Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter

(January 10, 2015 - January 16, 2016)

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As I See It...

New Items and Line Extensions.

All of the brewers, distillers and wineries we offer valuable shelf space to have a never ending catalog of "New" products to fill our shelves.

I read an article a while ago that stated, "New product innovation is where the growth is at."

Hence we have a lot of innovation in our industry.

When the manufacturer offers a new line extension, by the time that particular product fills the distribution chain one time, the company has recovered the cost of the innovation and has added profit to their bottom line.

The decision for us is how much and what size, so we can make money.

Utilizing our software programs to track new items and how they are trending in our store allows us to determine the Quantity on Hand that may limit what might eventually need to be closed out at a reduced margin/profit.

Here's to innovation, and a product that still has customers pulling our doors open to purchase.

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Here's to making sure we don't have too much product when the lighting storm is over, and one from 1988 that is no longer with us.

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Michael Friesen
Hawley

Dalton Position Opening

The City of Dalton is accepting applications for an off-sale liquor store manager.

Preferred requirements include knowledge of small business operations including management, inventory control, accounting, and marketing.

Must be able to work a combination of days, nights, weekends, and holidays.

Salary DOQ

Application form available from Dalton City Hall, Dalton Municipal Liquor Store or by contacting daltoncityhall@prtel.com

Completed application due in city hall by 5:00 PM, Monday, February 1, 2016.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Morris Liquor Good for the City

From an article by By Kim Ukura, Morris Sun Tribune

In 2015, the Morris Municipal Liquor Store topped $2 million in sales.

That's been a good thing for the city.

Since 2006, the city of Morris has used more than $1.1 million in liquor store profits to pay for city expenses and one-time projects.

Morris Municipal Liquor Store sales have increased steadily every year for the last 10 years, from about $1.39 million in 2006 to approximately $2.01 million in 2015.

The city has budgeted $2.11 million in revenue for 2016.

After accounting for operating costs and money transferred to other city departments, the liquor store has still built up a reserve of nearly $790,000.

"The liquor store manager has been very aggressive with sales" including expanding the wine selection and craft beers in the store, Hill said.

Responsibility for overseeing the revenues and expenditures for the liquor store falls to Finance Director Deb Raasch, who works with Hill to monitor the fund throughout the year.

"Neither of us are micromanagers so I tend to leave department heads run their departments - we probably see more things we want to watch closer in other departments than the liquor store," Hill said.

Each year, Hill said he aims to spend between $50,000 and $100,000 from the liquor store fund on one-time purchases rather than ongoing expenses.

That range has increased at times for specific projects.

For example, in 2013 the city budgeted a $254,890 spend down from the liquor store fund, with $98,000 allocated for the city's share of a new hangar at the Morris Municipal Airport.

Because users at the airport pay rent to use the hangar, the project also generated revenue for the city, Hill said.

In 2015 the city planned a project to bring a water service line to the campground and shelter at Pomme de Terre Park. Because the $47,000 for the project was not budgeted, city staff elected to drawn on liquor store reserves to cover the cost.

"That's a good, one-time thing we can use where we don't have to worry about taking money the next year and the next year and the next year," said Hill.

Hill said he also looks to see if projects "rise to the level that you really need to do it ... you could come up with a lot of good, one time things you could do."

So what would happen if the Morris Liquor Store started to lose money?

It's an issue city staff has discussed.

"If we're losing money then we'd make changes in staffing, probably - we're not going to feed it city tax money," said Hill. "If we start seeing a bad year for liquor we'll have to scale back."

Being a municipal liquor store also brings some added costs.

Other than full time manager Dean Mithun, all other employees - a full time assistant manager and five clerks - are part of the city's union "so there's probably a higher cost than if somebody was running a private liquor store," Hill said.

Overall, though, Hill said having a profitable liquor store is a benefit to the city of Morris.

"It's a good thing for us because it helps us pay for some things we probably couldn't pay for," said Hill.

"My biggest fear is you start doing things you normally wouldn't do just because you have money. ... We have to look at that really close.

Fortunately, we have lots of things we need we can't afford.

It's a good use of the money."

8th Annual Dawson Wine / Beer Tasting Fundraiser a Great Success

The recent 8th Annual Dawson Wine / Beer Tasting Fundraiser was a great success.

According to Dawson Liquor manager Garney Jager:

With ticket sales, silent auction and donations, this fundraiser raised over $11,000 to benefit Dawson-Boyd High School football field renovations.

Also, over 200 wine and beer preference sheet items were taken that night -- all of which were then purchased at Dawson Liquor.

This was by far, the best one I have ever done!

According to the Dawson Sentinel newspaper, This community truly is a "gem on the prairie."

Kevin Had Shingles

Kevin walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had.

Kevin said: 'Shingles.'

So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Kevin what he had.

Kevin said, 'Shingles.'

So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Kevin to wait in the examining room.

A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Kevin what he had.

Kevin said, 'Shingles..'

So the nurse gave Kevin a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Kevin to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and found Kevin sitting patiently in the nude and asked Kevin what he had.

Kevin said, 'Shingles.' The doctor asked, 'Where?'

Kevin said, 'Outside on the truck.

Where do you want me to unload 'em??'

It is the ability to spot the potential in the product of connecting things that don't ordinarily go together that marks out the person who is truly creative

Future Dates to Remember

Legislative Session Start

March 8, 2016

2016 MMBA Annual Conference

April 16 - 19, 2016
Arrowwood Resort

Legislative Session
End

May 23, 2106

Ask A Director

Gary Buysse

Rogers

763-428-0163

E-Mail Me

Cathy Pletta

Kasson

507-634-7618

E-Mail Me

Bill Ludwig

Paynesville

320-250-3325

E-Mail Me

Candice Woods

Hutchinson

320-587-2762

E-Mail Me

John Jacobi

Isanti

763-444-5063

E-Mail Me

Michael Friesen

Hawley

218-483-4747

E-Mail Me

Steve Grausam

Edina

952-903-5732

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Tom Agnes

Brooklyn Center

763-549-3710

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Brenda Visnovec

Lakeville

952-985-4901

E-Mail Me

Bridgitte Konrad

North Branch

651-674-8113

E-Mail Me

Karissa Kurth

Buffalo Lake

320-833-2321

E-Mail Me

Paul Kaspszak

MMBA

763-572-0222

1-866-938-3925

E-Mail Me

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Minnesota SMART

The SMART campaign: Supporting Minnesota's Alcohol Regulations and Traditions, is a renewed public education and grassroots advocacy effort in support of Minnesota's current alcohol regulations and three-tier system.

We believe Minnesota's current alcohol regulations are smart, balanced, and supported by many citizens and our local small businesses.

They work well for Minnesota!

The SMART campaign functions to help you engage in advocacy efforts with state legislators and others in support of Minnesota's current alcohol regulations, and to oppose issues-such as Sunday alcohol sales.

We want to make it easy and effective for you to engage.

Take action and send an email to your state legislators today through the new SMART campaign website.

We have sample letters and legislator contact information put together that is ready to go.

Click Here for the Website

Beverage Alcohol Training

Contact Bob Leslie at:

320-766-3871

E-Mail Bob

Contact Gary Buysse at:

763-428-0164

E-Mail Gary

This is What Happens When You Reply to Spam Email

Suspicious emails: unclaimed insurance bonds, diamond-encrusted safe deposit boxes, close friends marooned in a foreign country.

They pop up in our inboxes, and standard procedure is to delete on sight.

But what happens when you reply?

Follow along as writer and comedian James Veitch narrates a hilarious, weeks-long exchange with a spammer who offered to cut him in on a hot deal.

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Contact Sutter Home

Contact Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

Contact Shamrock Group

Contact the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association

Contact MillerCoors

Contact Beam Suntory

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