5 / 65
New
Beginnings for
Drew Estate
An interview with Shawna Williams,
Western Regional Sales Manager
at Drew Estate
NEW HIRES AT
DREW ESTATE
Drew Estate’s founder, Jonathan
Drew, is returning to his roots.
In a multi-year deal announced
in early Febuary 2017, Jonathan
Drew took on an executive
operating role at Drew Estate
as its president. This promotion
comes two years after the sale
of the company to Swisher
International.
“Jonathan Drew is a dynamic
entrepreneur, respected tobacco
man, and tenacious brand evan-
gelist,” says GlennWolfson, CEO
of Drew Estate. “He is the origi-
nal disrupter and I am excited to
help build a team around JD that
is raw, provocative and unafraid
to challenge the mainstream
and take risks. Jonathan Drew
will reduce his travel and event
schedule, instead focusing on
the rebirth of Drew Estate with
a conceptual lens toward brand
building and team building.”
“There’s a lot to learn from ar-
eas outside of our main canvas at
Drew Estate,” Drew comments.
“We will return to high-level cura-
tion, mixed media platforms, and
true collaboration.”
In another move to strength-
en the company, Drew Estate
announced that David Lazarus
will assume the role of senior
vice president of sales at the
company. In this new position,
Lazarus will be responsible for
field sales, inside sales, key na-
tional accounts, in-store events
and wholesale. He will report
directly to Drew Estate’s CEO,
Glenn Wolfson. In addition, Sam
Morales was recently promoted
to director of marketing, and
the company also brought in An
Phan as traditonal brand manag-
er and Jaclyn Sears as a senior
graphic designer.
Along with his business part-
ner Marvin Samel, Jonathan
Drew founded Drew Estate in
1996. It began as a small shop
in theWorldTrade Center before
evolving and growing into one
of the leading premium cigar
brands in the U.S. In 2014, Drew
and Samel sold Drew Estate for
an undisclosed sum to Swisher
International.
PHOTOS BY JIM COONTZ