Week of December 14, 2007

Greetings! Hope you are having a joyous week! This week's offerings include notice of the 2008 COLAs Online Workshops and an overview of our Scientific Services Division.

www.TTB.gov

In the TTB Newsletter, we compile the top TTB news of the week and other helpful information about the Bureau and the Federal alcohol and tobacco laws and regulations we enforce. Please send any questions and/or comments to Susan Stewart Evans, Executive Liaison for Industry Matters (susan.stewart-evans@ttb.gov) and/or Frosty Chapman, State Liaison (forrest.chapman@ttb.gov). TTB Newsletter Archives

COLAs ONLINE WORKSHOPS

Since its inception in 2003, our electronic label approval system, COLAs Online, has gone through several upgrades. We have improved the system to streamline the process and improve efficiency. We have been so successful that now 51 percent of all label applications are filed electronically. We are responding by changing our workshops for 2008 to include two different types of half-day sessions.

Session One will provide potential users with the benefits of filing online and the tools needed to do so. Session Two will provide our current users with additional assistance in problem areas, help in resolving image issues, and offer the opportunity for hands-on experience.

The first workshops will be held on February 5, 2008, in Deerfield Beach, Florida (near Ft. Lauderdale). While the workshops are offered free of charge, we ask that you register by January 28, 2008, for our planning purposes. To view the registration form, click here or view it on the labeling home page of ttb.gov.

We are still working out the details for the remainder of the workshops (see below) and will post further information on our Web site (ttb.gov) as it becomes available. You may also call our COLAs Online Workshop information line at 202-927-8128 for up-to-date information.

February - Deerfield Beach, Florida
March - Dallas, Texas
July - Charlottesville, Virginia
August - Boston, Massachusetts

SCIENTIFIC SERVICES DIVISION

The Scientific Services Division laboratories support the Bureau by providing its chemical expertise in the analytical analyses of distilled spirits, wines, malt beverages, specially denatured alcohol, non beverage alcohol, and tobacco products.

The Division is comprised of three laboratories: the Beverage Alcohol Laboratory, the Nonbeverage Products Laboratory , and the Compliance Laboratory.

Mission

To produce the accurate and authoritative information needed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in protecting the public and collecting the revenue.

Vision

We envision an organization which:

• Is scientifically authoritative and worthy of our customers' trust
• Is dedicated to quality and responsiveness
• Has the financial, physical, and human resources to excel
• Values and respects the individual, and empowers each of us to creatively challenge the status quo.
• Encourages open communication and teamwork
• Makes continual improvements in technology and services enabling our customers to attain their goals

Values

We are a team of professionals, striving for excellence and demonstrating:

• Commitment to quality and customer satisfaction
• Professional integrity and scientific objectivity
• Concern for an efficient and positive work environment
• Respect for the individual through communication, recognition and celebration of accomplishment
• Pride in the laboratory and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Contact Information

Abdul Mabud, Ph.D.
Director
Voice: 240-264-1661
Fax: 240-264-1581

Beverage Alcohol Laboratory & Nonbeverage Products Laboratory
6000 Ammendale Rd.
Beltsville, MD 20705-1250

Compliance Laboratory
490 N. Wiget La.
Walnut Creek, CA 94598