Association report: Rolling out lager is big business

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A new economic impact report released by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) titled America’s Beer Distributors: Fueling Jobs, Generating Economic Growth & Delivering Value to Local Communities provides the first-ever comprehensive report on beer distribution companies’ total impact on national and state economies.

The report, produced by Dr. Bill Latham and Dr. Ken Lewis of the Center for Applied Business & Economic Research at the University of Delaware, provides an in-depth view of beer distributors’ economic contributions by taking into account how beer distributor activities are intertwined with many parts of the economy, especially the personal services sector. The report also accounts for the amount of resources contributed by beer distributors in supporting community events and local economic development, contributing to charitable causes and promoting responsible alcohol use and adds the impacts of these activities to the usual impacts of distributor operations.

Key findings of the study include:

• Mississippi beer distributors directly employ 1,395 people.

• When the impacts of Mississippi distributor operations, capital investment and community involvement are considered, the total number of impact jobs is 3,155.

• Mississippi beer distributors generate $404 million in total economic impacts.

• Mississippi beer distributor activities contribute $83 million to the federal, state and local tax bases. This does not include an added $129 million in federal, state and local alcohol excise and consumption taxes on beer sold in Mississippi.

• The Mississippi beer distribution industry contributes more than $112 million in transportation efficiencies for the beer industry each year.

• Beer distributor contributions to local community activities generate $1.6 million in impacts annually.