StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q May/June 2014 6
StateWays
®
Executive Vice President
and Group Publisher
Charles Forman
Tel: 845-262-1041
Fax: 845-445-6674
cforman@specialtyim.com
Editor- in-Chief
Richard Brandes
Tel: 212-353-3832
rbrandes@specialtyim.com
Art Director
Adam Lane
Contributing Editor
Melissa Niksic
Senior Regional Sales Manager
Bruce Kostic
Tel: 203-855-6499, ext. 215
bkostic@specialtyim.com
Senior Regional Sales Manager
Mark Marcon
Tel: 248-761-6231
mmarcon@specialtyim.com
Senior Regional Sales Manager
Debbie Rittenberg
Tel: 215-860-0306
drittenberg@specialtyim.com
Senior Research Analyst
Adam Rogers
Vice President, Beverage
Amy Collins
acollins@epgmediallc.com
Production Manager
Cherri Perschmann
Tel: 763-383-4425
cperschmann@epgmediallc.com
Interested in List Rental, contact
Jim Scova
Tel: 914-368-1012
jscova@MeritDirect.com
Want Reprints, contact
Circulation and Audience
Development Manager
Debra Welter
dwelter@Specialtyim.com
StateWays is published by
The Beverage Information Group,
a division of Specialty Information
Media
E D I T O R ' S N O T E
Modernizing the
Control States
U
pdating control state operations — from back-offi ce effi ciencies to warehouse
improvements to IT upgrades to store redesigns, among other things — is nothing new
and has been progressing for several decades. Admittedly, some states have progressed
faster than others, but it is important to note that while continuing to modernize, the control
states overall successfully fulfi ll their dual mandate of providing much-needed revenue to their
states as well as overseeing the responsible sale and distribution of beverage alcohol products
while also battling the abuse and misuse of those products through many varied programs.
With the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's 77th Annual Conference
taking place in Marco Island, FL, beginning May 19, we are once again highlighting the
incoming NABCA Chairman in a profi le. This year is slightly different, since Jeff Anderson,
director of the Idaho State Liquor Division (ISLD), has already been NABCA Chairman for
a number of months (with the resignation of J. Neal Insley, of Virginia), and he will continue
in that position until next May.
Interestingly, the ISLD has notably embarked on a modernization campaign for division's
66 state stores, called iMod, since Anderson took over the reigns a few years ago. "Our goal is to
have our stores continue to look and feel like a good-quality retailer, to provide knowledgeable,
friendly, helpful service and to have the product you want at a fair price," Anderson said.
"With something like iMod, there is never a fi nish line. You have to continually adapt to the
needs of the customer."
John Byrne, Director of Control States, Rémy Cointreau USA, and Chairman of the
NABCA Industry Steering Committee (ISC) notes in our "NABCA Industry Steering
Committee Roundtable" (see page 34) that meetings this past year with the NABCA Board
of Directors resulted in a "valuable interaction that underscored the modernization efforts
taking place in control jurisdictions."
He added that the ISC also meets "one on one" with each control jurisdiction. Byrne said,
"The meetings offer a dialogue that assists states in identifying best practices as they continue
to modernize their operations. Indeed, there are many examples where modernization efforts
have resulted in upgraded or new warehouse operations (e.g., IA, NH, NC and Montgomery
County); modernized and/or expanded retail stores (e.g., AL, NH, ID, OR, VA, OH and
VT); introduction of trade shows for licensees (e.g., AL, WV and MS), as well as continuing
to implement effi cient product selection and category management systems."
So, yes, modernization in the control states continues to move forward, even as
privatization campaigns continue to challenge the control systems in individual states. Still,
NABCA Chairman Anderson takes a balanced position: "Our job as public servants is not to
be advocates for one position or another; it's not to argue that control states are better. Our job
is to tell the truth, to model and explain what we do, how we do it and why we do it."
Even so, in the ISLD's 2013 Annual Report, Anderson wrote, "Good government
requires openness in evaluating various options, but at the end of the day the system we enjoy
is effi cient and serves our constitutional mandate."
Richard Brandes, Editor-in-Chief