Ohio Liquor named 2026 StateWays Overall Best Practices Winner
For the second time in just three years, Ohio Liquor (OHLQ) has been named the 2026 Overall Best Practices winner by StateWays magazine, recognizing Ohio's innovative approach to beverage alcohol operations, education, enforcement and industry collaboration.
OHLQ is the public-private partnership between the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control (DOLC) and JobsOhio Beverage System (JOBS). This year’s recognition marks the third time Ohio has received StateWays' top overall honor, following previous wins in 2019 and 2024.
“This recognition reinforces what we believe, that good customer service, collaborative partnerships and good regulation can strengthen one another,” said Jackie DeGenova, DOLC Superintendent. “Modernization allows us to fulfill our responsibilities more effectively while making it easier for businesses and industry to work with the state. This award reflects the dedication of our employees and partners who work every day to serve Ohio responsibly.”
“OHLQ’s strength lies in a collaborative model that unites public‑sector responsibility with private‑sector capabilities in service of Ohio’s economic goals,” said Lorraine Terry, Vice President of JOBS. “This model ensures the State’s leadership around product selection and placement, while also benefitting from industry partnerships which continually enhance how we serve consumers, businesses, and communities statewide.”
Launched in 2015, the StateWays Best Practices Awards recognize beverage alcohol control jurisdictions that are leading the industry in innovation, education and enforcement. Individual winners are selected across award categories, with one jurisdiction chosen as the overall Best of the Best and recognized as a model for other control jurisdictions to follow.
Ohio submitted programs across every 2026 award category, demonstrating the breadth of innovation occurring throughout the state's beverage alcohol system. Entries included consumer education programs such as the Ohio Luxury Collection, Whiskies for Every Taste and The Art of Tequila; implementation of the new Ohio Permit and Liquor Licensing system, known as OPAL; the relocation and modernization of OHLQ's distribution center in Groveport, Ohio; and the launch of the OHLQ mobile app.
Other entries highlighted Wholesale Connect, which integrates OHLQ's wholesale ordering platform with third-party business systems; Proof Positive stakeholder and social responsibility initiatives; the Ohio Investigative Unit's Violent Crime Reduction Program; the From Bottle to Bar series showcasing Ohio distilleries and hospitality businesses; and retail partnerships including Single Barrel Saturday, Fred Minnick's Bottom Shelf events, and Buffalo Trace raffle events.
Together, the programs reflect a common approach: using research, technology and strong partnerships to modernize operations while maintaining Ohio's commitment to the safe, fair and responsible distribution and sale of high-proof spirits.
DOLC currently regulates approximately 28,000 annual permitted businesses throughout Ohio that manufacture, distribute, store, or sell beer, wine and low-proof mixed beverages and oversees liquor permit licensing and compliance. Additionally, DOLC conducts about 2,500 yearly inspections and issues about 7,000 temporary permits each year supporting Ohio’s seasonal events like farmer’s markets, church festivals, and other charitable causes. The licensing section also manages about 3,700 suppliers of non-Ohio made alcoholic beverages that are sold inside Ohio, the roughly 5,600 solicitors that market the products in Ohio, and the approximately 140,000 corresponding product label registrations. JOBS manages the commercial operations of Ohio's high-proof spirits business, with profits from spirituous liquor sales supporting JobsOhio's economic development mission rather than relying on tax revenue. High-proof spirits are sold through a statewide network of more than 480 privately operated OHLQ agency stores.
Ohio will be recognized at the 2026 National Alcohol Beverage Control Association Administrators Conference, scheduled for Oct. 18-21 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and will also be featured in the Fall issue of StateWays.
The StateWays article is available online at https://bevinfogroup.com/2026/09/28/read-out-fall-2026-stateways-issue/…;
For more information about OHLQ, visit OHLQ.com.