We work in collaboration with leading consultants in the industry.
Professional consultants are an important part of the Spencer Fane Alcohol Law and Food and Beverage practices. Working alongside our attorneys, these former federal and state alcohol beverage regulators bring decades of firsthand experience in licensing, compliance, enforcement, policy, and industry relations. Each provides practical insight to help clients navigate complex regulatory challenges and achieve business objectives. The following consultants contribute their unique knowledge and experience to support clients across the alcohol, beverage, and food industries.
David Bateman
Dave Bateman has over 40 years of federal alcohol regulatory service, experience, and contacts. He joined the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in 1973. In 2001, as ATF transitioned into the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Dave was appointed TTB’s Distilled Spirits Industry Analyst. In that capacity, he was the key point of contact between TTB and America’s distillers, assisting with formulation, labeling, importation, taxation, and compliance issues.
William Kelley, Jr.
Bill Kelley continues to build on a storied career as an alcohol beverage regulator, trade association president, and industry consultant. Bill served as the General Counsel of the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverage Control Commission for over 20 years, and President of the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts for almost a decade after that. Today he works with clients on alcohol as well as cannabis compliance issues that arise.
Susan Evans
Sue Evans’s alcohol regulatory experience started as an ATF field inspector, and then field supervisor, before rising through the ranks to become the director of the federal Alcohol Labeling and Formulation Division. In her later work, Sue oversaw TTB’s Alcohol Labeling and Formulation Division, the Regulations and Rulings Division, and the International Affairs Division before becoming TTB’s first Executive Liaison for Industry and State Matters.
Greeley T. Ford
Greely Ford recently completed service as a two-term commissioner for the New York State Liquor Authority (NYSLA). In this regulatory role, he issued decisions on approximately 12,000 cases concerning licensing for both on- and off-premise retail locations. Greeley’s administrative experience includes work on disciplinary penalties, declaratory rulings, and advisories on procedural adjustments issued by the NYSLA.
Beth Goldberg
Beth Goldberg has an extensive history in state alcohol beverage regulation. She began her career with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) in 1988 as an agency investigator, ultimately rising to assistant director. Before leaving public service to work as an independent consultant, Beth directed and oversaw the licensing, enforcement, and administrative functions of 12 field offices as well as special units in the ABC’s Southern California division.
John Harris
John Harris built a 30-year career at the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, serving in successive leadership roles under six administrations, including as deputy director and director, where he was responsible for overseeing enforcement, licensing, and tax auditing as well as educating industry members, the public, and law enforcement agencies about the state’s alcohol and tobacco policies.
Bentley Nettles
Bentley Nettles was appointed executive director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) in 2017. During his five-year tenure with TABC, Bentley led the consolidation of multiple license and permit types, helped develop new standards simplifying the process for malt beverage manufacturers to enter the industry, and implemented efficiencies in policy and rulemaking to improve agency transparency.
Charlie Tull
Prior to his work as a consultant in the private sector, Charlie Tull served as the beer industry analyst for the TTB, capping a 40-year career as a federal alcohol industry regulator that started with overseeing trade practice investigations. Charlie’s experience includes having led a nationwide TTB investigation that focused on category management practices. Charlie also taught brewery recordkeeping and operations to TTB inspectors, auditors, and specialists.
Please note, each professional above is a consultant, and is not an attorney or employee of Spencer Fane LLP.