September 27-28, 2023
A Virtual Event
#BeverageAlcoholSummit
Event Summary
The Sovos ShipCompliant Beverage Alcohol Summit turns the spotlight on challenges and opportunities across both the three-tier and DtC distribution channels for beverage alcohol companies of all types.
What attendees can expect from the Beverage Alcohol Summit:
Regulatory & other important content
Truly expert presenters
Fresh & familiar faces
Good use of your time
A boost outside of day-to-day thinking
2023 Agenda
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
11:00am – 11:15am MT
Welcome from Sovos ShipCompliant
Lexie O’Neill, Sovos ShipCompliant
11:15am – 11:55am MT
Actionable Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategies for Growth
Prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in the beverage alcohol industry may feel like a challenge but companies have the power to take steps in shaping their own company culture to reflect the standards they want to see on a larger scale. This session will look at the correlation between a more diverse organization and a stronger bottom line through real, sustainable pathways.
J Jackson-Beckham, Brewers Association
12:05pm – 12:45pm MT
Emerging Applications for AI in Beverage Alcohol
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way beverage alcohol companies are marketing and branding, forecasting, and using algorithms to identify their audience’s behavior. Hear how AI can have positive impacts within your company.
Nathan Westfall, Vine Valley Analytics & Strategy; Erlinda A Doherty, Vinicola
12:55pm – 1:35pm MT
Movements to Extend Interstate Sales for Beverage Alcohol Suppliers
Domestic craft beverage alcohol suppliers have blossomed over the last few decades, largely enabled by expanded local sales options that developed in parallel with strict three-tier systems, such as tasting room sales and local self-distribution permissions. As craft producers look to maintain their growth, they find that barriers to those options remain in place when trying to sell across state borders. Recent legal challenges to Oregon and Iowa law showcase how craft producers are trying to overcome these hurdles and gain access to national markets that are otherwise often inaccessible due to distributor inattention. What does the prospect of expanded interstate self-distribution, along with greater DtC shipping permission for beer and spirits, mean for the future of our industry?
Chas Runco, Runco & Proffitt, P.C.; Bethany K Hatef, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Moderator: Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant
1:35pm – 1:45pm MT
Day 1 Wrap Up
Lexie O’Neill, Sovos ShipCompliant
Thursday, September 28, 2023
11:00am – 11:15am MT
Welcome to Day 2
Lexie O’Neill, Sovos ShipCompliant
11:15am – 11:55am MT
Industry Trends: Today’s Category-Agnostic Drinker
Despite ongoing narratives, people continue to drink — just differently. The person buying alcohol today cares deeply about flavor—and they’re making decisions across categories because of it. What’s being fermented matters less for a drinker who is loyal to flavor experience and what it offers them. Learn why the category-agnostic drinker is shaping expectations for wine, spirits, beer and other beverage alcohol categories, and how you can use data and anecdotes to better understand today’s market.
Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting; Bryan Roth, Good Beer Hunting / Feel Goods Company
12:05pm – 12:45pm MT
TTB Updates, Priorities and RTDs
Hear directly from two representatives of the TTB as they review the current status of rulemaking efforts, what the TTB has been working on, and what the agency’s current priorities are. This session will also provide a refresher on the basics of how TTB regulates ready-to-drink products, including formula and labeling requirements.
Janelle Christian, TTB; Chris Thiemann, TTB
12:55pm – 1:35pm MT
Legal Professionals Panel
Hear from expert beverage alcohol attorneys as they discuss recent and ongoing developments in regulations affecting producers, importers and distributors.
Shauna Barnes, Barnes Beverage Group; Elke Hofmann, Elke A Hofmann Law, PLLC; Arielle Albert, Danow, McMullan & Panoff, P.C.; moderator: Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant
1:35pm – 1:45pm MT
Day 2 Wrap Up
Lexie O’Neill, Sovos ShipCompliant
Thursday, September 28, 2023
11:00am -11:15am MT
Welcome from Sovos ShipCompliant
Larry Cormier, Sovos ShipCompliant
2023 Speakers
Arielle J. Albert
Partner, Danow, McMullan & Panoff, P.C.
Arielle J. Albert is an attorney and partner of Danow, McMullan & Panoff, P.C., a law firm based in New York that concentrates in alcoholic-beverage control laws and regulations, as well as a published author and guest lecturer of law. Over the last decade, Mrs. Albert has guided industry members through the regulatory complexities involved in the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of beverage alcohol. Additionally, Mrs. Albert regularly advises third-party businesses and technology platforms working with beverage-alcohol industry members on the national landscape of marketing and advertising laws. She has been a guest lecturer to the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic at Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law since 2017 and the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont since 2022. Mrs. Albert has been annually selected to Thomson Reuters’ New York Metro Edition of Super Lawyers, Rising Stars since 2017.
Shauna Barnes
Founding Partner,
Barnes Beverage Group
Shauna Barnes is the founder of Barnes Beverage Group, a law firm specializing in providing external general counsel and regulatory counsel to beverage companies. Shauna has over a decade of experience counseling alcohol companies, specializing in creative distribution relationship management and riskbased advice in all aspects of the product life cycle. Before founding Barnes Beverage Group, Shauna founded the Alcohol & Beverage Practice at Kaleo Legal. Prior to that, she was General Counsel and a trusted member of the leadership team at Dogfish Head for nearly a decade. She found that position during her tenure as an attorney with McDermott Will & Emery focused on alcohol beverage clients and antitrust issues. She is a former Events Chair of the Rose Council of Wake Forest University School of Law and currently serves on the school's Law Board of Visitors. She regularly volunteers her time to the Delaware Brewer’s Guild, assisting the members with alcohol-related challenges and legislative efforts.
J Jackson-Beckham
Equity & Inclusion Partner,
Brewers Association
J Jackson-Beckham, Ph.D. is a former professor of communication and cultural studies who dedicated her academic career to the study of American beer. Today, she helps craft beverage organizations develop inclusive, equitable and just practices that drive success, build communities and empower individuals through her consultancy and professional development platform, Crafted For All. Jackson-
Beckham serves as the Equity & Inclusion Partner for the Brewers Association, directing the DEI efforts for the not-for-profit trade association for craft brewers in the United States. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Craft x EDU and sits on the board of directors for the National Black Brewers Association and the Michael J Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling. Dr. J is an author, speaker, avid homebrewer, Certified Cicerone®, educator and vocal advocate for the craft beverage community.
Kate Bernot
Reporter & Editor,
Good Beer Hunting / Sightlines
Kate Bernot is a reporter for Good Beer Hunting's Sightlines and Sightlines+, where she covers beverage-alcohol industry news and analysis. She has reported on the food and beverage industries for more than a decade across consumer-facing and trade publications with bylines in the The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Magazine and others. She is the director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers and lives in Missoula, Montana.
Janelle Christian
Director, Office of Industry and State Outreach,
TTB
Janelle Christian is the director of the Office of Industry and State Outreach of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). In this role, Ms. Christian focuses on communication and outreach for TTBregulated industry members. Some of her primary efforts include coordinating TTB participation at TTBregulated industry member conferences and trade shows; identifying training opportunities for industry members to encourage voluntary compliance with TTB laws, regulations, and requirements; and serving as a liaison with industry members and industry trade associations. Ms. Christian joined TTB in 2011 as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Advertising, Labeling and Formulation Division. Prior to her current appointment, she served as a Policy Advisor to Headquarters Operations for two years. Ms. Christian received a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University, and a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Oregon.
Erlinda A. Doherty
Sommelier, Educator, Writer / Senior Legislative Director, Communications Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Committee
ViníCola / National Conference of State Legislatures
Known as the “Wine Evangelist,” Erlinda is a certified wine educator, columnist and sommelier who teaches about wine in an engaging and approachable manner. Her wine column #WINEDERLUST appeals to wine enthusiasts and novices alike, while her sold-out seminars are engaging and educational. As ABC Columbia's resident Sommelier, Erlinda also teaches #WINESCHOOL on morning TV. Working with her industry colleagues, Erlinda helps local and international beverage retailers and suppliers engage with the community. Erlinda earned her Certified Specialist in Wine credential from the Society of Wine Educators and received the Level 3 Award with Merit from Wine Studies Education Trust. Erlinda also holds the Level 1 certification from the International Court of Master Sommeliers and was awarded the Certified Sherry Wine Specialist credential from the Regulatory Council of Jerez, Spain. She also serves as senior legislative director with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Bethany K. Hatef
Counsel, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Beth Hatef counsels clients on a wide variety of regulatory, distribution and transactional issues in the alcohol beverage industry. She provides advice on federal and state requirements relating to the production, marketing, distribution and sale of beer, wine, spirits and other alcohol beverages in connection with clients' day-to-day operations as well as corporate transactions. Beth frequently advises clients on the legality of corporate structures, proposed investments and promotional activities under federal and state trade practice laws and regulations, including tied-house restrictions. She regularly evaluates and provides advice to clients in connection with state restrictions on e-commerce and direct-to-consumer deliveries of alcohol beverages. Beth also assists clients in negotiating and entering into distribution relationships, and provides counsel on the impact of state franchise requirements on supplier-distributor contracts and relations.
Elke Hofmann
Attorney,
Elke A Hofmann Law, PLLC
Elke has been working with start-up and emerging growth businesses since 1998, when she was an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia. She moved to New York City in 2000 to join an internet start-up as its General Counsel. After working at Shalov Stone & Bonner LLP and at Richards Kibbe Orbe LLP, she realized she missed working with entrepreneurs and small businesses. She started representing restaurants, bars and wine and spirits stores in 2004, and has never looked back.
Lexie O’Neill
Director, Product Management,
Sovos ShipCompliant
Lexie O'Neill serves as the director of product management for Sovos ShipCompliant. She started with the company on the Support team, where she learned the ShipCompliant product and got to know customers. Today, she leads the strategy and vision for our new, modern product experience.
Alex Koral
Regulatory General Counsel, Sovos ShipCompliant
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation at Sovos ShipCompliant and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including DTC Wine Symposium, Oregon Wine Symposium, CiderCon, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention as well as meetings of the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
Bryan Roth
Product Market Analyst,
Good Beer Hunting / Feel Goods Company
Bryan Roth is a product and market analyst for Feel Goods Company, a full-definition creative studio for beverage brands. He’s covered beverage alcohol for more than a decade, with his reporting and research focused on consumer behavior, sales trends and helping leaders across all tiers make decisions to help their business. His work regularly appears in Sightlines+ and Good Beer Hunting, the company's independent editorial channels. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.
Chas Runco
Runco & Proffitt, P.C.
Robert “Chas” Runco started Runco Law in 2012 and in 2018 paired with seasoned liquor attorney Brian Proffitt to form Runco & Proffitt, P.C. to provide a broader spectrum of experience and capabilities to Colorado and Nevada’s regulated industries. Mr. Runco provides licensing, regulatory and commercial transaction advice to clients of all sizes, from bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to brewers, wineries, and distillers. Chas is a friend to all in the alcohol industry, including retail, distribution and manufacturing. Mr. Runco works with clients in all stages of the business cycle, from start-up and contract negotiations, to mergers, acquisitions and succession planning. He assists many small businesses reach their goals of becoming strong players in their industries.
Chris Thiemann
Distilled Spirits Program Manager,
TTB
Christopher Thiemann is the distilled spirits program manager in the Regulations and Rulings Division of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Chris has been with TTB since 2008, when he joined as a presidential management fellow, and he also spent time in the Office of Global Health Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Chris has recently been leading TTB’s initiative to modernize its regulations related to labeling and advertising of alcohol beverages. Chris has a B.A. from Columbia University and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from The Ohio State University.
Nathan Westfall
Founder, Vine Valley Analytics & Strategy
With a genuine passion for the wine industry and a strong background in analytics, Nathan Westfall strives to help wineries adapt to the ever-evolving technological landscape. Drawing from his experiences in the United States Air Force and various technical roles within the wine business, he aims to be a guiding force for the new generation of wine professionals, blending innovation with a deep respect for the traditions and expertise of those who built the industry’s foundation. Contact him at nathanwestfall@gmail.com.