BlueTriton Brands Inc.
BlueTriton Brands’ mission is to sustainably provide fresh water to communities throughout North America. They are proud of their role as a guardian of its resources and a provider of fresh water. Moreover, BlueTriton will continue its commitment as an independent business to sustainable high-quality products and services. Their brands consist of Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland Spring, Pure Life, ReadyRefresh, Splash Branded Products and Zephyrhills. Founders Market & Co Founders Market offers specialty brands an elevated solution for distribution and warehouse services. Today, most specialty brands rely on a mix of vendors for these services. Founders Market brings it all under a single roof while delivering an elevated experience. By combining these offerings, they help brands save time and money. Lula Convenience Lula builds software to democratize access to best-in-class digital commerce software (omni-channel delivery, pickup, etc) for retailers. PM Design Group Inc PM Design Group Inc. is a full-service, nationally licensed architecture and engineering firm that specializes in multi-site roll-out programs for national, regional and local brands. Their services include architecture; civil engineering; as-built survey and field data collection; entitlement, permitting and research services; access compliance; and MEP engineering. Industries they serve include grocery and pharmacy; retail; restaurant; healthcare; shopping centers; banking; car wash; c-stores and fuel; office; and veterinary. Pro Signs Since 1947, Pro Signs has been a key player in the signage and branding industry, fulfilling customers’ signage and brand imaging needs on a national scale while offering turnkey services. They handle all aspects of the process from top to bottom, including site and project management, permitting, design and engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance and service. SmartSense by Digi SmartSense solutions help businesses transition from manual, error-prone processes to automated, digital workflows that provide actionable insights to reduce waste, improve workflows, and ensure compliance with industry standards. SmartSense’s technology is particularly crucial in industries like food manufacturing, retail grocery, and food service, where maintaining specific environmental conditions is essential for safety and quality assurance. Tropicana Brands Group Tropicana Brands Group represents an exciting fusion of some of the world’s most-beloved and up-and-coming brands in the juice category, including Tropicana, Naked, KeVita, Izze, Dole and Copella.
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Capitol Numbers Games
Pennsylvania’s state budget negotiations are predictably unpredictable. Last year’s budget was delayed until December due to disagreements over public tax dollars for private school vouchers, an issue that might resurface this year. A key issue is education funding, following a 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling that deemed the current system unconstitutional. House Democrats, with some Republican support, have advanced a bill to reform the education funding formula, addressing a $5.1 billion adequacy gap and proposing transparency measures for cyber charter schools. However, it lacks funding, leaving lawmakers to determine budget allocations. Meanwhile, some GOP lawmakers advocate for more school choice options. Talks on regulating skills games not going well Efforts to tax Pennsylvania’s lucrative but legally questionable skill games sector face challenges amid state budget talks. These untaxed, unregulated devices, resembling slot machines, are found in bars, restaurants, and convenience stores across the state. Shapiro proposed regulating and taxing these games at 42 percent, projecting $150 million in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year, potentially doubling in the future. However, the proposal is faltering as lawmakers are caught between powerful skill games and casino interests, both of which have invested heavily in lobbying and campaign contributions. Complicating matters, the state Supreme Court’s recent decision to review a lower court ruling allowing the games to remain available has caused some lawmakers to hesitate. The casino lobby argues for taxing skill games at the same 50 percent rate as slot machines, with State Sen. Frank Farry introducing a bipartisan-supported bill to this effect, while some Senate Democrats support a complete ban on the devices. The skill games industry opposes these measures, arguing that small businesses hosting these devices cannot be compared to large casinos. RTD poised for full House vote; omnibus liquor reform also progressing SB 688, legislation authorizing licensed retailers to sell ready-to-drink “canned cocktails,” is now awaiting a vote in by the full House after it was amended again on the House floor and approved by the House Appropriations Committee. PFMA was neutral on changes in an amendment adopted earlier but has continued to negotiate for the best possible end product for retail members. The latest iteration restores the ability of in-state distilleries to sell to retail licensees for the purpose of reselling for off-premises consumption. Omnibus liquor reform legislation HB 829 is also moving forward in the Senate. This bill makes numerous changes that will have a positive impact on licensees. Among them, the legislation includes language to restore the backhaul program that allows a permit holder to pick up product at a PLCB distribution center and receive a credit for the expense incurred. Negotiations continue on dual PBM bills PFMA is continuing work on two bills circulating in both chambers of the General Assembly, SB 1000 and HB 1993, that seek to make substantial reforms to how Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) operate in the commonwealth. A draft amendment to SB 1000 would make numerous negative changes to the original legislation supported by the association. PFMA and other stakeholders have pushed back and hope to see their input reflected in modifications to the amendment. HB 1993 was amended on the House floor with language including improvements suggested by PFMA following member feedback. The bill is now in position for a third consideration vote on the House Floor. Members of PFMA’s Loss Prevention Committee met leaders at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office to discuss how the organizations can work together to support OAG’s newly created Organized Retail Crime Unit. The unit will focus on organized retail crime, counterfeit operations, supply chain theft (from manufacturer to consumer), and account takeovers (including skimming and phone fraud).
Aaron Vitale, supervisory special agent of the Organized Retail Crime Unit, started the meeting by providing a comprehensive overview of the new legislation. He also gave an update on the creation of the unit, saying they are in the process of hiring 10 agents and five attorneys to cover five districts: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Central. “We have a lot of really experienced law enforcement people who want to be a part of this,” Vitale said. Several members of the PFMA committee shared personal anecdotes about the surge in retail crime since 2020. They noted the situation is particularly severe in Philadelphia and the Southeast but is expanding statewide. “I have never seen the volume that I’ve seen in the last couple of years,” said Wade Hess, manager of asset protection at Wegmans. PFMA committee members also stressed the importance of balancing loss prevention with providing a pleasant customer experience and ensuring the safety of all involved. “There is nothing more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of people,” Hess said. The OAG acknowledged the extent of the issue and initial challenges their agents will face. They hope PFMA will assist in continued dialogue with legislators as needs and budgets evolve. “We’re going to have success, but we’re going to need growth, too,” said John Kitzinger, chief of criminal investigations at OAG. Dawn Roller, chair of the Loss Prevention Committee and director of loss prevention and point of sale at Brown’s Super Stores, offered that newly hired agents spend a day in the field with retailers to understand the core issues firsthand. The committee will meet quarterly with the OAG and other retailers to maintain consistent communication. Meetings will be held at various locations across the state to ensure broad participation. The next meeting will be scheduled for after Labor Day, once the OAG is fully staffed. ![]() Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski serves District 121, covering part of Luzerne County. He is chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. What are your top three legislative priorities in 2024? Quality education for all students, access to affordable health care, and taxes and infrastructure. What are the important issues facing your district? High cost of utilities, unoccupied buildings from the pandemic, the need to reinitiate funds to cities to overcome high rates of tax-exempt properties. What is your favorite vacation destination? Anywhere I can fish! What are the biggest challenges for grocers in your district? Food waste from damaged, expired and spoiled food that can’t be sold. What is your favorite food or meal to cook? Pizza and just about any kind of dessert! What do you like to do for fun? Spending time with my family for dinners, holidays, birthdays, and picnics. What are your biggest challenges and successes as a legislator? The biggest challenge is to be able to efficiently address constituent needs daily, no matter how large or small, consistently throughout my term in office. Thankfully, I have a great team of staff who work day in and day out providing these services and helping me to advance good legislation to help the people of Pennsylvania. What is your greatest success as a legislator over the past few years? Passing legislation to help grandparents raising grandchildren receive temporary legal guardianship to care for their grandchildren during emergencies or after a tragedy. |
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