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Embrace change, honor tradition: incoming NABCA president Lynn M. Walding, Administrator of the Alcoholic Beverages Division of the State of Iowa, aims high for the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.

Article Excerpt
"My theme for the year is 'Embrace change, honor tradition," said Lynn Walding, incoming NABCA president. "When I first started as Administrator [of the Alcoholic Beverages Division of the State of Iowa tour years ago], I made a lot of changes. One of my staff asked me, 'Are you going to change everything?' My answer was, 'I'm not going to change everything, but I am certainly going to look at changing everything.' And it's true of the NABCA, too. We constantly have to look at our programs, our conferences, the data we provide, to remain fresh and viable."

Walding will be designating a special committee of the NABCA to review all of the organization's programs and events. "We want to make sure our programs are vital and current," said Walding. "We want to review what we are doing and how we can make it better."

According to both Walding and Jim Sgueo, NABCA's executive director, one of the most important tasks of the NABCA is to help its member control systems stay on the cutting edge.

"Obviously, our number-one concern is always privatization discussions and efforts," said Sgueo. "New governors, new legislators ask, 'Why are we in the business?' Answering that question is always a number-one priority for us and for the states."

"And it's a legitimate question," said Walding. "New governors and legislators always ask, and we have to be prepared to answer."

"Long story short," added Dyke Nally, current NABCA President and Superintendent of the Idaho State Liquor Dispensary, "the answer is lower percapita consumption, higher per-capita revenues, with fewer social problems."

But the control systems that can best justify their existence are the ones that have stayed modern, current and responsive to the needs of their state's citizens.

"From the experience of Iowa, which lost its state stores, I can say that the consumer didn't mind the control state model," explained Walding, "but the model at that time didn't take checks, had inconvenient hours and the outlet density was not the most conducive for customer service. The consumer wanted convenience."

"The states that have privatized tended to be the ones that were unable to modernize or upgrade their operations. They did not maintain the level of efficiency you need to survive," said Sgueo. "If you don't change, modernize, you become extinct, outdated, irrelevant."

Best Practices Guide

The NABCA is in the midst of developing a major tool for helping members keep up-to-date. Walding hopes to have a Best Practices Guide available to NABCA members by next year. The project was started back in 2003 by Dyke Nally and Randall Smith, former NABCA president and past Administrator of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

After a long process of examining how different control states handle operational issues, such as listing and delisting procedures, outlet density, wholesale operations and employee standards and education, the Best Practices Task Force, made up of industry members of the NABCA and of the members of the organization's Products & Procedures Committee, met on March 23rd. Their recommendations will be reviewed at the Best Practices Summit, a two-day meeting in November.

The goal is...