Over the course of the next two days, the Premium Cigar Association will be hosting more than 10 sessions dedicated to issues impacting retailers, manufacturers and suppliers of premium tobacco products around the world – and by extension, us consumers as well. The 2nd Annual Premium Cigar Global Policy Summit, a portion of which will take place inside the The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, is described by the Association as an opportunity to “hear from Premium Cigar Industry Leaders about the politics and policies impacting agriculture, manufacturing, and retail business in the U.S. and around the world.”
The first day of the summit – U.S. Domestic Policy Day – is being conducted within the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on the Capitol grounds. After welcoming those in attendance, the Chairman of the Congressional Cigar Caucus, Representative Dan Meuser, will be introduced as the keynote speaker. This will be followed by briefings, presentations, and panels related to tax, small business, and health policy, as well time specifically set aside to give everyone a chance to connect on an individual level.
The second day of the summit – International Policy Day – will take place less than a mile away at the PCA Townhouse. The panels and presentations taking place on this day will also be streamed across the Association’s social media channels. Four main sessions are scheduled that will cover everything from stewardship to security, and many important topics and subjects in between. These sessions will be followed by one final keynote and the closing remarks.
The PCA also announced today that Ryan Parada, previously Government Affairs Manager, has been promoted to to Senior Manager, Government Affairs and International Policy.
In addition to his work on state, federal and international affairs, the Association says that he has has also been leading much of the research done by the government affairs department.
Executive Director, Scott Pearce, shared that “since joining the association over two years ago, Ryan has built up a reputation of being a diligent researcher with a passion for both politics and cigars. We are very excited to see his work internationally continue to grow, especially at this time where the issues surrounding packaging, taxes and outright bans continues to spread.”
Deputy Executive Director and Head of Government Affairs, Joshua Habursky, praised Parada’s work as being vital to the success of Association’s advocacy initiatives. According to Habursky, “Ryan’s promotion comes at a time where cigars are moving to center stage on the international level. It is more important than ever that PCA dedicates time and energy to mobilize our partners internationally.”
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