From the desk of the Executive Director 
The Christmas season is soon approaching where families will gather to enjoy one another and to celebrate the true meaning of the season. This time of year is also very busy for many businesses as they schedule and prepare for private parties and increased patronage, and the upcoming New Year!
It’s always important to make sure your staff is well versed in the laws of serving alcohol as there are more people out visiting with friends and relatives in their favorite local establishments during this time of year. There is no better time than the present to insure your establishment and your staff is TAM certified. We have several instructors across the state that can help you schedule a class to make that happen. If you are interested in training someone within your organization to teach a class, we are planning a ‘Train the Trainer’ TAM Instructor course in the next couple of months in Rapid City. Further details will be forthcoming on the website as well as an email sent with those details as we confirm a date, time and location.
It’s been another busy year for the association in terms of the 2019 legislative session and as we prepare for the upcoming 2020 session. We had 22 bills and 2 joint resolutions that came up this past year that affected the industry. Our lobbyist, Matt Krogman, works on your behalf all year round for those issues that may or may not affect the industry and your businesses. As always, it’s important for you to know your local legislators and to visit with them one-on-one whenever possible. There are several ways to come in contact with them during the session: you are welcome to attend our annual Hog Roast which is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st, 2020 at the Red Rossa Italian Grille in Pierre, SD where legislators gather to visit with us regarding the session and our concerns for the industry; there are local community meetings with legislators available in a lot of towns across the state on a Saturday to attend during the first quarter of the year. You can always call or email them during the session. That information is available not only on the SD Legislative website, but also on our website (www.sdliquorandgaming.com) and/or by calling our office for that information. We also list all the bills that come forward on the site which will give you an update and status of the bills as they are brought forward during the session.
We have made a few changes administratively this past year which we hope will be beneficial to our members and to those in the industry. We are now MOBILE friendly! Please check it out! We are also on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SDLBDGA/. We hope this will give our readers more information about the association and the industry and will be more convenient to you as a supporter of the industry. As always, if you have any suggestions as to how we can improve or what you would like to see, please don’t hesitate to contact me at #800-721-1789 or 605-343-1844!
We are looking forward to the coming year and hope to hear from you in the near future. Membership is always valuable to us as an association and to the industry in order to continue to be viable and strong. As they say, “You are always stronger in numbers,” and we are always in need of more members, your voice and help as we fight for your business and the industry.
On behalf of the SD Licensed Beverage Dealers and Gaming Association, we would like to thank all of our members and those that are in the industry who dedicate themselves to their businesses, to their employees and to their communities throughout the year. We have appreciated your continued support this past year and look forward to working with you in the coming year!
Wishing you and your family a beautiful and safe holiday season!
Cathy Berg, Executive Director
