Clay Williams looks to balance tradition, change 

WASHINGTON, Ind. – Clay Williams may stand on the foundation that his predecessors built, but the newly minted CEO of Williams Brothers Healthcare Pharmacy is ready to push forward into 2025 and beyond in new and innovative ways. 

The fifth-generation pharmacist succeeds his father Charles C. (C.C.) Williams II and his uncle Mark Williams.  

“One of the big things that I'm looking at going forward is to strengthen our core values and the fundamentals of what we do, while continually pushing toward innovative new ways to improve patients’ lives,” said Williams. “How do we get and maintain a lean operation without jeopardizing (the patient experience)?” 

Williams Brothers, which was founded in 1902, has eight pharmacies and 12 HME locations, two long-term care pharmacies, a specialty and mail order pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy and an infusion pharmacy. 

Up first on Williams’ to-do list: A central fill pharmacy operation to more efficiently dispense prescriptions. 

“Pharmacies are just busting at the seams with prescription volume and one of the complaints that we hear most commonly from patients is the prescription not being ready whenever they come to get it, so that's a big area that we're going to be able to tackle,” he said. 

Like most independent companies, Williams Brothers has its challenges, including reimbursement, but spreading its business across its various pillars allows it to weather the ups and downs, says Williams. The family does the same. 

“We’ve had passionate disagreements, but when we walk out, we’re still going to the Colts games together,” says Williams, who, to the chagrin of his uncles, used to ride power mobility scooters around the store. “We know when our business hats are on.” 

While he expects Williams Brothers to innovate under his leadership, underpinning the company’s success will continue to be its more than 500 employees, says Williams. 

“We make sure everyone that works at Williams Brothers understands our why and how they play a role in that,” he said. “Our wish is to improve patient’s lives every day. It’s easy to talk to the frontline people who directly touch the patients, but it’s also about ensuring that our admin department, our HR, or IT or billing department understand that, while they may not be directly touching the patient, their roles are essential in improving patient’s lives every day.” 

• Related: After “being courted” by several health care groups in underserved areas, Williams Bros. Healthcare Pharmacy picked Evansville, Ind., for its newest location.