StateWays ■ www.stateways.com ■ January/February 2015 10
VA ABC
I
n his fi rst year on the job as Chairman of the Virginia
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Jeffrey
Painter has grown fond of a certain phrase.
"This is not your grandfather's ABC," he recalls himself
saying time and time again during public appearances. From
modern stores to technology advancements to education
efforts to complex enforcement initiatives, today's Virginia
ABC has certainly come a long way from generations ago.
"I remember the days where you walked up to a
counter, ordered what you wanted and that was the ex-
tent of it," Painter says. "Slowly we came into the era
of having a shopping experience at stores, and today
we're taking that to an entirely new level on all fronts."
The progress has resulted in record revenue. The
Virginia ABC cracked the $800 million mark in total
sales for the fi rst time in Fiscal Year 2014. That included
a $140 million profi t and $387 million in total contribu-
tions to the state's general fund.
But revenue is only part of the equation. The breadth
and scope of the state's education, prevention and en-
forcement initiatives is at an all-time high, and new tech-
nology has played a crucial role in those efforts.
LE ARNING
THE VIRGINIA ABC IS EMBRACING CHANGE AND MODERNIZING ITS OPERATIONS.
BY MATT REMSBERG
Seated, from left: ABC Commissioner Henry Marsh; ABC
Secretary to the Board Chris Curtis; ABC Chairman Jeffrey
Painter. Standing, from left: Special Policy Advisor for ABC
Law Enforcement Ryant Washington; ABC Chief Operating
Offi cer Travis Hill; ABC Commissioner Judy Napier.
VA ABC
Adapting
AND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOUG BUERLEIN
