7 / 55
16
TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
NEWS & TRENDS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
Rick Ardito Joins
Foundation Cigar
Rick Ardito has officially joined Founda-
tion Cigar Company as brand manager for
the highly anticipated July 2016 release
of Nick Melillo’s exciting new brand, “The
Upsetters.” Ardito brings nearly two de-
cades of industry experience to the proj-
ect, including a lengthy tenure at Drew
Estate, from which he retired in 2010 as
both a partner and EVP of public relations.
“The exotic nature of Nick’s visionary-en-
hanced Upsetters brand is right up my alley
and my expectations for the brand’s com-
plete success are very high,” says Ardito.
ITG Promotes Kathleen Sparrow
Kathleen A. Sparrow has been promoted to executive vice
president, marketing and sales, at ITG Brands. “With more
than 36 years of service to ITG Brands and its predecessor
companies, Kathy has held many key positions in our sales
organization,” says David Taylor, ITG Brands president and
CEO. “As senior vice president of sales, Kathy worked dili-
gently to ensure the success of ITG Brands, and has served
on the company’s operating committee for several years.
In that capacity she has garnered the respect of her peers
and has demonstrated the capability to lead the market-
ing and sales organizations,” he says. Sparrow succeeds
Randy B. Spell, ITG Brands’ executive vice president for
marketing and sales, who has announced he will be retir-
ing October 1.
“Randy began his distinguished career more than 39
years ago as a Lorillard Tobacco Company sales represen-
tative,” Taylor says. “This past March, Randy became the
first recipient of our company’s President’s Key Award, a
fitting honor for a career highlighted by many contribu-
tions to our company and our industry by an individual
who has earned the widespread respect of both colleagues
and customers alike for his leadership, character and pro-
fessionalism.”
In conjunction with Sparrow’s promotion, Fred A. Pater-
nostro, vice president of national sales, will be promoted
to vice president of sales, and will assumes responsibility
for ITG Brands’ entire sales department. As vice president
of national sales over the past year, Paternostro has been
invaluable in the integration of the sales organization at
ITG Brands. With 37 years of service, he has held numer-
ous sales positions, traveled extensively throughout the
U.S. representing the company’s sales efforts, and has
earned the respect of ITG Brands’ wholesale and retail
trade partners.
Indiana
Announces
E-Liquid
Enforcement
Plan
The Indiana Alcohol Tobacco Commission
(ATC) has announced that it will not enforce
for a period of 60 days the provisions of a
2015 Indiana law that requires e-liquid manu-
facturers to be licensed, and that unlicensed
e-liquid products cannot be sold in the state
beginning July 1, 2016, reports the National
Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO). A
recent announcement on the agency’s web-
site listing frequently asked questions about
the new e-liquid law stated that the ATC will
conduct a period of educational enforce-
ment for 60 days beginning June 30, 2016
and that retailers have the option of selling
or removing from store shelves any non-
compliant e-liquids that were manufactured
after July 1, 2015 and before June 30, 2016.
This 60-day educational enforcement pe-
riod does not apply to unpermitted e-liquid
products made after June 30, 2016, nor
does it apply to any e-liquid products made
after June 30, 2016 by a manufacturer that
has not received a manufacturing permit
from ATC.