WAABI Wednesday - 6-9-10

Happy WAABI Wednesday to All!

WAABI just wrapped up a very successful Leadership Conference and visit to Sky Ranch. It is hard to pick a highlight, but I think most would say the chance to see Sky Ranch, meet the boys and staff, and get a better idea of the special work being done there really set this conference apart.

We had a great lineup of speakers including Congressman Kevin Brady, WSWA President Craig Wolf, Patron Spirits COO, John McDonnell, ABL President David Jabour, Caren Assman from ABL's South Dakota affiliate and Erik Strickland from the Century Council. We really appreciate the beverage donations and other support by DISCUS members including Brown-Forman, Diageo, Constellation Brands, Bacardi USA, Pernod-Ricard and Patron Spirits. I was really excited to hear the reports from each of our chapters. We're all facing difficulties recruiting and motivating members. But WAABI continues to do amazing things to improve our communities, polish our industry's image, and give members many opportunities to learn and grow.

The Mixology workshop led by Beam's Philip Raimondo was a real hit with delegates. A brand new cocktail was created that will become WAABI's signature beverage! We'll have details next week. Photos from the Conference are being posted on Snapfish. We'll have a link to those next week as well.

If you missed the Conference this year, you missed a great opportunity to learn and enjoy. Every WAABI member and friend is invited to our next conference, set for March 6 - 9, 2011 in Las Vegas. We'll tie in with the Nightclub & Bar Show. Start planning to take advantage of this great networking and learning opportunity!

Have a wonderful week! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions to make WAABI even better!

Duncan Cameron

WAABI Wednesday - 5-12-10

WEDNESDAY

May 26, 2010
BY
Peggy Donovan

It’s my turn again, and the subject of this week’s newsletter is teamwork! As some of you know, and many of you probably don’t, the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team is owned by the Wirtz Family, that very family we are honoring with the WAABI Unity Award in just a couple of weeks.

The team, for the first time since 1992, is a contender for the Stanley Cup, professional hockey’s coveted award. And more importantly, they are the favorites for the first time since 1961. The Blackhawks are a young team, but you only have to follow hockey to know that they’ve come a long way in the past three years. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a perfect example of TEAMWORK! It’s something we have to emulate in our own chapters, because it’s through teamwork that we can succeed.

I’m told that because of this, Chicago’s bars are full, business is good, and no one is talking about Baseball, Football or Basketball…..only Hockey. Maybe someday our WAABI chapters will be talked about as the Blackhawks are now – it’s a thought and something to strive for.

Peg Donovan
By-Laws Chair
Past National President

WAABI Wednesday - 5-12-10

WEDNESDAY

May 7, 2010
BY
Stephanie Flannery

Hello to my fellow WAABI’s from Cincinnati! In addition to being Secretary on the National Board, I am also a Past President on the Tri-State Chapter Board, and currently serve as a Fundraiser Chair. I have been involved in WAABI for only about 4 years now, but it seems like much longer than that. I have developed many new relationships over the past four years, and hope to gain many more in the years to come. I am very proud to work in the Spirits Industry, and love to tell everyone about the good things that we do. As a National Organization, the work that we do for Sky Ranch is unbelievable to me. So many people put in so many hours of hard work raising money for the boys, sending them gifts for holidays and birthdays, and even simply writing them letters, emails, and postcards. Even the simple stuff means so much to them. What amazes me even more is that most WAABI’s that do all these things for the boys have never even been to Sky Ranch nor met any of the boys. That is why I am so excited to be fortunate enough to attend the WAABI Leadership Conference in Deadwood this June – I finally get to go to the Ranch and meet these boys that we all care about so much! I hope to see many of you there, to share in this excitement with me. In preparation for the visit to Sky Ranch, we are asking everyone for donations of new or gently used board games to give to the boys. If you would like to donate, all you need to do is contact someone on your local Chapter’s board and arrangements will be made to get the games to the boys when we visit in June.

On the home front, the Tri-State Chapter is in full swing, already starting to plan our annual “Cocktails for a Cause” fundraising event for Sky Ranch for Boys and Kids’ Café. (Save the Date! It’s on November, 13, 2010) Kids’ Café is a local organization that we support here in Cincinnati, and it’s another group of kids that mean a lot to me. Fortunately I get to see these kids – as our Chapter donates time each month to the church that supports them. Kids Café is a sort of soup kitchen for children. The church opens their doors to these kids every day – providing them a safe haven from the poverty and danger that surrounds them in the streets. They can go there every day for homework club after school, mentoring, and meals. Many of these kids get their only hot meals from the Kids’ Café program. The first time I volunteered there, I was shocked to see children as small as 4 and 5 years old walking in from the neighborhood completely unsupervised in order to get a hot meal. It’s heartbreaking to realize there are children out there like that. My time spent there is rewarding, as it is to the other WAABI’s in our Chapter. We try to help the church as much as we can to continue to be a safe haven for these kids – donating money, time, and services so that they can get what they need to continue to have a successful program for these children. If any of you in the Tri-State Chapter are interested in learning more about Kids’ Café, or donating your time to help, please feel free to contact me. For those of you celebrating Cinco de Mayo, please celebrate responsibly! Cheers!

Stephanie Flannery
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WAABI Wednesday - 5-12-10

WEDNESDAY

May 12, 2010 BY Michael Thomas

Wonderful WAABI Wednesday my fellow members,

I was able to attend the Capital Area Chapter Oak's Day event recently. As expected, the event was a great success and fun was had by all. A huge thanks and congratulations goes to Dan Teague and his team for putting the event together this year. Great work Dan and the rest of the team!

I do not know about you, but I am excited about our upcoming conference in Deadwood!

This year marks Sky Ranch's 50th Anniversary. I can think of no better place for WAABI to hold its annual conference than in South Dakota with Sky Ranch. I hope to see a large showing of WAABI members at our conference this year. It is not too late to register for the conference and be a part of Sky Ranch history. Just go to www.waabi.org and sign up today!

If you cannot attend conference you can help Sky Ranch in other ways. Be sure to ask the Sky Ranch Chair of your chapter or contact me to find out how. It is always a good time to become more active with your local WAABI chapter and Sky Ranch. Share your ideas with our leadership. Ask questions you have about WAABI and Sky Ranch. We should all strive to get the most out of our membership in WAABI.

Have a super week and I hope to see you soon at a WAABI event.

Thank you, Michael Thomas