illustrates a typical 17-hour day for the agency , beginning at 5:30 am in the warehouse and covering store deliveries , sales and everything in-between . “ The purpose was to show how much we do in a day and how hard our employees work ,” Wood says . After screening it for the State ’ s legislative assembly , the agency ’ s budget was increased .
The DABC has listened carefully to what its customers and partners want , and they ’ ve implemented many suggestions . Vendors , for example , requested
BEST STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH PROGRAM Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Open and Transparent
The Utah DABC ( Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control ) has completely reimagined and redesigned its approach to stakeholder outreach — and the efforts have been thoroughly successful . They are a prime example of how an organization can ( and should ) work alongside business partners and customers to achieve an ideal level of cooperation , user-friendliness and mutual respect .
It wasn ’ t always like this . According to Terry Wood , director of communications and public information , a few years ago things were in disarray .
“ The DABC was in the midst of inner turmoil . That resulted in a ‘ circling of the wagons ’ mentality that left us closed to public scrutiny and open to criticism , both from
BY ANDREW MADIGAN the media and other stakeholders ,” he says
The first step was a reorganization of management . Along with new leaders came fresh ideas and a new way of seeing the DABC ’ s relationship with local business , the community and the state . Instead of looking only to themselves for answers , they reached out to their stakeholders — bars , restaurants , off-license package agencies , state liquor stores , local distillers , brewers , vintners , alcohol reps , store customers and groups dedicated to curbing underage drinking and drunk driving . By working together , they discovered , everyone wins .
Early on , there was a meeting between the DABC and all the package agency owners . It was the first time this ever happened and everyone agreed it was long overdue . The assembly was successful and the group decided to meet on a semiannual basis . They also expanded the Advisory Board to include a wider array of stakeholders , such as mental health professionals , law enforcement and legislators .
The Purchasing Department has been liaising with restaurant associations and vendors to address questions and concerns . Licensing and compliance officers are frequently present to keep everyone up-to-date regarding the relevant laws and procedures . The most important part of the new paradigm has been video outreach .
“ We have put together a series of videos explaining to licensees the changes in the liquor laws and what they need to do to stay compliant ,” Wood says . “ We have produced informative videos for the consumer that show how our product selection operates , and how to place a special order for a non-listed product .
The agency also created a short video called “ A Day in the Life of DABC .” This
“ We have put together a series of videos explaining to licensees the changes in the liquor laws and what they need to do to stay compliant .”
– TERRY WOOD , DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION
a more effective system of inventory management and greater access to sales information . In response , inventory protocols have been completely overhauled and sales data is now provided to vendors more systematically across a variety of platforms .
The state liquor business is now much more transparent , flexible and efficient . Both the stakeholders and the DABC are happier with the new arrangement , which has produced tangible results . “ Our sales are increasing annually ,” Wood says . “ We see this as a positive beginning that will continue to grow .” •
StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2018 21