13 minute read
Corporate Spotlight
MOLSON COORS
— Dan Idstein, Molson Coors
Molson Coors’ Miller Brewery in Milwaukee has a long and storied history of brewing beer, which began with a brewer’s apprentice named Frederick J. Miller in southwestern Germany. At just 12 years old, he embarked on a career that eventually would take him all the way to the United States. In 1854, after reaching master brewer status, Miller immigrated and found his home in Milwaukee. He purchased the existing Plank Road Brewery, but renamed it the Menomonee Valley Brewery in 1873.
Today, the brewery is full of unique features, one of the most significant being the Miller Caves. The caves are 62 feet underground and were dug by hand in 1850 using a traditional Belgian method of tunneling. Miller later expanded the caves until they reached a total length of about 600 feet. “The caves were constructed for fermentation, aging and storage of lager beer,” explains Dan Idstein, general manager of sales at Molson Coors. “The Miller Caves were kept cool with ice cut from local ponds and lakes during the winter. In the summer, sawdust and hay were used to insulate the ice.”
Mechanical refrigeration was introduced some time between 1887 and 1892, but Miller didn’t cease using the caves for beer storage until 1906. In 1953, Miller Brewing Company restored portions of the caves as a museum and dining hall. Since that time, the Miller Caves and other parts of the brewery campus have undergone periodic restorations and renovations, and remain a part of the popular brewery tour. “The cream-brick Old Brewhouse on State Street is the oldest surviving building on the Miller campus” in Milwaukee, says Idstein. “Completed in 1888, it is the only brewery building standing today that was constructed under the direction of Frederick J. Miller.”
Portions of the Miller brewery campus were also designed or renovated by Brooks Stevens, an American industrial designer responsible for creating the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, the 1949 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide motorcycle and the Jeep Wagoneer. Stevens also designed the Soft Cross, which remains the primary logo for the Miller Brewing Company today.
Though the brewery tour is on hold for now, Idstein looks forward to a safer time when the public can once again interact with the historical brewery. “What we love about Milwaukee is the people, and how they have supported our company and brands for the last 160-plus years,” he says. “We’ve tried to return that favor through our local investments. In just the last few years, we have had a $50 million expansion of the [Leinenkugel’s] Tenth Street Brewery near downtown Milwaukee and more than $65 million going to the main Milwaukee brewery.”
Molson Coors continues to be a leading sponsor of the city’s sports and entertainment initiatives as well — from Summerfest and the Wisconsin Center District, to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The brewing company is also one of the largest employers in the area.
As longtime members of the TLW, Molson Coors plans to continue the relationship in an effort to support bars and taverns in the Milwaukee community and throughout the state. “In conjunction with the Milwaukee Brewers, we sponsor the Brewers Tavern of the Game, where, at each game, we award 40 Brewers tickets to TLW members,” says Idstein. “We also partner with our distributor network across the state to provide resources to Tavern League members to responsibly promote beer sales in their establishments.”
As the temperatures steadily get warmer, Idstein looks forward to the refreshing taste of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and recommends checking for updated tour information at millerbrewerytour.com for a quick summer getaway and beverage. TLW
MOLSON COORS (800) 645-5376 molsoncoors.com
THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BACK
Fundraising efforts for the TLW’s friends and neighbors raised more than $10 million in 2020.
BY MAURA KELLER
Charitable giving has long been a mainstay of American culture, and trade associations have long been champions of giving back to others. The TLW, however, is a particularly generous bunch. The association provides its members with an opportunity to help others — a chance to change the world — by giving to those in need. Then the TLW Foundation boosts those efforts with the Matching Funds Program, as former TLW Executive Director Pete Madland explains.
And even though the pandemic wreaked havoc across the industry, as well as on consumers’ wallets in 2020, the TLW is pleased to announce that the association donated over $10 million to more than 11,000 charitable organizations and people in need through the hard work and big hearts of its members, and the Matching Funds Program.
So why does the Tavern League put such an emphasis on charitable giving?
“We feel that it creates an awareness about the importance of making an impact on the local community,” says Chris Marsicano, TLW president and owner of The Village Supper Club in Delavan. “The program is a great opportunity to get people involved and have a voice in the decision about how we want to give back to the community.” And Marsicano should know. Each year, he and his wife, Patti, raise funds to provide Thanksgiving meals for those in need — funds that are matched (up to $1,500 each year) by the TLW.
“It is just a fantastic way of reaching even more people in need,” he says.
Started in 1995, the TLW Foundation raises funds for both charitable giving and the association’s SafeRide Program. “We had a lot of our individual members and individual leagues raising a lot of money for different charities, but nobody knew about it,” Madland explains. “In an effort to try to improve the image of our industry, we want to make the public aware of what we are doing.” “We had a lot of our individual members and individual leagues raising a lot of money for different charities, but nobody knew about it. In an effort to try to improve the image of our industry, we want to make the public aware of what we are doing.”
— Pete Madland, TLW
Here’s How It Works
The TLW Foundation’s Matching Funds Program provides any local league that raises money for any specific cause a matching amount of funds raised up to $1,500 a year. “However, we won’t provide the funds until that league issues a press release,” Madland says. “Our members aren’t good at patting themselves on the back or bragging about what they do for their communities, so we require that they issue a press release about their giving. In that press release, it states that the TLW Foundation will provide matching funds to their cause.”
More associations like the TLW are offering members the opportunity to do good deeds — and believe they can attract even more members by doing so. Not everyone can afford to donate to charities each year, so this helps them be a part of the greater good. “It gives everyone a chance to make a difference,” Marsicano says.
The types of charitable giving efforts that the TLW Foundation provides matching funds for can range from individual college scholarships to helping a cancer victim to providing assistance to larger nonprofits.
“We’ve been doing this for about 25 years and we envision that our charitable giving programs will continue into the future,” Madland concludes. “And we are excited to keep doing what we can to help others.” TLW
Adams County Ashland/Bayfield County Barron County Brown County Burnett County Calumet County Chippewa County Clark County Columbia County Crawford County Dells/Delton Area Dodge County Door County Eau Claire City/County Florence County Fond du Lac City/County Forest County Grant/Iowa County Greater Northwoods Green Lake Area Jackson County Jefferson County Juneau County Kenosha City Kenosha County Kewaunee County La Crosse City/County Lakeland Area
$78,922.00 $200,000.00 $33,888.00 $508,143.00 $28,402.00 $13,000.00 $103,320.00 $60,000.00 $60,000.00 $38,568.00 $2,100,066.00 $68,575.00 $88,000.00 $63,500.00 $13,000.00 $30,000.00 $12,400.00 $757,600.00 $3,000.00 $47,600.00 $43,000.00 $155,622.00 $18,075.00 $86,043.00 $54,025.00 $166,550.00 $263,000.00 $45,000.00
49 15 70 98 76 15 200 120 40 23 486 512 20 55 10 21 7 1,440 12 22 18 170 35 21 5 38 90 260
Langlade County Lincoln County Madison/Dane County Manitowoc County Marathon County Marinette County Marquette County Milwaukee County Monroe County Oconto County Oneida County Oshkosh/Winnebago County Outagamie County Ozaukee County Pepin County Pierce County Polk County Portage County Price County Racine City Racine County Rock County Sauk County Sawyer County Shawano County Sheboygan County South Central
$98,622.00 $51,511.00 $176,000.00 $116,871.00 $182,000.00 $67,000.00 $13,056.00 $655,372.00 $20,932.00 $32,809.00 $8,910.00 $199,920.00 $12,850.00 $153,256.00 $70,401.00 $27,000.00 $221,000.00 $198,403.00 $108,800.00 $60,615.00 $238,670.00 $34,674.00 $35,000.00 $51,000.00 $40,000.00 $38,825.00 $26,870.00
12 38 17 173 75 42 15 92 210 179 25 700 149 32 42 10 48 69 13 46 12 25 68 70 1,000 600 22
St. Croix County Superior/Douglas County Taylor County Trempealeau/Buffalo County Vilas County Walworth County Washburn County Washington County Waukesha County Waupaca County Waushara County Wood County
$72,403.00 $263,640.00 $6,800.00 $235,000.00 $68,000.00 $93,989.00 $625,000.00 $402,000.00 $15,000.00 $90,000.00 $155,000.00 $302,500.00
5 780 6 550 24 49 75 50 150 1,500 48 400 State Office of TLW $96,000.00 68
TOTAL $10,504,998.00 11,417
PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
The TLW benefits its members in a myriad of ways, starting with acting as the voice of thousands of businesses across the state and ending with education.
BY MAURA KELLER
For 86 years, the TLW has represented businesses within the retail beverage alcohol segment of Wisconsin’s hospitality industry. The TLW’s mission is to provide its more than 5,000 members with services and representation that can help improve business conditions and enable them to maintain their contributions to the state’s economy. From legislative and governmental relations to education, the TLW is actively involved in shaping the decisions that affect members’ businesses.
And while members may be aware of some of the key benefits of belonging to this unique trade association, the TLW serves its membership in a myriad of ways, including acting as the voice of thousands of businesses and individuals across the state. The alcohol industry is complicated and highly regulated, but the TLW stays on top of it, keeping abreast of all of the latest news and informing members to ensure they are in the know.
For Pete Madland, former TLW executive director, there are two key benefits to being a member of the Tavern League, specifically falling within the areas of legislation and education. “The legislation arm is the strongest in the state, and we defend our members and their right to do business,” Madland says. “Without our efforts, a lot of legislation would be passed or defeated that would have detrimental effects on our business.”
“We are advocates for people in this industry,” says Chris Marsicano, TLW president. “We help simplify the process.”
Madland often tells members to imagine their business without the Tavern League, imagine their business without a voice in Madison or without a voice in Washington, D.C. There are many states that simply don’t have an association dedicated to the retail beverage segment of the hospitality industry.
“Because of this, the people who are part of that segment of the industry have to endure so much more red tape and deal with so much more paperwork. But with our help and our efforts, we are able to streamline everything for our members,” Marsicano says. “We are also constantly working for them — checking on and closely following the legislative issues that may impact their businesses.”
— Chris Marsicano, TLW
provide tools to members to allow them to do business better — more efficiently and more profitably — and be empowered with the knowledge and education needed to accomplish their goals.
“At the TLW, I say we have to do two things: help our members increase their sales and decrease their costs,” Madland says. “And we try to do that by offering education through different programs and publications, such as On Premise magazine and our newsletter, as well as our social media efforts, our conventions and other ongoing educational tools.”
Because knowledge is power in this industry, each year, the TLW offers speakers and seminars geared to help members conduct business better at their events. In addition, the monthly newsletter and bimonthly magazine provide in-depth information on topics that concern members and the industry as a whole. Through this media, the TLW works diligently to help members stay abreast of the issues that impact their businesses.
Connecting with other members in your industry is paramount to any business’ success. To help foster those connections, the TLW hosts an annual Spring Conference and Trade Show and Fall Convention and Trade Show that are packed with networking and educational opportunities to help businesses stay innovative and well informed. Of course, networking opportunities abound at some of the TLW’s justfor-fun activities as well, including its annual state golf outing, Las Vegas getaway and Legislative Day, an event in which members are invited to spend time with state legislators in their offices, addressing the issues that matter to the industry.
Moreover, to help members’ employees achieve their licensing requirements, the TLW offers various in-person and online educational opportunities, such as bartending training programs, one of which is designed to teach participants ways to prevent intoxication, underage drinking and drunk driving. The Tavern League’s four-hour, interactive, online bartending certification course teaches participants the key facets of responsibly selling and serving alcoholic beverages in the state.
Not only is the association the foremost advocate for the on-premise beverage alcohol industry in Wisconsin, but it also offers various money-saving benefits and services. For example, members can receive discounts on the TLW’s certified professional safe food-handler program, which is an approved, licensed class that is available year-round at locations throughout the state.
“We also offer discounts on such things as bartender training programs and a workers’ compensation rebate program for premiums,” explains Madland. Members can also enjoy discounted credit card processing fees — a muchappreciated benefit as more and more consumers are no longer using cash to pay for purchases.
Most recently, TLW members are eligible to participate in the Tavern League’s group health care plan (written by WPS Health Insurance), not only for themselves, but also for their employees and employees’ family members. In addition to health insurance, the program allows TLW members to extend extra employer-paid ancillary benefits, including life insurance, and short- and long-term disability, to employees.
Playing a part in keeping the community safe is also a key benefit of membership in the TLW. Each member is able to participate in the popular SafeRide Program and offer their customers a safe ride home to help eliminate drunk driving on Wisconsin’s roads. In 2019, the TLW provided over 92,000 free rides to patrons in the state.
And while preventing drunk driving is imperative in any community, so, too, is helping those in need. That’s why the TLW offers members the opportunity to raise money for local charities, and provide assistance to neighbors and other community members who may need help. From establishing college scholarships to stocking food pantry shelves to assisting with the medical expenses of cancer patients, together the TLW and its members have contributed millions of dollars to thousands of charitable causes throughout the state.
The Tavern League is always working on new ways to improve benefits for its members that allow them to do business better. Marsicano says, “It’s important to make the most of your membership. I always say that we provide the tools, but you have to use them.” TLW
