TAMPA, FL – June 21, 2019 – GrayRobinson is pleased to announce that Shareholder and Chair of the firm’s Alcohol Beverage and Food Department, Richard M. Blau, was inducted to the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA) Hall of Fame, the organization’s highest honor. The award was presented during the organization’s annual meeting, which convened this year in Louisville, Kentucky. The Hall of Fame recognizes past and present members for their contributions to the NCSLA and the beverage alcohol industry. Induction into the Hall of Fame requires a vote of no less than three-quarters of the organization’s Executive Committee.
"All of us at GrayRobinson are tremendously proud to celebrate Richard’s induction to the Hall of Fame," said Mayanne Downs, the firm’s President and Managing Director. "It is his leadership and commitment to excellence that have made him a trusted and respected counselor to alcohol industry members and regulators across America. We commend him for this outstanding recognition of his contributions to the industry and NCSLA."
Blau leads the firm's Nationwide Alcohol Industry Team, counseling clients on the rules, regulations and business practices that govern the marketing, sale and consumption of licensed beverages including distilled spirits, wine and beer. His more than 30 years of experience spans all three tiers of the alcohol beverage industry, representing international importers and domestic manufacturers, wholesaler trade associations and regional distributors, and retailers – including multistate restaurant and hotel chains – across the United States.
Blau has been an associate member of the NCSLA since 1992. Additionally, he served as chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Beverage Alcohol Practice for six years, is a board member of the Academy of Hospitality Attorneys (AHIA) and is a founding member of the Craft Beverage Lawyers Guild.
Since the repeal of Prohibition, the NCSLA has worked to promote the enactment of the most effective and equitable types of state alcohol beverage control laws; to devise and support the use of methods which provide the best enforcement of the particular alcohol beverage control laws in each state; and to strive for harmony in the administration of the alcohol beverage control laws among the several states.
In acknowledging his induction, Blau observed, "The NCSLA has been instrumental in helping alcohol regulators across America remain relevant in the midst of a radically changing marketplace, and in doing so fulfilling their responsibilities to the public, as well as to the industry they oversee. I am proud to have contributed to such an important mission, and humbled by this important award."