Founder, CEO and Alcohol Specialist
Founder/Instructor T.O.A.S.T. VA
Former Special Agent VA Dept. of ABC

Email: info@VAabc.com
Phone: 800.785.0161

Crystal E. Stump is the founder and CEO of ABC Consulting. Ms. Stump has licensed over 1,000 licensees and trained over 5,000 people in the alcohol industry. These numbers continue to increase every day. Crystal’s expertise in the realm of state and federal regulations is unmatched. Educating the alcohol licensee is Crystal’s everyday driving force. Ensuring licensees are aware of the ever-changing alcohol regulations motivates her to stay current and involved with her clients. Crystal’s personal reward and purpose are celebrating clients’ business successes.

Ms. Stump was born and raised in Southwest VA in the small county of Tazewell. While attending high school, she began working for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (VA ABC) Enforcement Division as an Under Age Buyer. Crystal was responsible for testing licensed establishments by attempting to make purchases of alcohol. After high school she attended Bluefield College, earning a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. In the course of her senior year of college, she was selected for and attended the Southwest Law Enforcement Academy located in Bristol, VA. After completing the police academy and her final semester of college, Ms. Stump was selected as a Special Agent for the Enforcement Division of VA ABC. In the following years, she worked in virtually every aspect of ABC enforcement operations affecting the licensee community including application investigations, underage buyer operations, audits, inspections, surveillance, criminal court proceedings, and administrative hearings.

Ms. Stump left VA ABC in 2009 to create ABC Consulting. She now utilizes her expertise as a former Special Agent to provide sophisticated consulting services related to licensing, hearings and appeals, inspections, compliance, training, and numerous other areas that affect the alcohol licensee community throughout Virginia.

Licensing Specialist II


James joined the ABC Consulting team at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing assistance with Skilled Gaming registrations in alcohol licensed establishments. Since then, he has expanded his role extensively to also assist clients with North Carolina alcohol licensing. James brings over 25 years of hospitality, operations, financial and management expertise to the team.  He has managed restaurants and nightclubs in from DC to Miami, Florida, gaining much experience with new business openings, renovation planning, and asset management.

James also previously held positions as a Financial Analyst for Fortune 500 companies and as a Senior Consultant with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, allowing him to gain valuable skills with financial reporting and consulting principles that he can bring to our clients.