Harry Wiles Award Nominating Committee FR: Kim Schottleutner

TO: Harry Wiles Award Nominating Committee
FR: Kim Schottleutner, President of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association
Nominating: The Colorado Licensed Beverage Association and Executive Director Jeanne McEvoy
CLBA’s public affairs team, led by executive director Jeanne McEvoy, has fought off the full-throated
efforts of the grocery and convenience store’s powerful lobbying teams for more than five years. Colorado is
a priority state for the chain stores, but CLBA’s work at the state Capitol has meant overwhelming victories
for independent retailers. Our public education efforts have created support throughout our state and left
opponents without enough support for a ballot initiative. And our dedicated service supporting of safety
efforts and education programs have helped save lives.
CLBA’s “Support Colorado Small Business” campaign is one of the most popular local marketing
campaigns in the state. The bumper stickers designed for the campaign can regularly be found in the
windows and doors of a variety of businesses throughout the state.
Our executive director is a tireless advocate and aide for each of the Colorado Licensed Beverage
Association’s many members, and she somehow seems to be on a first-name bases with every owner.
There is no question that without CLBA’s experienced and strategic team the landscape of alcohol sales in
Colorado would look very different today.
I can’t imagine there is any group in the country more deserving of this award than CLBA and Jeanne.
Sincerely,
Kim Schottleutner
President of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association
At the Capitol
One our highest compliments came from the chain stores’ most loyal state legislator, state Rep. Larry
Liston, as his bill that would have crushed small businesses in Colorado was defeated by an embarrassing
18-47 margin.
Liston, whose bill was backed by a multi-million dollar effort from Safeway, Circle K and the like stood on
the floor of the Colorado House and openly addressed CLBA:
“I have the upmost respect for your power here under the dome,” he said acknowledging his defeat.
“You have convinced everyone that the mom-and-pop liquor stores are the kingpins of Colorado’s
economy and somehow Colorado will dive into depression if we allow consumers to just buy full
strength beer where they choose.”
What do these things have in common?
=
Boston Mayor and Patriots fan “Mumbles” Menino
says: “Colorado Rocky beer? Uck.”
Liston’s frustration underscored just
how thorough CLBA’s efforts have
been. Under Jeanne’s leadership CLBA
has managed to combine an informed
communications strategy, tireless political
outreach and her unmatched experience
to create a powerful coalition acting on
behalf of small businesses at the Capitol.
Safeway: Lobbying once again for laws that would
hurt Colorado’s craft beer.
Only once in five years has a bill to
alter alcohol sales even made it out of
Call Rep. Kevin Priola and tell him hurting Colorado’s craft beer brewers
committee, and that bill lost by such
is like rooting for the -----a disparity that it ultimately kept the
Brought to you by the Colorado Brewers Guild and the Colorado Lisenced Beverage Association
chain stores at bay in our most recent
GO
!
legislative session. CLBA has formed
key alliances with legislators and
Flyer from 2012 State Legislative Session.
organizations that provide the foundation
for our lobbying success. Our work with
the Colorado’s craft beer industry has routinely paid dividends as each organization fights to maintain the
competitive retail market that has helped turn Colorado into “the Napa Valley of beer.”
They’re both attacking Colorado’s craft beer
Thanks to CLBA’s coordinated lobbying effort, the chain stores have been listed in the less-desired column
of The Denver Post’s annual ‘Winners and Losers List’ from Legislative Session from 2009 through 2011.
The bottom line is each year we are overmatched by our opposition’s limitless resources and manpower, yet
each year it seems the other side doesn’t stand a chance. Our secret weapon is that we have an executive
director who works harder than an army of chain story lobbyists and she commands a dedicated team.
Communications
Jeanne has overseen one of the most successful public
communications strategies in the nation on alcohol sales.
Her strategy has reinforced that Colorado’s system is
one of the best in the country and doesn’t need “fixing.”
CLBA has positions grocery stores and convenience stores
as out-of-state, big box, chain stores interested only in
sapping money from Coloradans. We have worked to
humanize Colorado’s independent retailers for the public
– insisting that reporters and media engage with small
business owners, and we have highlighted the danger
alcohol sales expansion would pose to underage kids.
To do this, CLBA has managed an aggressive strategy of
regular media contact, creative and sometimes humorous
messaging, and an overt effort to show that each
independent retailer is a classic “mom-and-pop” micro business.
Denver CBS4 News Story (link)
Each year we prepare members in a media training to ensure success, and the results have been
outstanding. Coverage of our issue often shows a local small businesses owner who has invested his/her life
savings in a store against a suited industry shill. The contrast is often stark.
CLBA has insisted on creativity to ensure favorable media coverage on topic that is often not intuitive for
the public. For instance, as the 2011 legislative session approached, CLBA under Jeanne’s leadership
sent out a press release titled “BREAKING: NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON ALCOHOL SALES ISSUE;
Coloradans still believe changing alcohol sales laws would be an unnecessary risk to public safety and small
business jobs.”
Here are a few more examples:
Beer bill two-for-one special: Kill jobs, minors selling to minors
Nationally 70 percent of minors purchase their alcohol from grocery and convenience stores, according to the National
Research Council’s Institute of Medicine
DENVER_ Local Colorado businesses and legislators said bills proposed Tuesday are a dangerous two-for-one special that
promise to close Colorado businesses and allow minors to sell alcohol to minors.
Bills pushed by out-of-state chain stores like Safeway, 7-Eleven and Circle K would make full-strength alcohol available in
the same stores where minors buy gasoline and candy.
“There is no reason for Colorado to sell full-strength alcohol in the same places we sell gas and slushies,” said Jeanne
McEvoy, President of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association. “These bills will kill Colorado jobs and allow minors to
sell alcohol to minors. That’s a two-for-one special Colorado can’t afford.” (release continues)
House Votes Overwhelmingly to Protect Small Businesses, Colorado Craft Beer
Colorado small businesses ask for relief form annual attacks of out-of-state chain stores after four years of pushing the same
failing bills
DENVER_ The Colorado House of Representatives overwhelmingly killed the latest effort – again – by out-of-state chain
stores to close local small businesses and allow minors to sell full-strength alcohol.
House Bill 1284 represented the fourth-consecutive year grocery stores and convenience stores have tried to change
Colorado’s beer laws as part of a national effort. These out-of-state interests do not have support from Coloradans to push a
ballot initiative, so they have annually lobbied the Capitol instead. The House killed the bill in the name of small businesses
by a resounding 18 to 47 vote.
“This is not a good bill for my district,” Rep. Rhonda Fields told her colleagues in the House. “My constituents do not want
more access to full strength alcohol… My constituents want more access to jobs.”
Local Colorado businesses and craft brewers asked legislators to put a stop to the annual efforts that threaten jobs and harm
the value of local business.
“Independent retailers and craft brewers represent a strong sector of our economy,” said Jeanne McEvoy, president of the
Colorado Licensed Beverage Association. “But these business have had a damaging cloud over their heads for four years
because of this yearly effort. These bills will kill jobs, send money out of Colorado and allow minors to sell alcohol at
convenience stores. It’s lose-lose proposition for Colorado, and we ask legislators to support local businesses by saying ‘no’
next year.” (release continues)
Online and Social Media
A critical factor in protection our independent retailers is that public sentiment won’t allow big industry to
run a ballot initiative. Polls have shown Coloradans are satisfied with the current law. To ensure that doesn’t
change, Jeanne has managed a complete overhaul of CLBA’s online presence.
• We commissioned a new website to welcome the public, influence policy makers and keep members
up to date.
• We created two separate Facebook pages: a CLBA page and an advocacy page call “Coloradans for
Safe Sales.”
• We established a presence on Twitter to interact with and influence policy makers and Capitol
reporters who regularly tweet.
• We developed a separate Coloradans for Safe Sales website to provide issue-specific information and
develop grassroots contacts for action.
The result has meant that lawmakers, reporters and the public are more informed about our issue. CLBA
now has an email list of thousands who are ready to help when we put out a call to action.
Coloradans for Safe Sales Facebook petition
MyCLBA.com
Public Safety
It’s an overlooked section of CLBA’s work, but we have been integral in designing training programs for
spotting false identification with state agencies. CLBA has also partnered with the state transportation
department and law enforcement on prevention campaigns and safety awareness efforts.
This past year, CLBA partnered with CDOT and the state patrol in advance of the holidays on the “Plan
Ahead Colorado” campaign. The online and billboard campaign encouraged Coloradans to plan their holiday
evenings or take taxis before heading out to celebrate.
CLBA’s work has the very tangible benefit of creating partnerships with law enforcement and regulators
who oversee our retailers, but it also has the less tangible result of keeping Coloradans safe. Our
independent retailers take pride in their record of working to ensure minors do not get access to alcohol
and the public thinks twice before drinking and driving. It’s a sense of responsibility Jeanne has helped
reinforce with each of our stores.
Public safety billboard campaign.
Results
The collaborative work among Jeanne, our members, our lobbying team, and our communications
consultants have amassed an unmatched list of political achievement and public communications success.
Here are a few recent examples of how our message has been delivered to Coloradans:
Colo. House kills bill aiming to let convenience stores, groceries sell full-strength beer | Denver Post
Legislation to let convenience stores and groceries in Colorado sell full-strength beer was crushed Monday in the House, though it
was the first time such a bill had ever made it to the floor.
The bill died on a standing division in the House, with only 18 members — 12 of them Republicans — rising in support of House
Bill 1284, well under the 33 votes necessary for approval
Johnson: Full-strength beer at groceries an expensive convenience | The Denver Post
The legislature this year seems determined to wreck as many small businesses as it can identify. The only possible beneficiary of
this measure is the corporate bottom lines of the big grocery chains and 7-Eleven and Circle K-type markets.
So once more I walked into the tiny Lafayette liquor store, this time with a notebook in my hand. What, I asked Keith Elliott, 55,
would the bill do to his store?
Basically, he is tired of it all. This is the fourth such bill in about as many years proposed in the legislature, the three previous ones
never making it out of committee, he said.
So every year he trudges down to the Capitol to testify or to plead to legislators and lobbyists that government is supposed to stick
up for the little guy, and not just line the pockets of corporate America.
Tribune Opinion: Let liquor stores have the beer | Greeley Tribune
Lawmakers should kill bill allowing grocery, convenience stores to sell full-strength beer.
Grocery beer sales could harm small business, craft brewers | The Coloradoan
Colorado has a unique liquor sale policy that has worked well over the years for communities. No individual or company can own
more than one liquor store in Colorado, which has allowed thousands of small businesses to be set up across the state.
Because beer sales make up a major part of any liquor store’s business, allowing such sales in grocery and convenience stores
would undoubtedly result in the demise of many of these small businesses. That doesn’t seem to be a wise policy choice.
Also, craft brewers feel that the major grocery and convenience store chains would reserve the bulk of their shelf space for the
major national brands, as they do for most food products they carry. This seems to be a rational concern.
Colorado’s liquor sales laws have helped make the state a craft-brewing mecca. The craft brewers have been able to establish
distribution relationships with the liquor stores, giving their products a high profile. It’s unlikely they’d be able to build similar
success with national grocery and convenience chains.
We urge Northern Colorado lawmakers to oppose the proposed changes in the law that have served the state well.
Full-strength beer sales bill once again in play | 9news.com
It has been a fight that has been waged several times in the state legislature. Grocery stores and convenience stores want to be able
to sell more than just 3.2-strength beer.
Most liquor storeowners like Jared Blauweiss, the owner of Mr. B’s Wine and Spirits, do not like the idea. They say liquor sales in
grocery stores and other convenience stores will eat into their profits so much that they may have to close.
“It’s scary. We don’t want to go out of business and I don’t want to see a lot of jobs lost,” Blauweiss said. “The last thing we need
to do is take another industry and have it be taken over by a corporate giant.”
Bill Would Allow Full Beer Sales at Groceries | Colorado Public Radio
But Jeanne McEvoy, president of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association, warns that large grocery chains would be able to
undercut independently owned liquor stores on price, driving many out of business.
McEVOY: “We want to retain our jobs, keep our Colorado businesses in business, keep our minors safe, and most of all, keep the
money that’s generated by family-owned Colorado businesses here in Colorado.”
Liquor stores say allowing groceries and convenience stores to sell beer could lead to more underage drinking, by putting the
product in stores where minors shop.
Colorado’s craft breweries also strongly oppose expanding beer sales, saying they fear that if independent liquor stores close,
there would be fewer outlets to carry their products. Governor John Hickenlooper used to own a brewpub and earlier this year
his administration intervened in another beer sales fight. Yesterday he declined to weigh in on the new bill, but he didn’t sound
welcoming.
HICKENLOOPER: “Some very wise governors suggested I never say I’m going to veto something until you see what form it
comes in. You say you’re going to veto it and then it changes, completely changes in such a way that it becomes a different bill.”
Perspectives
CLBA is successful because of the commitment of our members and the hard work of our team, but credit
our leader, Jeanne McEvoy for ensuring that each of us work almost as hard as she endlessly does. But
don’t take our word for it:
“Jeanne McEvoy and the CLBA define effective grassroots communication. The big companies
and chains have way more hired suits at the Capitol. But year after year, Jeanne and her team of
storeowners successfully defend the interests of small business in Colorado.” - Senator Shawn Mitchell,
Ranking Republican on the Senate Business Affairs Committee
“Jeanne possesses a rare combination of enthusiasm, experience and skill that allow her to aide
the small businesses she represents in a unique way. Her in-depth knowledge of the industry and
nearly photographic recall of details in statute allow her to nimbly negotiate under the dome and
flag problems as they arise. You would be hard pressed to find a better advocate on alcohol issues
anywhere, much less Colorado.” – Senator Lois Tochtrop, Democratic Chair of the Senate Business
Affairs Committee
“I always respected the efforts of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association ‘CLBA’ to look out for
their membership’s best interests while always advocating responsible retailing. The CLBA was always
forthright in its relations with our office and our field investigators often commented that its members
often set the example for responsible retailing in their communities.” - David Reitz, former director of
the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division
“The CLBA does a terrific job promoting the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages in
the state of Colorado. They are strong supporters of the three-tier system and of supporting local
legislation as it applies to the retail and wholesale channels. I have had the pleasure of working in
many states in this industry and I must say the CLBA is the most active of any I have had the pleasure
of interacting with so far.” - Joseph Marotta, CEO Beverage Distributors Corporation
“All too often in today’s “the-rich-can-buy-anything-world” of powerful businesses, CLBA helps David
fight the Goliaths. As an owner of a “mico-buisiness” ( by today’s terms a small business is the size of
GM) this is the only way Colorado Liquor Stores can band together for any purpose. By Colorado Law,
with no way to combine buying power or create other types of alliances, CLBA is the only organization
that gives our industry of tiny, single store businesses any power against the national big box industries
with their unlimited access budgets designed to squash the competition. Thanks to the CLBA our
1200 sq. foot neighborhood wine store which does about $200,000 gross per quarter can stand up to
a Safeway and the power of their $10 billion quarterly income.” - Glenn Ehrlich, owner of Cooks in
Denver
“As head and president of the CLBA, Jeanne McEvoy goes above and beyond the job title. She devotes
all of her time and effort to advance a favorable business environment for the beverage alcohol
industry in Colorado. She is an integral part to the success of our business and our industry. Jeanne
McEvoy has been recognized on a national level for the superb job that she has done for the alcohol
beverage industry.” - Ashley Owen, Owner and Sommelier, Centennial Wine and Spirits
“The CLBA truly is very efficient at communicating with legislators. Whether it’s preventing legislation
that would harm their members or helping us better understand the issues affecting their members,
CLBA’s lobbying team is timely, accurate and reliable.” - Republican Rep. Chris Holbert
“The independent liquor stores are extremely important to the economy in my District and they
couldn’t be better protected or served than they are by being a part of the CLBA.” - former Minority
Leader and Democratic Rep. Sal Pace
“CLBA is a leading voice for independent retailers in Colorado’s political and regulatory arenas.
Colorado Beer Distributors Association is pleased to work with them to bring quality beers to Colorado
consumers.” - Steve Findley,President, Colorado Beer Distributors Association