Craig Purser, president and CEO of NBWA.

Nick Rellas, founder and CEO of Greater, also discussed the impact that AI has on the industry during his seminar, Unhazy IP-A. I.— Demystifying Today’ s Hottest Technology.

As part of the 4th Annual Making Moves aspect of the NBWA Convention, Rellas encouraged table conversations with everyone in the room on what AI means to your business, how you use it at your company and what you’ re still looking to learn and get from AI.

The bottom line? AI is here to stay. No longer are we in an age where we can choose to ignore this growing technology and continue the old ways of getting tasks done. AI is the future, and if we don’ t start utilizing it now, we risk falling behind and being left in the dust. Welcoming NBWA’ s New Chairman of the Board Strong leadership is key to helping the beverage alcohol industry succeed during difficult times. That’ s why NBWA announced Steve Beykirch, president of Eagle Beverage Corporation, as the new incoming chairman.

During the event’ s second Opening General Session, Beykirch spoke to the industry’ s power to foster connection.

“ Not long ago, this industry faced a brand challenge like never before. And unfortunately, some politicians couldn’ t resist trying to score cheap political points by piling on,” he said.“ Fortunately, along with my fellow distributors, we were able to talk an elected official off a path that could have added fuel to the fire and further harmed the people in this business.”

“ That is why we build relationships with policymakers and why we show up at conferences, regardless of what is going on in Washington,” Beykirch continued.“ That is why we host state legislators and members of Congress at our warehouses. That is why we write checks to state and federal PACs to help elect lawmakers who understand our business.”

As promising as NBWA’ s future looks with its new incoming chairman, outgoing chairwoman Rebecca Maisel will surely be missed. As NBWA’ s first ever chairwoman, she brought a whole new perspective to the team and helped equip beer distributors with solutions for growing their businesses.

“ It has been my absolute honor to lead our association this past year— and what a transformative year it’ s been,” she said during the Opening General Session.“ Over the past year, our industry has again been tested, and beer distributors have shown our collective strength. And as always, NBWA has been a constant steady hand on the wheel, helping to guide and support our family businesses and advocating for our industry every day.”

BY THE STAFF

The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association( NABCA) in its fourth article exploring AI in the beverage alcohol space continued its collaboration with supplier member Brown-Forman and reached out to representatives from Pernod Ricard to produce an article that uncovers how each uses AI in their marketing endeavors.

Interviewed were Amit Parulekar, director global advanced analytics & AI strategy, Brown-Forman, Alex Nicolaica, VP- integrated consumer experiences, global marketing, Brown-Forman, Pierre-Yves Calloc ' h, chief digital officer, Pernod Ricard and Leyla Bossy, transformation communications manager, AI, innovation, data, digital, Pernod Ricard.

They each provided insight, cautions and thoughtfully shared how each supplier is using this technology in their respective efforts in NABCA’ s AI, Marketing and the Beverage Alcohol Brand Experience. The article can be found online at www. nabca. org / ai-beverage-alcohol-marketplace.

www. beveragewholesaler. com Winter 2025 • Bevearge Wholesaler 17