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
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/379534
27 StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q September/October 2014 +++++++++++++++++++++ CONTROL STATES EXECUTIVE FORUM selected and awarded $1,000 for a school sanctioned ac- tivity. A script and storyboard was developed based upon the winning essay about the dangers of drinking and driv- ing. A sixty second TV spot aired in April and May of 2014, a peak time for underage drinking due to prom and graduation season. The video is available on the WVAB- CA website at www.abca.wv.gov. Plans are underway to expand the contest for the upcoming school year. An additional new program developed by the WVAB- CA is geared to serve the states retail licensees and their employees. An educational DVD titled "Best Carding Practices" demonstrates proper carding techniques for both On-premises and Off-premises licensees. Viewers are shown various types of legal ID's and are also told about unacceptable forms of ID. Various scenarios are depicted to illustrate proper and improper methods of carding. Both videos are available on the WVABCA web- site or by contacting the main office to obtain a DVD. WYOMING Dan Noble Director, Wyoming Department of Revenue T he Wyoming Liquor Division has continued to contribute record rev- enues to the State's General fund totaling $15,500,917 in FY 2014. This number is up 14% over last year with an additional $1,919,200 deposited into the State's General Fund compared to 2013. Retail Sales/Trends Sales continued to be strong in FY 2014 with a total of 948,352 cases sold. This is a 3.28% increase over FY 2013. The FY 2014 wholesale sales totaled $103,120,577; up 3.75% over FY2013. The Liquor and Wine industry in Wyoming continues to grow and prosper. Wyoming's economy remains reasonably strong with a low unem- ployment rate (3.7%). The State General Fund is re- bounding slightly with natural gas prices increasing over FY 2013. Mineral severance taxes and sales and use taxes are ahead of projection and the states investment perfor- mance has been strong. 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 any- where in the state from order entry and providing split case service on virtually all products. The Division currently lists 2,080 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 pres- sure towards privatization during 2014 and none is contem- plated in the upcoming legislative session. Liquor Division Warehouse and IT Department The Liquor Division enjoys its new, temperature-con- trolled, 145,000 square-foot warehouse facility complet- ed in February of 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 produc- tivity of each worker and manages safety issues by ensur- ing there is no backtracking while filling orders. The system is used to fill retailers' orders, both full-case and split-case orders, as well as restocking depleted invento- ry. As our staff has becomes familiar with the technology, its efficiency has almost doubled in FY 2014 with more than 3,200 bottles being picked per hour on the 300-foot conveyor split line. The Liquor Division is currently working on an up- grade to its ERP system, EPICOR. Work has started and a completion date of January 2015 is expected. Compliance Update The Regulatory Section of the Wyoming Liquor Di- vision has three main functions: ensure compliance with Wyoming's alcohol beverage control laws, review all li- quor licensing and serve as a resource to local licensing authorities in alcohol education. In FY 2014 the regulatory agents completed over 1489 on-site, unannounced inspections. The compliance rate for FY2014 inspections was 95.9%. The Liquor Division continues to partner with the Wyoming State Liquor As- sociation in providing alcohol server training utilizing the TIPS program. This collaboration trained 2,702 stu- dents in FY 2014.The Division has also teamed with The Department of Transportation Highway Safety Program and the Highway Patrol to distribute educational materi- als on no less than a quarterly basis to help educate the licensees and the general public. Regulatory agents reviewed 1,489 retail liquor license applications that were eventually issued or renewed by local licensing authorities. Additionally, the division's agents reviewed and processed more than 878 applica- tions including direct shippers, industry representatives, malt beverage wholesalers, manufacturers and charter transportation.