I was overwhelmed with pride when I first stood before America’s beer distributors as Chairman of the Board during the 2007 NBWA Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas. I looked out and saw a sea of people – my own relatives and 3,000 members of my beer family. I am so grateful to work in an exciting industry with such wonderful, hard-working folks. After 75 years, family is still the cornerstone of this business. Most beer distributorships are still family-owned and family-operated – not controlled by Wall Street, foreign interests or ghost investors. The 2,750 licensed beer distributorships across the country employ more than 90,000 men and women who earn solid wages and good benefits. The past 75 years provided a solid foundation. Now, NBWA is reaching out to new partners and discovering new ways of doing business. In 2007, NBWA worked with the Beer Institute to develop a joint statement on MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. NBWA also worked with regulatory agencies such as the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association and the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators to fight attempts to deregulate alcohol and weaken the time-tested alcohol distribution system. The United States has the most efficient and safest alcohol distribution system in the world for a reason: the state-based, three-tier system of regulation. It is up to America’s beer distributors to roll up our sleeves to keep this effective system going strong for the next 75 years! Sincerely, Phil Terry Chair, NBWA Board of Directors