Chairman Deloney was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Liquor Control Commission in 2011 and was designated by Governor Snyder as Chairman.  He was re-appointed to a second four-year term in May 2015 and continues to serve as Chairman.  Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA), and serves as Chairman-elect.  He will become Chairman of the Board of Directors for NABCA in May 2017.

Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice President of Public Affairs for the Michigan Restaurant Association, a position he held since 2003.   Before that, he was Assistant State Director for Michigan's arm of the National Federation of Independent Business.  Chairman Deloney also served on the staff in the Michigan House of Representatives, serving as a legislative assistant for two state representatives.  He earned a bachelor's degree from Albion College.

1. What has been your career path and how did it bring you to your current role?

I started in Lansing as an intern in the House of Representatives while I was a junior in college.  That helped lead to my first paying job there, and after several more years, in 1997, I left House staff and went to the private sector.  With the election of Gov. Rick Snyder in November 2010, there was an opportunity to pursue this position.  I had gained many years of personal knowledge of what business owners go through on a daily basis, what concerns them, what helps and hurts them, how they think.  Also, with my experience working with the food and beverage service industry, I had daily interaction with the Michigan liquor control code, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, how the law and rules worked, the licensing process, the politics surrounding these issues, everything.  Gov. Snyder apparently thought I had something to offer the state as part of his administration and his vision to get this state moving in the right direction again.

2. What step in your career path best prepared you for this job?

I have to say that I’ve learned from every job I’ve ever had.  That’s not to sound vague or to seem like I don’t have a good answer to the question.  Every job I’ve had has contributed to my current position, from the entry level jobs, what I learned about hard work and showing up on time from my parents, the idea that no one owes me anything, to the time I spent on staff in the state House of Representatives, to my time in the private sector, has prepared me.  My time working for the food and beverage service industry gave me significant knowledge and understanding enabling me to start this job on day one.

3. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this job?

The biggest challenge we have faced is getting our licensing processes and culture updated and reflective of the needs of today’s marketplace.  Not long before I started here, a former commissioner testified to a state House committee in response to a question that it took, on average, just shy of 300 days for a license application from the time of submitting an application to be approved or denied.  With the commissioners that have been appointed by Gov. Snyder and with our professional staff team, we have focused on these processes and procedures to identify the problems, develop solutions, kick the tires a bit to see if they work and make changes where they don’t, and make significant improvements.  We were able to get that number down to around 100 days.  In fact, earlier this year, the MLCC was awarded in an international competition for having the best process improvement effort and results against well-known private corporations.  But our work is far from done in this area though, far from done.  We are working daily to identify what the challenges are and developing solutions to those challenges, and it’s become part of the culture here.  We just made some significant changes to resolve some nagging issues on the back-end of the process and we’re working on more as we speak.

4. Of all the issues you have worked on, if you had to pick your favorite (not necessarily the biggest issue), what is it and why?

It’s great when we identify an obstacle in the process, no matter how hard it is, and resolve it.  Sometimes the solutions are hard to come by, and some seem so simple.  One of the solutions we just implemented to solve a problem in the licensing process after license applications were approved was actually rather simple, but it took a conversation with staff, and the idea emerged.  We looked at the potential solution, measured it against the scope and size of the problem, put it into place, kicked the tires a bit, did some training, and it’s already showing good results.  But these kinds of things happen when we sit down with our professional staff team and really dive down deep and spend time looking at every step in the process and why it’s there, whether it makes sense.  It’s hard work and it takes a lot of time and thought, but it’s worth it.

5. What has surprised you the most about your current job?

How much people all over the country pay attention to Michigan.  I get the bonus of being able to work with and learn from people all over the country, and they want to know how things are in Michigan, what’s going on in Michigan, what’s the latest with Detroit’s rebirth, how great and effective the Pure Michigan ads are, “is the comeback real?”, those kinds of things.  Everyone all over the country knew how bad things were here.  We were worst in the nation in rankings where we should have been on top, and we were on top of the lists of bad things like unemployment, wage growth, and population change.  People are hearing about and seeing what’s been happening here, and they’re asking questions.  They’re interested.  They want to be a part of it.

6. What one thing would you like people to know about your department/agency that they might not be aware of?

We’ve got a smart and professional staff team.  We really do.  I’ve learned a ton from them, and I’m learning more from them every day.  Some of the very best ideas that we’ve put into place to solve big problems came from staff.

7. At family gatherings, do they play 20 Questions with you about politics and government or avoid talking politics at all costs?

That’s a good question.  I do get a lot of questions about politics and government at family and other social gatherings.  I know there was some person who came up with the idea that you shouldn’t discuss politics with family, but whoever came up with that apparently never bothered to try to make their vision a reality, because everyone does.

8. What are some of your favorite activities to participate in on your free time?

I love listening to music, I like to read, I like to get out with my family and friends, I like road trips.  I like golf even though I’m horrible at it.  There is nothing quite like being out on a golf course with friends, enjoying a beverage or two, busting each other’s chops a bit, and having a good time.  I like to say that, if you’re on a golf course, no matter how you’re playing, if you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

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