Today’s market presents unique challenges to the beverage industry, with younger generations and newly health-conscious consumers turning away from alcohol in record numbers, alongside the economic fallout of inflation and President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff policy, which has hit every sector. For industry members, however, feelings about the industry’s future in light of these headwinds, as well as on their career progression and compensation, aren’t necessarily what we might predict—and also offer bright spots of optimism for the future.