StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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departments within the WVABCA and the public is well underway. E-licensing will replace and integrate the Retail Licensing System, Non-Retail licensing System, Violation System, Complaint System, Evidence Room System, Wine Label Registration Database and the Enforcement Mobile Inspection System (ScanGuard). This new system will add functionality for complete case management, educational tracking, workflow automation and document management. E-licensing will also directly impact our customers by allowing access to a secure website to manage license renewals, payments and documentation submission. At this point, timelines are being established with the vendor for implementation which will occur in phases throughout the remainder of 2013 and into 2014. As we move forward with the E-licensing project we will provide training for our staff at the main office and in the field. Currently, the WVABCA has seventyseven full time employees with approximately onethird of the staff working in the field. The field staff has received on-going training and will soon receive UHF portable radios. Due to the topography of the Mountain State many areas are remote and have limited broad band or cellular service. The purchase of thirty radios will allow two-way communication with emergency responders, thus promoting the safety of our field agents. The WVABCA is planning to hold their 22nd Annual Trade Show on September 9th and 10th at the Charleston Civic Center. This year's event is themed to commemorate the state of West Virginia's 150th anniversary of statehood which was marked on June 20, 2013. The Trade Show will feature a tasting event showcasing distilled spirits manufactured in the State. In the past year we have been very busy with a concentration on continuous improvements in our services. Modernization and empowering our people with the necessary tools to deliver services in a cost efficient manner have contributed to our recordbreaking year. Retail Sales/Trends Sales continued to be strong in FY 2013 with a total of 918,214 cases sold. This is a 5.25% increase over FY 2012 cases sold. The FY 2013 wholesale sales totaled $99,395,382 up 7.96% over FY2012. The Liquor/Wine industry in Wyoming continues to grow and prosper. Wyoming's economy remains reasonably strong with a low unemployment rate (4.6%). The State General Fund is rebounding slightly with natural gas prices increasing over FY2012. The Liquor Division continues to deliver exceptional service to its retailers statewide, including a state-of-the-art E-Liquor ordering system, 24 hour delivery service anywhere in the state from order entry and providing split case service on virtually all products. The Division currently lists 2,039 products every day and will special order any product not carried in inventory. The wholesale distribution model seems to work well in Wyoming. There has been no pressure towards privatization during 2013 and none is contemplated in the upcoming legislative session. Liquor Division Warehouse and IT Department The Liquor Division enjoys its new, temperaturecontrolled, 145,000 square-foot warehouse facility completed in February, 2012. The new facility is significantly larger and conveniently located near Interstate 80, east of Cheyenne. The Liquor Division began using Knighted-Datria "pick-to-voice" computerized pick-ticket system in September of 2012. Results have been nothing short of remarkable. The system minimizes errors on orders, increases the productivity of each worker and manages safety issues by insuring that there is no backtracking while filling orders. The system is used to fill retailer's orders, both full case and split case orders as well as restocking depleted inventory. As our staff becomes familiar with the technology we hope to see even greater productivity gains. enues to the State's General fund totaling $13,581,717 in FY 2013. This number is down slightly from 2012 due in large part to the expansion of product offerings which increased the base inventory from $17M to just under $20M in 2013. Compliance The Regulatory Section of the Wyoming Liquor Division has three main functions; insure compliance with Wyoming's alcohol beverage control laws, review of all liquor licensing and serve as a resource to local licensing authorities in alcohol education. In FY2013 the regulatory agents completed over 1,548 on-site, unannounced inspections. The compliance rate for FY2013 inspections was 97.5%. The Liquor Division continues to partner with the Wyoming State Liquor Association in providing alcohol server training utilizing the TIPS program. This collaboration trained 2,507 students in FY2013. Regulatory agents reviewed 1,494 retail liquor license applications that were eventually issued or renewed by local licensing authorities. Additionally the division's agents reviewed and processed more than 850 applications including direct shippers, industry representatives, malt beverage wholesalers, manufacturers and charter SW transportation. 26 StateWays I www.stateways.com I September/October 2013 WYOMING Dan Noble Director Wyoming Department of Revenue Liquor The Wyomingcontinued Division has to contribute record rev-