12 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MAY / JUNE | 22 When I was in school, nothing brought me more dread or horror than hearing the phrase, “Everybody, find a partner!” As an adult, I find myself thinking a lot about my years in school and what that entire experience from the late 1980s to the early 2000s was all about. School, I’ve come to realize, was hardly about what we were taught in class. Much of that information, I’ve found, has changed or wasn’t even properly presented and taught. In retrospect, school was all about the experience and applying what was learned from those experiences to the real world. When it comes to “finding a partner” to get work done, school taught us that it’s tempting to feel like we can do everything ourselves. Every time I came out of a team or partner situation in school, I came to the conclusion that I didn’t need the partnership. I knew the information, I knew how dependable I was and could set my own pace and bring my own style to the task at hand. As an adult, I must admit I still believe this to be true to some degree and have encountered many other adults that feel the same way! Partnership, however, is exactly how it was taught in school—it’s inevitable, and we all have to be ready to work with others and make concessions and accommodations for the sake of the partnership of collaboration, whether we like it or not. The whole idea of partnership as a theme to this issue came about sometime in March with the publishing of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on premium cigars. A week before the report, there was a lot of chatter online about responsible marketing practices in the premium cigar space, with fingers being pointed by various people and much debate and discussion about who was marketing correctly and who some of the so-called “bad players” were. The entire messy situation played out online in blogs, editorials, videos, podcasts and social media comments, and I came to a very simple conclusion: It’s obvious the tobacco industry is filled with people who, like me, strongly disliked having to pair up in school and work with others. However, in order for the tobacco industry to net more wins than defeats, learning to work with others in your “class” that you don’t understand, know or necessarily like is going to need to be everyone’s focus and strategy going forward. This issue is full of different takes and examples of what working with a partner or doing group work looks like as a professional working within the tobacco industry today. Our cover story on Michael Zercher and 22nd Century Group is a prime example of how members of a team can work together to overcome a problem (U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations) to find a solution to a business problem. The stories on La Aurora’s Manuel Inoa and Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s Justin Andrews provide examples of how working with others can make you better at your job and also open the door to new and exciting opportunities. Almost every story in this issue features a partnership or collaboration angle that is meant to inspire you to give partnerships and collaborations new consideration if you want to take your business to the next level. The truth is, all of today’s great businesses and successful entrepreneurs are the product of not a sole individual but many people working toward a common goal. Apple wouldn’t be what it is today without Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, and SpaceX and Tesla are the result of Elon Musk and his many employees. The cigar you spend an hour or so smoking is the result of many people in tobacco fields and factories that you rarely hear from. The secret to excelling at business is not what you can do; it’s all about what you and your team are able to accomplish while working toward a common goal and vision. TB W ED I TOR ’ S LETTER VOL25 NO3 MAY / JUNE 2022 PRESIDENT Jason Carignan MANAGING DIRECTOR Ben Stimpson SENIOR EDITOR AND DIGITAL DIRECTOR Antoine D. Reid ART DIRECTOR Harrison Brackett COPY EDITOR Stephanie Banfield CONTRIBUTORS Storm Boen, Thomas Briant, Bruen Kostopoulos TOBACCO PLUS EXPO TRADE SHOW DIRECTOR Ellie Hansen TMG SALES MANAGER Dawn Conger DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Brian Rodak TRADE SHOW OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS MANAGER Scott Gibson SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rachel Esteffe TMG SALES ASSOCIATE Carly Gegorek TOBACCO BUSINESS MAGAZINE 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021 A DIVISION OF KRETEK INTERNATIONAL, INC. CHAIRMAN Hugh Cassar PRESIDENT AND CEO Sean Cassar CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Don Gormly Tobacco Business is published bimonthly at 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021. Printed in USA. Copyright 2022 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 Ben Stimpson at 919.412.7380. Copying: Permission is granted with users of the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. To photocopy any ar ticle, 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, 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021. PARTNER UP THE TEAM Antoine D. Reid, Senior Editor, antoinereid@tobaccobusiness.com TOBACCOBUSINESS.COM TOBACCO BUSINESS
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