"Retailers need to step up," states Santelle. "There
is a genuine need for retailers to get more involved with
the politics of the industry, to defend their livelihoods.
There are a lot of forces today that are threatening the
independent model." The threats independent retailers
are fighting today are not just the competitors down the
street, he says, but out-of-state companies and global
entities, the big box chains, warehouse clubs and supermarket giants trying to subvert the regulatory system for
their own gain. "Carpetbaggers," Santelle calls them.
On- to Off-Premise Switch
B
orn and raised on the Jersey Shore, Santelle
get his start in the beverage alcohol business
even before he graduated in 1981 from
Monmouth University with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Business Administration as well as a
minor in Business Finance. At the time, the legal drinking age was 18, and the Jersey Shore music scene was
booming. Santelle was employed in a number of positions, as a band manager, where he met luminaries such
as Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, as well as working at
nightclubs, restaurants and banquet and catering. But in
1984, the drinking age was raised, putting a damper on
the Shore scene. Santelle also married wife Wendy, and
realized he had to start thinking long term. He had gotten tired of the late hours and other aspects of onpremise. "With a wife and kids, I wanted work more
compatible to a family lifestyle, and the off-premise
business is more tolerable in that respect," he says. "The
hours are better, but," he amends, "you still have to work
weekends and holidays."
One trait that carried over from on- to off-premise
was Santelle's concern about customer service and satisfaction. "Whatever the business, you need repeat customers, you have to make that connection, and reconnection, keep them coming back. I tell my employees,
'without those customers, we are out of business.'" That
applies to the entire chain of the three-tier system, he
adds. He maintains good relationships with all his
wholesalers and key suppliers. "We all have customers,
suppliers to wholesalers, wholesalers to retailers, retailers to customers — what I call the fourth tier."
Savvy Site Selection
I
22 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2013
n the mid-80s, Santelle spent several years searching for the right location for his future business. A
story in an industry trade magazine caught his
attention; it profiled a liquor retailer doing mil-
