Nick Fede, Jr., Director, Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative.
By Nick Fede Jr., Executive Director, Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative
From July 27-29, American Beverage Licensees (ABL) held its Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, which happened concurrently with the Texas Package Stores Association (TPSA) Convention & Trade Show. ABL has affiliate associations located across the country and Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative (RILOC) is proud to be an active participant.
ABL has quickly become the behind-the-scenes life force of RILOC. Whether it’s Lance Lively’s (Texas) advice on how to play a certain piece of legislation, Rob Mellion’s (Massachusetts) guidance on how to approach regulatory issues, Dan Clausner’s (Illinois) strategy on how to address labor shortages or Josh Hammond’s (Tennessee) ideas on how to increase participation. I could go on forever, but the point is, our ABL network is strong. During the ABL Annual Meeting, I was honored by my fellow board members to be elected as Vice President Off-Premise. In my new role within ABL, I will collaborate more closely with our affiliates around the country and do my best to increase ABL’s membership. A strong ABL is a strong RILOC and the health of both associations is something I take extremely seriously.
Our friends in Texas truly rolled out the red carpet for all of us in ABL. The TPSA Convention & Trade Show, which sported more than 5,000 attendees, was a three-day event that showcased everything our industry has to offer. The weekend launched on a perfect note with the Cork Pull Wine Tasting, which featured over 500 different wines. The 65,000-square-foot TPSA Trade Show was mostly spirits focused and showcased more than 2,000 different products. Following the Trade Show, convention attendees converged on Devils River Distillery for the After Glow Party, which included a performance by George Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band. Rumor has it that ABL might be returning to Texas next year … you should mark July 26-28, 2025, on your calendars right now!
The ABL portion of our San Antonio visit was filled with incredible programming coordinated by ABL’s Executive Director John Bodnovich and Senior Director Susan Duffy. The ABL General Session kicked off with a tutorial from sponsor City Hive, which is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that focuses solely on the beverage alcohol industry. ABL President Bobby Greenawalt (Alabama) then welcomed attendees, which was followed up with a full in-depth federal legislative review from Bodnovich. Stay tuned, as there may be a call to action coming with the Credit Card Competition Act, which would save retailers nationwide nearly 20% on swipe fees. Behind labor, swipe fees are the highest expense incurred by retailers.
Kaleigh Theriault from NielsenIQ then gave an in-depth analysis of the state of the alcohol industry. Brennan Duckett from the National Restaurant Association joined us for a presentation regarding the importance of data privacy. This was followed by a spirited and often humorous discussion with Harry Schuhmacher, Publisher of Beer Business Daily, and Sarah Barrett, Executive Editor of Wine & Spirits Daily. Jaci Flug, former Senior Vice President at Drizly, gave a breakdown of what exactly is happening nationwide with regard to alcohol e-commerce, delivery, as well as what to expect moving forward in a post-Drizly world. Perhaps the most compelling speech of the day came from Chris Lindsey, from the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp. Lindsey stressed the need for regulation across the space, which, in my opinion, is the most important facet of the cannabis and hemp conversation. Stay tuned as we await official guidance from RI Department of Business Regulation and Department of Health on how our state is approaching Delta-9 beverages.
We then shifted to a joint ABL/TPSA Session, which began with a compelling speech from National Beer Wholesalers Association President and CEO Craig Purser. Purser focused on protecting the reputation of beverage alcohol, a sentiment that was recently echoed in an op-ed by fellow ABL Vice President Keith Kern (Wisconsin). An industry partnership panel followed, which featured members from all three tiers of our industry. Max Shapira, Executive Chairman of Heaven Hill Brands and recipient of the ABL Top Shelf Award, represented the supplier tier on the panel.
With it fresh in mind, I will say that this year’s ABL Annual Meeting and Convention was a galvanizing event for all who attended. I’m excited about the work ahead of us here in Rhode Island and throughout the country when it comes to independent beverage alcohol retail. We are ready for you to come join us for the ride.
Contact riliquoroperatorscollaborative@gmail.com to get involved.
Nick Fede Jr. serves as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative and is a third-generation liquor retailer.
