“ We have made a conscious effort to be more proactive rather than just reactive with our licensees and are committed to doing as much as we can to educate them in order to hopefully prevent mistakes from happening .”
– Becky Schlauch , Administrator of the Montana Department of Revenue ’ s Alcoholic Beverage Control ( ABC ) Division
A $ 22 million investment by the state legislature will fund a significant , 30,000−square-foot expansion of the existing warehouse . This will allow for a significant increase in the number of cases the warehouse can stock , and will enable the ABC Division to expand the ready-to-drink category , which is in high demand in the state and across the nation .
The expanded warehouse will also feature a new automated storage and retrieval system , which will be the first of its kind in the state and is expected to greatly improve operational efficiencies . It will also double the storage capacity of the existing warehouse . Groundbreaking on the project began several months ago and is expected to be completed in May 2025 .
Education and outreach to licensees is another priority for Schlauch . The ABC Division ’ s outreach and education unit is a newer unit that was combined to be more proactive regarding licensee education . The outreach position was added to the ABC Division in 2019 and , education and outreach were combined in 2020 . The state currently has 2,300 on-premise licensees and just under 1,000 off-premise license holders . Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service ( RASS ) training is required for everyone across the state who serves or sells alcohol ( per law , this was established in law in 2011 ). Training must happen within 60 days of hire and then annually every three years . All training curriculums need approval from the ABC Division . The education and outreach unit has also expanded its outreach to assist with education and compliance efforts , consisting of law enforcement trainings and specific licensee-requested presentations across the state .
“ We have made a conscious effort to be more proactive rather than just reactive with our licensees and are committed to doing as much as we can to educate them in order to hopefully prevent mistakes from happening ,” Schlauch says . “ The feedback we ’ ve received is that people really appreciate it . It ’ s resulted in more trust among licensees and our team .”
As soon as an individual is licensed in Montana , the ABC Division outreach and education unit visits their business and meets with them to go over any questions they may have to make sure they know how to legally operate their business . The unit drops off signs , alcohol incident log reports , and makes sure licensees have all the resources needed to run
Among the priorities in Montana under Schlauch ' s leadership is expanding warehousing space significantly .
their new alcoholic beverage business lawfully .
Not only does this outreach benefit new licensees and enhance their knowledge and compliance , but it also serves as a relationship-building tool and has resulted in licensees more regularly reaching out to the agency with questions or to ask for assistance . The ABC Division also collaborates closely with local law enforcement agencies and participates in various licensee associations across the state to continue building strong partnerships . Additionally , a variety of educational publications and fact sheets have been developed for licensees and are available on the agency ’ s website .
Working in partnership with the Montana governor ’ s office , the ABC Division recently advocated for a number of new bills related to reducing “ red-tape ” for alcohol licensees , 31 of which were passed during the last legislative session . These historic changes were meant to eliminate a lot of unduly burdensome requirements licensees have been forced to navigate .
The new regulations generally allow for more flexibility , efficiency and privileges for agency liquor stores , as well as alcohol manufacturers , wholesalers and retailers across the state . Some examples : golf courses could previously only license their clubhouse but can now license additional buildings
14 StateWays • Summer 2024 www . stateways . com