ABL Announces New Affiliate Member

Delaware Small Business Leadership Council Becomes Newest ABL State Affiliate Member

Bethesda, MD – July 22, 2016 – American Beverage Licensees (ABL) welcomes the recently-formed Delaware Small Business Leadership Council (DSBLC) as the newest state affiliate member.

Bringing its growing membership roster to the national association, Delaware’s beverage licensees now join in the efforts of promoting and supporting the retail tier of the beverage alcohol industry in Washington, DC, just as ABL and its members will lend their collective strength to beverage retailers in the nation’s first state.

“We have had legislation brought up over the years that has been passed without the knowledge or support of the retail community,” said DSBLC President Bob Kreston of Kreston’s Wine & Spirits.  “So this past year we established the DSBLC to establish a voice of the retailers during these sessions.”

When asked what drew the DSBLC to ABL, Kreston noted, “I felt it was equally important for the group to be involved nationally as well, and we appreciate the help and support that ABL can offer to our organization to keep us better informed on issues that affect our members.”

By joining ABL, DSBLC becomes the latest organization recognized as an ABL state affiliate, growing ABL’s member ranks to 33 associations from 29 states. ABL now represents beverage alcohol retail associations in six of eight states in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

“DSBLC was formed to preserve the rights of beverage business owners in Delaware and ensure fair regulation for beverage licensees,” said ABL Executive Director John Bodnovich. “We are thrilled to add their perspective and clout to our national association and as we work on issues that affect beverage licensees in all fifty states.”

“As DSBLC works to bring the voice of beverage retailers to the leaders in Wilmington, they will now have a voice to represent them in Washington, DC.”

 

###

American Beverage Licensees is the preeminent national trade association for beverage alcohol retailers. Direct retail beverage alcohol sales in the United States generate as many as 1.77 million well-paying jobs. ABL’s thousands of on-premise and off-premise licensee members are independent and often family-owned establishments.  The beverage retailing industry pays over $19.3 billion in federal taxes and $16.9 billion in state and local taxes. To learn more about ABL, visit www.ablusa.org.