Best Practices Awards 2017
public awareness , tourism to vineyards and sales of state wines . As a retailer of these products , Virginia ABC participated in the campaign to drive consumer awareness of wines in ABC stores , while also promoting limited-batch , award-winning Virginia wines through a lottery process .
Consumers entered for a chance to purchase a case of 2017 Virginia Governor ’ s Cup Gold Medal wines . These are bottles that earned top honors at the annual winemaking event , which also attracts a great deal of tourism . All state vineyards can participate in the Governor ’ s Cup . Wines that win are typically made for the competition , and are available for consumers mostly through vineyard tasting rooms . Getting to drink these wines at home is rare .
The Virginia ABC was able to acquire bottles from six of the 12 Gold Cup winners in 2017 . With these they created 60 cases for the lottery winners , giving people the chance to buy these special wines .
Sales of Virginia wines in ABC stores increased
11.3 % year-over-year for October 2016 .
The department also held a Virginia Vineyard Sweepstakes as part of the campaign . The winner from the 414 entries received a vacation package for two LDA adults for three days and two nights at Barboursville Vineyards and its inn . This included a four-course dinner and wine pairing at the onsite restaurant , a five-hour wine tour with Blue Ridge Wine Excursions , tours and tastings at several wineries along the Monticello Wine Trail and a $ 100 Visa gift card for another meal .
“ We are proud to support our state ’ s widely acclaimed wine industry and offer these fine ‘ made in Virginia ’ products on ABC store shelves ,” says Virginia ABC Chairman Jeffrey Painter . “ Our partnership with the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office and the Virginia Tourism Corporation to promote Virginia Vineyard Month highlights the economic development and growing tourism that we can attribute to our local wineries and vineyards .”
BY MELISSA SHERWIN
Best Warehouse Innovation : Oregon LCC
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission ( OLCC ) had a major problem : it was outgrowing its conveyor system . The agency ’ s Milwaukie-based warehouse was struggling to keep up with increased demand . So rather than move to a brand new facility , the OLCC chose to install a $ 5 million state-of-the-art conveyor system , resulting in the ability to double the warehouse ’ s overall shipping capacity .
“ We knew for several years that we were outgrowing our facility ,” says Christie Scott , spokesperson for the OLCC . “ We were only able to ship from one warehouse door at a time . It wasn ’ t as much of an issue when we didn ’ t have such high volume , but things have changed a lot over the years .”
As the agency is currently in the middle of a retail expansion program , limited warehouse capabilities created multiple problems and backlog , making a new system essential in order to continue growth . Partnering with the company R . H . Brown , the
The grand opening of the new conveyor system in Oregon .
OLCC worked to develop a customized conveyor system designed to meet its very specific needs , which was implemented in the warehouse in August 2016 .
By installing the new conveyer system , four doors of the warehouse are now used for shipping purposes , and the OLCC has the option of increasing that number down the line if needed . Efficiency has increased dramatically as a result : em-
The agency is saving money on employee overtime , and did not eliminate any staff positions after the new system was in place
20 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2017