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By: Craig Powell, Motus President and CEO Having worked with dozens of beverage companies over the years, I’ve learned that a mixture of different vehicle programs is common. Some provide company-owned/leased fleet vehicles, and others reimburse employees for the use of their personal automobiles. One of the most common approaches to reimbursing employees is using a car allowance – generally, a monthly flat amount (e.g. $500) intended to cover the employee’s operating costs. While easy to administer, car allowances are wrought with disadvantages, most notably, the tax obligations to both the...
By: Laurie Knight, NBWA Executive Vice President, Government Affairs Thank you for taking the time to attend the 2017 NBWA Legislative Conference to advocate for the independent beer distribution industry. The 115 th Congress is off to a fast start, with Republicans in control of the House, Senate and White House for only the third time in history. It is extremely timely for you to be on Capitol Hill. Comprehensive tax reform is a key priority for both the Administration and Congress, and the House and Senate have begun work on what is anticipated to be the most comprehensive business and...
By: Craig Purser, National Beer Wholesalers Association President and CEO America’s independent beer distributors love their independent retailer customers. In many markets, small and independent retailers and beer distributors are some of the last family-owned and local businesses operating on Main Street. When independent retailers and local beer distributors are united on building brands, delivering consumer choice or advocating before the state legislature, great things happen. Independent beer distributors are dedicated to the brewers of the beers they distribute. This includes brewers...
A Blueprint to Manage SKU Proliferation for Beer Distributors By: Robert Grace VII, Vice President, Operations Development, enVista The U.S. beverage market has changed significantly over the past 30 years, transitioning into a $354 billion industry segmented into alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Specifically, the beer industry, comprised of more than 4,500 brewers, 3,000 distributors and 600,000 alcohol retailers, generates more than $100 billion annually. There has been a dramatic rise of SKU proliferation, in part because of the rapid growth of the craft beer industry, which is...
By: Craig Purser, National Beer Wholesalers Association President and CEO If the closing months of 2016 provided any hint at what 2017 has in store, it showed us that change is going to continue in a major way. Of course the largest example of change came in the presidential election. Very few polls predicted a win for Donald Trump, yet in just a couple weeks he will take the oath of office and become the nation’s 45th president. As the Trump administration begins to take shape, there are still many questions. With a Republican-controlled House and Senate, will he be able to get his agenda...
By: Craig Powell , President & CEO of Motus A new IRS Safe Harbor Rate is announced every year in mid-December, establishing a standard business mileage rate for the coming year. Many beverage companies think this rate should be used to reimburse field employees for their driving expenses; however, that’s not true. In fact, the IRS Safe Harbor Rate is actually not a recommended reimbursement rate, and using it as the basis for reimbursing your employees could cost you money in the long run. So what is the IRS Safe Harbor Rate? Set once per year, the IRS Safe Harbor Rate is calculated...
By: Craig Purser, National Beer Wholesalers Association President and CEO Disruption is the new normal in today’s world – from global and homeland security to the world economy, politics and new technologies. And it’s safe to say that the beer industry is seeing its fair share of disruption, too. With disruption comes challenges. So-called disruptors start to behave like marketplace leaders. Some smaller-scale beer brands have become dominant in their segment and worked to limit competition from even smaller and newer brands. Disruptors have become acquisition targets of larger, more...
Jet Extends Company's Reach in Competitive Market By: Brandy Hearting, Textron Aviation ProOwnership Manager In an industry where cultivating relationships is essential to success, business aviation has quickly emerged as a key tool for distributors. Business aviation can benefit distributors aiming to widen their reach at a faster pace. For Caffey Distributing in Greensboro, North Carolina, reaching out to potential brewery partners is less of a challenge due to its use of business aviation. “It’s pretty competitive trying to reach those new brands when they decide to come to the market,”...
By: Craig Powell, Motus President & CEO Many beer wholesalers are concerned about implementing mobile technology for their drivers. Fears about the impact of a technological cultural shift and time and cost of upgrading their systems have hindered the adoption of mobile among distributors. However, mobile has reached a tipping point in businesses of all kinds and is becoming undeniably linked to the way we’ll all work in the future. Consider how mobile devices have changed banking by letting us deposit a check from home, or enabled your doctor to call up your medical records on their...
Each year, NBWA recognizes a company that effectively uses communications and public affairs initiatives to advocate for and promote the beer distribution industry. 7G Distributing of Eastern Iowa is the recipient of the 2016 NBWA Public Affairs Award. “7G stands out when it comes to promoting the value that beer distributors bring to Iowa’s communities and consumers,” said Rebecca Spicer, NBWA senior vice president, communications and public affairs. “While most distributors work closely with brewers and retailers to promote new brands through point-of-sale promotional efforts and marketing...