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/661597
StateWays n www.stateways.com n March/April 2016 8 NEW HAMPSHIRE MAY BE ONE OF THE NATION'S smallest states in overall square miles, but there's nothing tiny about the state's liquor sales. During the 2015 fiscal year, the Concord-based New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) reported gross sales of an impressive $642 million generated by its 78 retail stores—a 3.4% increase from the prior year. Addition- ally, the agency has raised more than $700,000 for various non-profit organizations over the past three years. How has one of the smallest control states become such a powerhouse operation? According to NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica, who's headed the agency since 2010, it's all due to building strong partnerships and having a shared focus on customer service and education. "Our successes are clearly attributed to the collaborative rela- tionships we've built with suppliers, brokers, government officials and the more than 1,400 people who make up the liquor com- mission," he says. "We're very lucky to be living in New Hamp- shire, and to be running the business we are. No one does that alone, and so many people deserve credit for the good work that's been done here." By building these partnerships within its own divisions, with external partners and with consumers, the NHLC has been able to add additional stores, increase overall sales, enhance enforcement and educational efforts, diversify product offerings and create popular events positioning New Hampshire as a leader in the beverage industry. SLOW AND STEADY GROWTH The NHLC attributes much of its impressive growth over the years to state-of-the-art resources and strategic expansion plan- ning. Three years ago, the commission contracted with Exel, a supply chain and logistics company wholly owned by Duetsche A Dynamic Leader BY MELISSA NIKSIC The New Hampshire Liquor Commission [ PROFILE ] PHOTOS BY STUDIO ONE