Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2023: TRAVIS HILL

Hill presides over Virginia ABC, a state agency that produced $1.4 billion in 2022 revenue, with $622.8 million going to the state general fund.

Before becoming CEO in 2018, Hill served four years as the agency’s chief operating officer and previously was a state deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry.

In June, reports emerged that employees embezzled money from seven ABC stores last year, taking advantage of a cash register system vulnerability. A September 2022 audit uncovered the thefts, but ABC leaders said they didn’t learn about it until February. Four higher-up employees were later placed on leave, but it’s unclear if that was connected to the thefts. ABC’s board chair, former state Del. Tim Hugo, expressed perplexity over how agency leaders could be unaware of the problem for six months.

Hill, who is president of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, said he’s learned that “the challenge of leadership changes over time. The longer you stay, the more decisions you get to own — the good ones and the bad ones.”

STREAMING SHOW I’VE ENJOYED: “Ted Lasso.” I really enjoyed the character’s determination to remain positive under the most challenging circumstances, always acting with positive intent.