Tobacco Business

[ 4 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ MARCH / APRIL | 21 ] E LETTER FROM THE EDITOR MAGAZINE TOBACCO BUSINESS MAGAZINE TOBACCO BUSINESS VOL24 NO2 ✶ MARCH / APRIL 2021 TPEMANAGEMENT Ben Stimpson – Managing Director Ellie Hansen – Trade Show Director Dawn Conger – TMG Sales Manager Brian Rodak – Digital Marketing Manager Scott Gibson – Trade Show Operations & Logistics Manager Rachel Esteffe – Senior Graphic Designer Carly Gegorek – TMG Sales Associate TOBACCO BUSINESS MAGAZINE 8305 Six Forks Road Suite 203 Raleigh, NC 27615 MANAGING DIRECTOR Ben Stimpson GENERAL MANAGER, CIRCULATION AND ADMINISTRATION Lea Edmondson SENIOR EDITOR AND DIGITAL DIR CTOR Antoine D. Reid ART DIRECTOR Harrison Brackett COPY EDITOR Stephanie Banfield CONTRIBUTORS Thomas Briant Maxi Benbassat Storm Boen David Joyce Gabriel Pineres Alan Rubin Craig Williamson A DIVISION OF KRETEK INTERNATIONAL, INC. CHAIRMAN Hugh Cassar PRESIDENT AND CEO Sean Cassar CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Don Gormly Each issue, I’m usually asked the same question: What’s the theme of this issue? I’d love to be able to share with you that the world of magazine editorial planning works much like what you may see on television and in other works of fiction, or to tell you that I have the prophetic vision to shape and mold the magazine’s content a year in advance, but the truth is that, in most cases, I don’t know what the theme is until the very end of the production process. I’m the type of editor that enjoys letting stories go where those featured dictate rather than coming into each issue with an agenda and forcing every story and interview to conform or risk being cut. That being said, yes—most issues of Tobacco Business do indeed have a theme, and those are sometimes publicized and other times left to coyly play out in the background. We began working on this particular issue of the magazine back in December 2020, although the bulk of the stories weren’t written until early to late January 2021. If you’ll recall, a lot has played out and happened in our world from December 2020 to these early weeks in March 2021. From the world of politics to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a focus in our culture on unity, togetherness and teamwork in different contexts and manners. This theme, unintentionally on our editorial team’s part, also came up often in the stories you’ll read in this issue. Teamwork, partnership and collaboration all are themes that don’t get much attention in today’s business world. These words and the ideas that they spark can at times feel dated and lost as we now praise and lift up the individual and singular entrepreneur. The successful businesses and brands of today realize, however, that nothing worthwhile is done in isolation or alone. One person is not responsible for Coca-Cola; Amazon requires a Herculean effort beyond Jeff Bezos to make a real profit; and Nike makes awesome shoes, but if it weren’t for the collaborations and different styles and perspectives at play, it would just be another shoe brand. The tobacco industry works much in the same way. Andrew Carnegie once said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision—the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Nestor Andrés Plasencia Jr., who is featured on the cover of this issue, said in his interview that while you have to fight for your dreams and not let anything get in your way, the only way to achieve this is to take care of your team and the people that make a business work. “Everything you want to achieve is impossible to do by yourself,” he says. “That is why taking care of your team is very important.” The story of the Plasencia family, if you don’t already know it, is inspiring, but it’s a story about teamwork and how the right team can make or break a brand. There are other stories in this issue that explore teamwork and collaboration from different angles. Retailer Scott Bendett had to build the right team to allow him to have a business that operates both as a brick- and-mortar retailer and an e-commerce website. The owners of the brand Humi-Smart expanded their team to include experts and skill sets that would complement their strengths. It took a group of friends with a passion for good cigars to combine their resources and experiences to create a cigar brand like Emperors Cut that could compete on a global scale. If there were a moral of the story for you to take away from this issue of Tobacco Business , it would be a simple one: You can’t do it alone, and if you think you can, think again! Together, we can do amazing things, build great businesses and accomplish what may seem like the impossible. Tobacco Business is published bimonthly at 8305 Six Forks Road, Suite 203, Raleigh, NC 27615 Printed in USA. Copyright 2021 by TBI, LLC. Subscription rate is $45.00/year. Send paid subscriptions to Tobacco Business at same address as mentioned above. For reprint information, contact Lea Edmondson at (877) 702-4427. Copying: Permission is granted with users of the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. To photocopy any article, with the exception of those for which separate copyright ownership is indicated on the first page of the article, provide a base fee of $1.25/copy. Tobacco Business International is a registered trademark of TBI, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tobacco Business , 8305 Six Forks Road, Suite 203, Raleigh, NC 27615 . All Together Now Antoine D. Reid Senior Editor antoinereid@tobaccobusiness.com