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70
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2012
I
t’s been a solid nine months
since the Columbus, Georgia-
based International Premium
Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association
(IPCPR) named William S. Spann its
new CEO—and the new leader has
worked hard to make every minute
count. Having previously served as
chief of staff of the Florida Office of
Financial Regulation and the Florida
Department of Children & Families,
and CEO of the Associated General
Contractors of Greater Florida, Spann
knew going in that taking the helm
of an association in an industry under
daily attack would be challenging. He
also knew that information would
be his best weapon, so upon taking
office he immediately began gathering
member feedback.
“As the new guy coming in, one of
the first things I did was take a close
look at how we were serving our
members,” recounts Spann, whose
career also encompasses 20 years in
the U.S. Navy. “And the thing I heard
most consistently was that there was a
bit of alphabet soup going on in terms
of tobacco trade associations—NATO,
CRA, IPCPR. We needed a unified
cooperative industry, particularly
regarding federal legislation.”
Other Association
Partnerships
Moving quickly to address that
issue, the IPCPR and Cigar Rights
of America (CRA) Boards forged a
partnership in the latter half of 2011.
“We work on both the federal and
state levels with the CRA and we
have combined our legislative affairs
committee. IPCPR and CRA are now
equal partners—both strategically and
fiscally—in all our federal efforts. And
we are stronger as a result,” said Spann.
Additionally, IPCPR and CRA
recently teamed up to put a petition on
the White House “We the People”web
site (at wh.gov/Qtz) urging President
Obama to tell the FDA to stay out
of our humidors. “We need at least
IPCPR Insights
Bill Spann, CEO
of the International
Premium Cigar & Pipe
Retailers Association,
on how you can help
the industry survive.