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Illinois considering state drink The Associated Press Published September 13, 2004, 7:56 AM CDT SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois already has an official state flower (the violet), a state tree (the white oak), a state fish (the bluegill), a state mineral (fluorite) and even a state fossil (the Tully monster). Could it soon have an official state beverage as well? Under a proposal being studied by Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration, the state could sell the rights to its name to a yet-unchosen beverage company, which would then market a nonalcoholic drink as the official state beverage. Although Florida promotes its orange juice, California advertises its wines and Wisconsin touts its dairy products, no other state has contracted with a commercial drink maker to push a trademarked beverage under the state banner. Under the proposal, the company would pay the state for the privilege of calling itself the "official" state beverage and selling its products in about 1,300 vending machine at roughly 100 Illinois state parks, rest stops, offices and other government facilities. The concept could bring in millions of dollars to Illinois' cash-strapped state budget, supporters say. "All of these beverage companies have pretty significant corporate marketing budgets. They're always looking for ways to get their names out to the public," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The idea has become a popular way to raise money in some school districts and cities. Administration officials point to the profit of such agreements between major cities like Houston and Dr. Pepper ($5.3 million for the city over 10 years), or San Diego and Pepsi ($6.6 million to $23.6 million over 12 years). The example most often cited by proponents is that of New York City, which signed an "official beverage" agreement with Snapple last year worth $126 million over five years for the city. "We've looked at what similar contracts have generated for local governments. It could be millions" for Illinois, Ottenhoff said. But the idea isn't going down too well with some critics, who worry that Illinois will be taking sides in the fiercely competitive soft drink industry. Much of the criticism has come from within the beverage industry itself. "An 'official state beverage' � does that imply that all other soft-drink companies are inferior?" asked Richard Lockhart of the Illinois Soft Drink Association. "Is the state going to be intruding into the proprietary activities of the soft-drink company?" Lockhart said his industry group hasn't officially taken a position on the proposal, but is expected to discuss it at a board meeting this month. One of the state's top soft-drink distributors, Pepsi MidAmerica of Marion, has issued a written statement questioning the proposal. But Ottenhoff said such arguments are counter to the concept of free trade. "We live in a free-market society," she said. "These companies already function in a market driven by competition. Competition is a good thing. In the end, it benefits consumers." Copyright � 2004, The Associated Press http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-040913statedrink,1,783066.story?coll=chi-news-hed _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/E-MAIL_TRIVIA/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
