors and the individuals at PDS, he’s learned how to be passionate,

take care of people and listen by standing side-by-side with them.

He’s never wanted to be the man who didn’t care about his employees and only himself.

“Everything I’ve learned is from somebody else. I try to pick the best traits of everyone

I meet. How am I doing and what could I do better?”

Holt's ultimate goal for the future is based on family. He firmly believes in Dan's "life

gives to the givers" mentality. The more time he can spend with his wife, children, and

grandchildren, the better. "I want to be the Grandad who goes to all of the events

because I missed a lot of things in my children’s early years due to how busy I was."

He grades himself based on the people who surround him. “I look at my family and my

employees and think, how are they doing and how they are succeeding? Are they up or

down? Are they learning? If they aren’t doing well, that is on me. If they’re doing well,

that is on them because of the work they’ve put in.”

As he closes out 2017 and looks into the future, Holt plans to soak up all of the teaching

and support he receives from PDS into the new year.

9©2018 Pharmacy Development Services

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“If you want to grow your business, your life, and get the tools to help

you succeed, you need someone on your team like PDS. It’s the only

organization that has the programs to change all these different aspects

of your business and even your personal life.”

Through the support of his business coaches and performance specialist, Holt has

been able to take his business to the next level. He’s recently gone from being a small

business owner to a medium-sized business owner.

"I've had to adjust what my job looks like but we've since doubled in size, and our

profitability has really increased, in not just my pharmacy, but through all parts of my

businesses."

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JAMES DRUG

STORE INC

PATRICK BRIAN

52X ROISTRATEGIES

COMPOUNDING, RXANALYTICS

THE POWER OF RESILIENCE IN THE FACE

OF CHALLENGE

Simon Sinek’s bestselling book, Start with Why, details

the significance of emotional motivation and purpose

in reaching a business goal. It’s a mindset that has more

than proven itself to James Drug Store’s manager and

pharmacist in charge, Pat Brian, after an especially trying

few years.

Brian and his pharmacy team’s resilience have been

beyond tested, first through a severe flood in 2016

that devastated their small town, wrecking almost 400

businesses and damaging more than 75% of the homes

of pharmacy customers, employees, including the Brian’s

and the store’s owner, Herman Crotwell.

And, even though the uncontrollable events challenged

them personally and professionally, the James Drug

Store team was able to offer strength and stability to its

community, a testament to their culture and perseverance.

However, their efforts were once again shaken when

Brian and his father received another bout of bad news:

their thriving prescription long-term care business,

in partnership with another organization and due for

expansion, was unexpectedly terminated. Overnight the

team went from filling 42,000 prescriptions per month to

17,000.


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FINDING MOTIVATION TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN BY

STARTING WITH WHY

The loss was particularly hard on Crotwell, who has been working at the pharmacy

since 1957 and why Brian quietly vowed to persevere and replace the lost income

from the Long-Term Care business with whatever resources it would require.

Tapping into the tools provided at the PDS Super-Conference and suggestions from

PDS Founder, Dan Benamoz, Brian was encouraged to replace the business with an

in-depth focus on compounding, RxAnalytics, and launch of Ideal Protein, a medically-

developed weight loss protocol many independent owners are seeing success with

therapeutically and profit wise.

Adding 62% to the store’s net profit in 2017, Brian recently shared with Crotwell that

the team was able to replace 75% of the lost income. In fact, they’ll soon replace all

100% and create an Ideal Protein clinic in the space initially dedicated to the LTC

expansion.

And while the results are remarkable, Brian recognizes the mile-high goal that he and

the team made a reality in such a short period was only possible because of their

clear, powerful ‘why.’

“Honoring my dad and restoring him was my ‘why.’ Without that, the

‘how’ and the ‘what’ would never have happened,” shares Brian.

Understanding this impact of starting with the ‘why’ translated into the care strategy

for customers as well. The success the team continues to see with the Ideal Protein

weight loss program hinges on patients identifying their ‘why.’ In fact, Brian himself

has led by example, having lost over 50 pounds on the program in four months.

THE STRENGTH AND TRACTION OF A CLOSE-KNIT TEAM

In the face of adversity, the James Drug Store team has created an unbreakable bond.

Recalling that when the flood hit, the store was opened the very next day with his

team is full-force, even though many of them had lost everything. Upon hearing about

the loss of


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BUILDING THE FUTURE

When considering the future, Brian chuckles that he could probably have had more

success a lot earlier if he had listened to the advice of Mara and Baker.

“I thought I was too busy, but I’ve realized that just because you’re busy

doesn’t mean your working on what can move the needle.”

With optimizing the operations to fill scripts that will make money and offer enhanced

patient therapies, incentivizing his team, and, ultimately, tapping into his motivation to

honor his father’s years of diligent, hard work, Brian has found a leader in himself that

he describes as the ‘best version of me.’

He also shares that, “I can say with confidence that we would not be in business today

if we did not have a relationship with PDS. The bonds that you make in this community

are invaluable, I can’t speak more highly of them.”

Next up for Brian, he’ll be joining the Board of Directors in 2018 and looks forward to

future opportunities for the business, confiding that although he’s 63, he thinks he’ll

work full time until he’s at least 70!

their LTC contract, they came together again, and Brian is clear that all of his success

of the rebuild would not have been possible without their unwavering dedication.

Through his leadership training and work with his Business Coach, Patti Mara, and

Performance Specialist, Lisa Baker, Brian has been encouraged to let his team do what

they need to get the job done.

In addition to replacing the lost income, Brian is proud to have been able to reward his

hard-working team of 35 by paying out more than $100,000 in bonuses in 2017. An

honor made even sweeter since many of his employees had to incur second mortgages

because of flood damages.

“This has been my best year out of 40 years. Our efforts have revitalized

me. Two years ago I was telling my wife I was close to burnout. Now I

can’t wait to go to the pharmacy.”

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MEDICINE SHOPPE

0461

CURTIS & SHIRELY RISING

7X ROISTRATEGIES

ADVANCED LEADERSHIP, CLINICAL SERVICES PROFIT IGNITOR, COMPOUNDING, RXANALYTICS

CHANCE ENCOUNTER LEADS TO ENDLESS

OPPORTUNITIES

Curtis and Shirley Rising, owners of Medicine Shoppe in

Rapid City, South Dakota, have three pharmacies and

plenty to juggle. Before 2015, time came at a premium and

profitability was hard to come by. On what Curtis refers

to as "a higher power saying not to ignore PDS," he had

a chance encounter on a flight back from Mexico back in

2015.

It just happened to be at a pivotal point in their

entrepreneurial journey. He was sitting next to PDS

Advanced Leadership Coach, Terri Norvell, and they got

to talking about what he did for a living. When he told her

about the pharmacies and some of the challenges they

were facing, Terri encouraged the duo to attend the PDS

Advanced Leadership Program (ALP). After speaking to

his wife, they agreed it was meant to be, and they couldn't

afford not to attend.


SUPPORT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

Participating in the ALP helped them coach their staff and succeed in their jobs more

efficiently. Monday-morning meetings are now in place where they discuss the goals

and operational issues, as well as quick stand-up meetings to discuss the gross profit.

Employees are much more engaged now - not only with the patients but also the

business' profitability.

Their Business Coach, Patti Mara, has helped them set goals for each of the pharmacies

and how to create indicators for success throughout the year. That success has had a

trickle-down effect, and the entire organization has taken notice.

POSITIVE CHANGES IMPACTING PROFITS

All three of their pharmacies have experienced positive changes in their own ways. In

2017, they were able to increase their gross profit per prescription and saw a 30% increase

in net profit year over year, even with 20% lower script volume -- due to canceling

the Humana contract. Their retail store, based on goals and incentives, has increased

the gross profit per prescription. By putting team incentives around PDS Programs

RxAnalytics and SolutionsRx, it's allowed the team to take more responsibility for the

profitability of the store. This led to an increase from $9.00 to $14.50 per prescription.

They also saw significant growth in the long-term care business. While increasing beds

beyond their goal, they were able to raise their gross profit per prescription over $5

by lowering and maintaining a lean inventory -- 11 turns to 18 turns per year while also

watching NDCs.

Compounding has increased from 25 to 40 prescriptions per day which are helping

them become profitable in compounding as well. They are now well on their way to

developing a clinical program and even hired a pharmacist to run it.

"The employees have seen the difference. We've changed the culture of

our store, and it is ever evolving. We've changed the doom and gloom to

more of a positive, and the employees have taken ownership which has

increased the satisfaction of their job."

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PERSONAL ENJOYMENT

Patti has helped them set up PICs, so they aren't managing everything by themselves.

They couldn't handle it all with 30 employees. It was simply becoming too stressful.

PDS has taught them how to stop worrying about micromanager every step of the

process. Now they can delegate, and the employees have bought into the success.

They've even been able to send employees to many PDS workshops to help them

step further into their managerial roles. Empowering their employees and watching

them grow through these training programs has enhanced their experience of being

pharmacy owners.

When asked what his advice to pharmacy owners looking for guidance would be, his

answer was simple. “I would ask them their pain points, and what if I told you there was

someone there to help you through those pain points and break through to the next

level? PDS can do that. I never thought it would be this much of a positive or have such

an impact, but it has.”

2018 AND BEYOND

As they prepare for 2018, they are taking a harder look at the profit drivers. They are

now utilizing PDS program, RxAnalytics, to find the hidden gems, which they didn't

have in place before. Curt and Shirley's hope is to continue building their long-term

care store, and there are a lot of possibilities out there.

"For us to grow 20% in one year and have the response from our staff

that we've had has been just outstanding. In retail, we just need to keep

finding those valuable items that Dr. Lisa Faast & PDS has helped put out

there."

They are even ready to rock and roll with Clinical Services and have hired someone

to get this going. With the support and insight PDS has provided, they see no limit

looking into the future.

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THE MEDICINE

SHOPPE #2057

DIPAK PATEL

57X ROISTRATEGIES

RXANALYTICS

GAINING CONFIDENCE THROUGH

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Dipak Patel, owner of The Medicine Shoppe in Shillington,

Pennsylvania, was dealing with a good amount of

personal and professional turmoil before attending the

PDS Advanced Leadership Program (ALP). Patel, a self-

proclaimed “control freak,” had trouble empowering and

trusting his employees. He was delegating very little to

his employees, causing him to spend far too much time

working in his business, instead of on it. Not only was it

eating up his time, but it was ultimately unproductive, and

his business was struggling as a result.

After attending ALP, it immediately changed the way he

thought about business. Through his experience, it has

shown him that everything he thought was a struggle, is

now possible.”I’m starting to feel like I’ve set my team up

to run the pharmacy better than I do.” However, that is

indeed a testament to him. It’s one thing to receive highly

insightful information, but to take it and put it into action

is another. His team responded directly to his guidance.

With the help of ALP and his business coach, Andrew

Beck, Patel was able to let go and focus on leading.


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GOING ALL IN

Regarding recommending PDS to other pharmacy owners, Patel stressed the fact that

PDS will guide you and help you create the ideas, find the solutions, but you still need

to execute. Tom Brady, he expresses, has incredible talent and knowledge of the game

of football, but he still needs the guidance and support of the coach to excel at the

highest level. “There are so many experts at PDS, and there is always someone to talk

to so that I can get the answers I am looking for.”

“I’ve never had a question they couldn’t help me with...any question I

have, there is someone to help answer me, and I’ve always gotten the

solution from PDS.”

Through all of these positive changes, Patel has been able to focus more on his family

and feels genuinely happier in life. Between the awakening he experienced at ALP and

the positivity he now focuses on daily, he feels better than ever, both in his personal

and professional life. All of this is happening while his pharmacy is succeeding beyond

his wildest dreams. His next move? “Doubling up his business growth” in 2018.

Beck has also encouraged Patel to start marketing Sildenafil. They were already selling

it, but not promoting it. Reluctantly at first, they ran a TV ad, and the numbers spoke

for themselves.

“Before I used to fill two or three Sildenafil scripts per month. Now we

are doing at least 20-25, so I’m making about $2500 every month on

Sildenafil.”

Even with that, he says that the profits are still growing. He believes that this proof

of concept has changed his entire view of business and advertising, something he

never would’ve tried before attending ALP or joining PDS. He credits Beck and his

Performance Specialist, Stephanie Zimmerman, with planting the idea of reinvestment.

He now understands how critical it is to continuously reinvest to grow the business.

IDEAS INTO ACTION

The ideas were there and his actions paid off. Patel’s profit jumped from 12% from the

prior year all the way up to 45% in 2017! He and his team were able to accomplish that

with a low volume store. “There are no mistakes; it’s an opportunity to improve.”

“PDS is going to give you the idea, but you still have to do the work!”


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PHARMACY GAME CHANGERS · Building autonomy across ... able to adapt and switch up your game plan, you won’t be able to survive. The duo explains how they’ve been able to adapt