World News
USA
Nancy Palmer, Sam DeWitt new team members
Brewers Association: Many key alcohol policies, such as
distribution restrictions, direct-to-consumer shipping abilities,
franchise protections, and brewery retail rights, are
set at the state level.
Palmer and DeWitt will help the Brewers Association support
state government affairs efforts in multiple states, working
alongside state guilds and brewery members in individual states.
“We are honored to add Nancy and Sam to the Brewers Association
government affairs team,” said Bob Pease, president
and CEO, Brewers Association. “With their combined
expertise working alongside General Counsel Marc Sorini
and State & Regulatory Affairs Manager Pete Johnson, we
are positioned to effectively support Brewers Association
members and state guilds on government affairs issues at
the state level during a time of considerable change.”
Palmer most recently served on the Georgia Chamber’s Government
Affairs team as a state lobbyist focusing on the issue
areas of Civil Judiciary policy, Tax policy, and Employment
law; she worked directly with state legislators and agencies
to facilitate the policy goals of the Georgia Chamber’s member
businesses. When the legislature was not in session, she
worked closely with the Georgia Chamber’s Foundation and
Policy Committees to draft legislation, identify legislative
trends, monitor decisions from the state’s appeals and supreme
courts, and develop short and long-term policy priorities.
Prior to working at the Georgia Chamber, Palmer was
the first executive director and lobbyist of the Georgia Craft
Brewers’ Guild for six years.
DeWitt hails from Colorado and spent much of his life in the
American West. He fell in love with craft brewing in Missoula,
Montana, where he majored in broadcast journalism and wrote
his senior project on the rich history of brewing in Montana.
Prior to joining the Brewers Association, he was the legislative
campaigns manager for nonprofit Compassion & Choices,
chief of staff for former Colorado state representative Diane
Mitsch Bush, and director of communications for the Colorado
Health Care Association. 1
Further information: www.brewersassociation.org
Canada
Investment into a sustainable future
Diageo announced plans for a new CAD$245 million
distillery to support momentum and growth ambitions
for its Crown Royal Canadian Whisky brand. The facility,
with capacity to produce up to 20 million LAAs (liters
of absolute alcohol, the equivalent to 10.5 million
proof gallons) annually, will sit on approximately 400
acres in Ontario’s St. Clair Township, and includes a
distillery, as well as blending and warehousing operations.
Diageo’s ‘Society 2030:Spirit of Progress’ sustainability
action plan will shape the design and development of the
distillery. It will feature resource efficiency technologies
and will operate with 100% renewable energy to ensure
the new distillery is carbon neutral and zero-waste to
landfill from all direct operations.
“A low-carbon world is essential for a sustainable future,
so I am thrilled to announce our first carbon neutral distillery
in Canada as we continue to build momentum in
our journey to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030,”
said Perry Jones, President, North America Supply for
Diageo. “We celebrate such a significant milestone for
our Crown Royal brand, our North American operations
and global footprint.”
Investing in Canada
With three production facilities across the country and
headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Diageo employs
approximately 700 people in the country and is one of
the major producers of spirits in Canada.
Over the last 3 years, the company has invested about
CAD$75 million to develop some of the most technologically
advanced and environmentally sustainable
distilleries and production capabilities in Canada.
The new Diageo St. Clair Distillery will supplement the
company’s existing Canadian manufacturing operations
in Amherstburg, Ontario, Gimli, Manitoba, and
Valleyfield, Quebec. This project will represent a further
investment in Canada by Diageo of CAD$245 million,
over the next three years. Once operational, this
new facility will provide dozens of jobs in the local
community, furthering Crown Royal’s commitment to
generosity and giving back.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the second half
of 2022, and the distillery is expected to be operational
in 2025. 1
Further information: www.diageo.com
8 BREWING AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY · 2/2022
/www.brewersassociation.org
/www.diageo.com
