38 TOBACCO BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 22 Now there’s an inflation and supply chain crisis that is not allowing us to release products at the desired time. But on the plus side, this crisis has helped us to establish relationships with new suppliers and customers, and we know that, in the end, things will come back to normal—and probably better than they were before.” One of the unexpected impacts the COVID-19 pandemic had on Tabacalera El Artista was the increased demand for premium cigars. Artista has long been viewed as a good place to work by many. After the pandemic, the company was able to retain about 85 percent of its team members, according to Rodriguez. The problem was that they needed even more employees than before to help the company meet the demand from the market. To address this new problem, Rodriguez and his team had to think outside of the box. La Vega is located almost 25 miles away fromthe traditional growing region of theDominicanRepublic. Rodriguez’s company was able to secure industrial space in this untapped region where they will establish a new operation. “We have been there for about 18 months, and we are already manufacturing premium cigars and have a big tobacco sorting facility there,” he says. “Best of all, this is a win-win situation: La Vega is known for its clothing manufacturing culture, and that industry was heavily hit by the pandemic, so the unemployment rate was big. Now in La Vega, people are realizing that working with tobacco is much more stable, and they are happy that they are learning new skills and building a career.” One of the most fulfilling parts of the job for Rodriguez is seeing how individuals grow and progress within his organization. “Now that we are hiring en masse, it’s great to see how someone can start working as a doorman, and since he has the right skills, he can move into a supervision role in another department.” Kevin Newman is another example of someone who has grown within Artista over the years. Newman has assisted the company in several different areas, frommarketing and branding to sales and operations. “Mr. K [Kevin Newman] has become one of the most important pieces of this puzzle,” Rodriguez proclaims. “He complements our structure with all of his knowledge. He also adapted very well to our work culture and has a lot of creativity that adds a very unique touch to the products we release.” As a leader within his organization, Rodriguez always tries to listen to the different opinions and understand the viewpoints from those on his team. He’s a firm believer that opposing views and opinions from his team are important to know because they’re the ones performing the different tasks and processes that determine the overall success of the business. “It doesn’t matter how many titles or how much knowledge I have; they probably know more,” he confesses. Being direct and as clear as possible to avoid any miscommunication is also something Rodriguez strives to achieve in his leadership role at Artista. Rodriguez will have to address some other issues threatening his family’s business, such as securing enoughmaterials needed for packaging. Supply chain-wise, however, things are looking up. Rodriguez reveals that his company has enough tobacco to work with for at least a decade if not longer, allowing for popular Tabacalera El Artista cigars like Big Papi and Buffalo TEN to remain readily available for years to come and also paving the way for many new blends and releases to hit the market both in the near and far future. Knowing how important employees are in the future growth potential of his company, Rodriguez puts special focus and emphasis on employees and ensuring their needs are addressed and well taken care of.
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