Movement to Ban or Tax Bottled Water Gains Momentum; IBWA Responds

Public officials in various municipalities have joined a nationwide movement by social and environmental activists to blame bottled water for a variety of problems.

This movement, which has resulted in proposals to tax bottled water purchases and in some cases to ban bottled water, has caused the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) to launch a nationwide media campaign to defend the bottled water industry.

The IBWA has developed a fact sheet on the bottled water industry’s record of environmental stewardship and responsible use of resources, the industry’s demonstrated support of recycling, bottled water regulation and safety, and the role of bottled water as a consumer beverage of choice.

Efforts to ban or limit bottled water include:

• A New York state assemblyman has asked the governor to halt the use of bottled water in state facilities and follow in the footsteps of San Francisco, Calif. and Salt Lake City, Utah, whose mayors have stopped using city money to buy bottled water.
• A Chicago alderman has proposed a tax of 10 to 25 cents on every bottle to help meet a shortfall in water and sewer funds.
• Dentists in Brevard County, Fla. have blamed bottled water for children’s cavities on account of insufficient fluoride. Despite the fact that other dentists, scientists and environmentalists have asked the government to halt water fluoridation because of its ineffectiveness in fighting cavities and other health risks.

To read the IBWA fact sheet on bottled water, go to www.bottledwater.org.

Employees assume ownership of Custom Data Solutions Inc.
Custom Data Solutions, Inc. (CDSI), a supplier of data collection services to the snack and beverage industries, announced that the company has changed its ownership structure.

The company was previously owned by Chuck and Diane Schmidt, who founded the company more than 25 years ago. The purchase, arranged by Michael Nudi and Denise Fullerton, allows employees to acquire an 80 percent interest in the company through the formation of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust (ESOP). Nudi and Fullerton have a 20 percent interest in the company and will continue to manage the company on a day-to-day basis.

Custom Data Solutions joins the growing list of companies whose employees are stockholders. ESOPs have been around for many years and are designed to provide employees with the incentive of a “piece of the action” and sharing of the capital growth of the company.

Through an ESOP, employees gain a direct and vested interest in the success of their company and share in the profits of their own labor. This creates a strong identity of interest between management and staff and also rewards employees with a long-term retirement benefit.

Custom Data Solutions turned to Menke & Associates, Inc, a San Francisco, Calif.-based firm specializing in ESOPs, to help establish the ESOP. Additional help was provided by Robert Goldi, corporate counsel with the Detroit, Mich.-based law firm, Kotz, Sangster, Wosocki & Berg, and Linda Salas, vice president at Oxford Bank, Oxford, Mich.

Custom Data Solutions provides its clients with meaningful endpoint sales reporting and data trending information. As a result, all clients enjoy a clear competitive advantage. Custom Data Solutions provides its services in the vending, c-store and foodservice channels.

Pepsi Bottling Group to cut 150 management, 550 hourly positions
The Pepsi Bottling Group is eliminating 150 managers and 550 hourly-rated jobs in the U.S., Canada and other countries. The company is realigning its organization to adapt to changes in the marketplace and improve operating efficiencies. In the U.S. and Canada, PBG will streamline certain field operations to centralize decision making and increase speed to market. The company also will invest in its supply chain organization to more effectively deliver on evolving customer and consumer trends for greater variety.