Tobacco Business

[ 30 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ JANUARY / FEBRUARY | 22 ] with one another. At trade shows, he saw how it was the norm to interact with professionals from other companies. These conversations were not just about business—they were about life, family and also other industry-related topics. Everyone came together and seemed united by a common goal: to promote the premium side of the tobacco industry. This was something new and different to McKenna, who was accustomed to keeping competitors at a distance at all times. As Green had told him during his interview, it was all part of what made working in the tobacco industry fun. When he first joined Sutliff, McKenna was the company’s CFO. He was also hired with the understanding that his role would change as Green never intended to stay on permanently. Green was brought on by Mac Baren Tobacco Company, Sutliff’s parent company, in early 2015, before McKenna was recruited. Green needed a strong accounting person to help him get Sutliff Tobacco Company back on track. McKenna speculates that when recruiting for the CFO role, Green was also hoping to find his eventual replacement. In the years that followed, Green began to transition himself out of Sutliff Tobacco Company. He vacated the position of president, and McKenna stepped in. Green also began working more remotely, splitting his time between England and the United States. This left McKenna in charge of Sutliff’s daily operations and gradually increased his responsibilities. Relationship Building Today, McKenna serves as Sutliff Tobacco Company’s president and CEO. He also maintains his CFO role, which keeps him busy at the end of each month when he has to work on closing the books for the month in addition to completing his executive report for Sutliff’s parent company in Denmark. When he’s not working on these complex and important reports, McKenna’s focus is on coming up with a strategy to help Sutliff remain competitive and for it to grow. “The rest of my job is really looking at trends in the industry—how we’re doing, how different categories that we compete in are doing, coming up with ideas to grow, gain a competitive edge and really just trying to come up with some new ideas for an old industry,” he says. “How do you make it different? How do you engage your consumers, both on the retail level and also on the end user level?” Social media provides McKenna with valuable insights into the pipe tobacco category. There are plenty of websites, forums and groups connected to the pipe tobacco community. In his spare time, McKenna scrolls through these groups and pages and takes note of the comments that were made. He looks for what people are liking, what they’re not liking, how they’re responding to limited releases and other general feedback that’s being posted online. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, McKenna would also seek this information from consumers attending various pipe shows, such as the Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show, which Sutliff Tobacco Company has served as a sponsor of in years past, and the Richmond Pipe Show, for which Sutliff serves as a host. Spending time at these shows offers McKenna and his team valuable insights and gives them a chance to see what questions, concerns and products are of interest to their customers. Keeping a pulse on what the end customer really wants is key to Sutliff’s overall growth strategy. Looking for new opportunities and investments is also important to Sutliff Tobacco Company’s overall business. In addition to being a major manufacturer of pipe tobacco, Sutliff Tobacco Company is also a major distributor of tobacco products in the U.S. The company has had a long-standing distribution agreement with Brigham Tobacco, a Canada-based company that makes pipes and accessories for both pipe and cigar smokers. Sutliff Tobacco Company is also the U.S. distributor of Gizeh, one of the largest manufacturers of rolling Sutliff Tobacco Company manufactures various tobacco blends from its factory located in Richmond, Virginia. The company does not have minimum quantities, allowing retailers to purchase as much or as little tobacco as their store and customers need.