Stateways

“Utilizing technology, streamlining processes and broadening availability of information and resources is always our goal.” — Johnnie Meehl, Manager of Liquor Operations, Maine BAB uses resources that could increase the budget and manpower for compliance. In Maine, the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and the state Department of Public Safety are implementing an online certified seller/server training program for the state’s 40,000 alcohol servers (on- and off-premise). The DPS is charged with licensing, compliance, and review- ing and approving all alcohol education courses. Until recently, the only approved training was traditional class- room programs. Business owners across the state asked for a more accessible training option and the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages agreed, citing both the high demand and the possibility of increased compliance. “If training is more readily available we expect more people will be trained, so access is a huge driver,” says Johnnie Meehl, Manager of Liquor Operations at the Bureau. “We’re expecting reductions in over-serving and serving or selling to minors. Sellers and servers who know and understand the law are more likely to follow it.” Recent legislative changes have also led to the increased demand. Maine’s legislature recently passed a law allowing the DPS to consider seller and server training as a condition of licensure, and a large municipality now requires training be completed within 90 days of employment for alcohol servers. Adding an online option won’t replace the current system, but it will give business owners much-needed flexibility. “We expect the online training course to contain the same material covered in the classroom,” says Meehl. “The current training program, which is all inclusive to on- and off-premise, will be available through the Department of Public Safety and the private training companies that currently offer the courses.” The goal of any training program in Maine con- tinues to be ensuring that all sellers and servers have the information they need to reduce irresponsible sale StateWays  www.stateways.com  March/April 2011 or use of alcohol. The online course will ensure that the training happens sooner after a new employee is hired, reducing the change that employees are work- ing before they have the education necessary to work in the industry. The new training course is scheduled to go live in April, and could lead to other Bureau operations going digital, Meehl says. “Utilizing technology, streamlining processes and broadening availability of information and resources is always our goal.” O One Stop for License Needs ne challenge for organizations that create an online initiative is integration with future updates. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has offered online product registration for spirits since 2002, and over the past decade the commis- sion has expanded its online presence to include online license renewal for retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, and product registration for beer and wine. Other state agencies followed a similar strategy, tackling one initia- tive at a time. The result was inefficient for the state and the businesses using the systems. The solution to that problem is called Michigan Business One Stop, a project that represents Michigan’s commitment to making it easier to do business in the state. The Liquor Control Commission is working with- in the scope of that project to create a single place to submit liquor license applications online, complete with all the required documents and payments. The upgrade involves enhancing the state’s online product registration system and online application sys- tem. Phase one of the registration system project lets suppliers assign wholesalers to specific products within a territory and lets wholesalers define their territory. Phase two lets wholesalers identify the retailers that The application system upgrade allows customers to check the status of their liquor license applications online at any time. — Michigan LCC 41

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Editor's Note
• Dateline
• Spotlight on Minnesota
• Growth Brands
• Logging On
• Scotch
• Mixing It Up
• Ad Index