Randall Winkler , Assistant Administrator , ABC Board Curtis E . Stewart , Administrator , ABC Board .

Alabama ’ s New Administrator Highlights Areas that Help Drive Success

by MELISSA SHERWIN

At the helm of the Alabama ABC ’ s oversight is administrator Curtis Stewart , who was appointed to the role by Governor Kay Ivey on January 1 , 2023 . No stranger to state government , Stewart previously worked at the Department of Revenue for 31 years before being asked to consider taking the top job at the Alabama ABC . According to Stewart , it didn ’ t take long to accept .

“ I ’ d been planning to retire , but this was a great opportunity for someone with my accounting background to be able to come in and take a fresh look at something , learn some new things , and do meaningful work ,” Stewart says . “ I ’ d worked with the Alabama ABC a few times over the years , and knew the administrative back end . I get to continue working with numbers and building upon the great founda- tion the ABC already had in place .”

Stewart is supported by assistant administrator Randy Winkler , who also worked for Alabama ’ s Department of Revenue for many years and joined the agency in 2023 .

A total of 985 employees across the Alabama ABC manage everything from product to warehousing to retail management to education and everything in between . The agency operates a total of 168 stores ( 159 retail and nine wholesale ) and is the only authorized importer and wholesaler of spirits in the state ( it does not sell beer or wine ).

The Alabama ABC manages all alcohol regulation and licensing across the state , including more than 800 privately owned package good stores that hold liquor licenses ; it also issues permits for any retailer that sells tobacco products . The number of package stores with liquor licenses remains constantly in flux , as Alabama has no limit on the number of private licenses available .

Although continued improvement is an ongoing focus across the agency , Stewart says that he sees the Alabama ABC as having three primary focus areas :

1 . Provide products that responsible consumers want 2 . Protect Alabama residents 3 . Produce funding for the state

PROVIDING PRODUCT

Retail store operations are a key priority for the agency , especially how they relate to warehouse capacity and product availability . The Alabama ABC has leased its current warehouse space for the past 40 years ( per state law , the agency is not permitted to own it ). Although the warehouse currently has 190,000 square feet of space , Stewart says that amount is inadequate .

“ We are thinking about what might be possible in the future and trying to decide what to do when our warehouse lease is up in two years ,” he said .

The reason more space is needed ? More space equals room for more products .

10 StateWays • Spring 2024 www . stateways . com