Gov. Roy Cooper has chosen A longtime alcohol industry manager to lead the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. Hank Bauer, a former general manager for Empire Distributors, is the new commission chairperson, succeeding A.D. “Zander” Guy, who resigned in September after serving for over four years. The three-member commission oversees the state’s wholesale and retail liquor distribution. Guy cited anxiety over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the agency’s recent challenges with timely liquor distribution for stepping down.
