Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) earned two StateWays magazine 2026 Best Practices Awards, including winning the Best Retail Innovation accolade for the second year in a row, for its innovative programs, strategies, and initiatives that help it improve operations and better serve stakeholders.
The PLCB earned this year’s Best Retail Innovation award for In Good Spirits, a monthly video series designed to strengthen communication and connection between agency management and its more than 5,000 retail employees across more than 560 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.
The PLCB earned the Best Stakeholder/Legislative Outreach Program for its Supplier and Licensee Workgroups, an initiative launched to create a more structured approach to industry engagement.
The Best Practices Awards highlight organizations and individuals whose approaches offer valuable lessons and ideas that can be applied across the beverage alcohol industry. StateWays, the only national magazine devoted to the issues and subjects affecting control state systems, established these awards in 2015 to recognize control state agencies that are leading the industry in innovation, education, and enforcement.
This year’s winners are featured in the Fall 2026 issue.
About In Good Spirits
The PLCB launched In Good Spirits as a complement to Distilled Digest, its written internal communication bulletin that won the 2025 StateWays Best Retail Innovation award. While Distilled Digest provides employees with operational information, the PLCB saw an opportunity to use video to make communication more personal for an organization with employees working across hundreds of locations spread across the entire commonwealth.
In Good Spirits puts a face and voice behind the messages so employees can hear directly from leadership in a personal, conversational, enthusiastic, and authentic way. The series features short-form video updates delivered by store leadership to store teams. Episodes address topics that are timely and relevant for employees, including seasonal campaigns, merchandising priorities, safety reminders, customer service initiatives, and operational updates.
That human approach means the videos combine operational information with employee recognition, storytelling, and leadership visibility to provide employees with the information they need while helping them understand the reasons behind initiatives and feel connected to the broader organization. The video format also provides a consistent communication touchpoint for employees throughout Pennsylvania. Regardless of where an employee works, they see and hear the same message directly from the leadership team.
About the Supplier and Licensee Workgroups
The PLCB developed its Supplier and Licensee Workgroups in 2025 to spark candid discussions about the beverage alcohol industry in general and the Pennsylvania market in particular. The PLCB established separate workgroups to account for interest differences among stakeholder groups.
Two supplier workgroups were created, one for distributors and brokers and another for manufacturers, with a subset audience of Pennsylvania producers. The agency established participation rules for each group to maintain appropriate boundaries and compliance with state and federal laws. Supplier work groups are for discussion of common broader issues, not a forum for product pitches or pricing negotiations.
The licensee workgroups fostered direct discussions with members of industry groups representing retail licensees and encouraged open and honest feedback on focused topics so the PLCB could effectively address statewide, membership-wide concerns.
While the PLCB had previously consulted with industry organizations including the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Association, the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, the Pennsylvania Wine Association, and the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, discussions did not follow a regular schedule.
From May 2025 through March 2026, the PLCB conducted seven workgroups with just over 300 combined attendees. Topics included economic conditions and sales impacts, business trends, sales and marketing, liquor laws, licensing requirements, product supply, inventory management, and distribution. Sessions included remote breakout discussions and in-person roundtables that allowed participants to speak directly with PLCB staff.
The PLCB and StateWays Best Practices Awards
In 2016, the PLCB was named StateWays magazine’s Overall Best Practices Winner, an honor that recognized Pennsylvania as a leader in the beverage alcohol industry for its innovations in retail, wholesale operations, alcohol education, technology, and regulatory affairs. From 2016 to present, the PLCB has earned 12 StateWays Best Practices Awards for Retail Innovation, Technology Innovation, Distribution Innovation, Trade/Licensee Education Program, Stakeholder Outreach, and Responsible Consumption Program.
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores statewide, and licenses more than 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. For more information about the PLCB, visit pa.gov/lcb.
Fine Wine & Good Spirits is Pennsylvania’s go-to destination for wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink cocktails, as well as in-store tastings and events. With more than 560 stores, 13 licensee service centers and a robust online shopping experience at FWGS.com, Fine Wine & Good Spirits offers a wide selection of products for customers to discover new favorites, find trusted classics, and explore exclusive, limited-release selections. Fine Wine & Good Spirits and the PLCB contribute to the state’s economy by returning taxes and profits – nearly $23.5 billion since the agency’s inception – to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, financing Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety and community initiatives. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state.
Every purchase made at a Fine Wine & Good Spirits store or at FWGS.com helps strengthen Pennsylvania, supporting nearly 6,000 employees and more than 2,500 communities across the commonwealth.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn M. Kelly, 717.303.8522
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