Davidoff of Geneva has announced the nominees for their inaugural Golden Band Awards, which will be presented during the upcoming IPCPR convention and tradeshow.

Best Merchandising will honor the Appointed Merchant who best meets the Davidoff Brand merchandising expectations in POS, Davidoff placement in humidor, overall ambiance of humidor, compliance with schedule of goods, store organization, number of facings and store cleanliness.

  • Little Havana Cigar Factory, Miami, FL
  • The Tobacco Shop Of Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ
  • Vitola Fine Cigars, Mountain Brook, AL
  • Island Smoke Shop,  Key Largo, FL
  • Milan Tobacconists, Roanoake, VA

Best Performance (Single Location) will be awarded to the Appointed Merchant with a single location that has the highest level of Davidoff brand purchases between July 2011 and June 2012.

  • Belle Meade Premium Cigar Co., Nashville, TN
  • The Tobacconist Of Greenwich, Greenwich, CT
  • Ambassador Fine Cigars, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Owl Shop, New Haven, CT
  • Georgetown Tobacco & Pipe Store, Washington, DC

Best Performance (Multiple Locations) will be awarded to the Appointed Merchant with two or more locations that has the highest level of Davidoff brand purchases between July 2011 and June 2012.

  • Two Guys Smoke Shop, Salem, NH
  • Tinder Box of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Up In Smoke, Dallas, TX
  • Cigars By Chivas, Pasadena, CA
  • Humidor Of Westmont, Westmont, IL

The Growth Award (Single Location) will be given to the Appointed Merchant with a single location that has the largest percentage and dollar increase of Davidoff brand sales between July 2011 and June 2012.

  • Cigars & More, Birmingham, AL
  • Ambassador Fine Cigars, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Tinder Box, Waldorf, MD
  • Oasis Cigars, Sunrise, FL
  • Anthony’s Cigar Emporium, Tucson, AZ

The Growth Award (Multiple Locations) will be given to the Appointed Merchant with two or more locations that has the largest percentage and dollar increase of Davidoff brand sales between July 2011 and June 2012.

  • Emerson’s Cigars, Chesapeake, VA
  • Two Guys Smoke Shop, Salem, NH
  • Cigars By Chivas, Pasadena, CA
  • House Of Cigar, Columbus, OH
  • Old Virginia Tobacco Co., Arlington, VA

The Industry Service Award will be bestowed upon an individual from our Appointed Merchants who has done the most to sustain the premium cigar industry and to advance the industry’s agenda in legislation, regulation and the community.

  • Jeff Borysiewicz, Owner Of Corona Cigar Company
  • John Anderson of Draper’s Tobacconists Of Washington, DC
  • Christian Hutson of Just For Him Cigars In Springfield, Missouri
  • Craig Cass of The Tinderbox In Charlotte, North Carolina

Appointed Merchant of the Year will be awarded to the Appointed Merchant with the largest percentage and dollar increase between July 2011 and June 2012 of the complete Davidoff of Geneva Distribution portfolio including: Davidoff, Avo, Camacho, Winston Churchill, Zino Platinum, Cusano, Griffins and all DoGD brands.

  • Ultimate Cigars, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Tinder Box, Waldorf, MD
  • Cigars & More, Birmingham, AL
  • Serious Cigars, Houston, TX
  • Anthony’s Cigar Emporium, Tucson, AZ

From the Golden Band Awards website:

The inaugural Davidoff Golden Band Award Show will honor those Appointed Merchants that truly embody the Davidoff standard of excellence. The first annual awards show will be part of an exclusive Davidoff event on August 4th at IPCPR in Orlando, Florida. The Golden Band Awards materialized from the brand’s success, rooted in decades of long-standing partnerships with trusted merchants. Davidoff has a long history of working with its family of retailers to help them expand their businesses, discuss best practices and grow the Davidoff brand, hand in hand. The awards are an opportunity to officially recognize these retailers for their commitment and passion for Davidoff.

“The awards are an opportunity to officially recognize these retailers for their commitment and passion for Davidoff,” said Jim Young, President, Davidoff North America via a press release. Richard Krutick, Davidoff Marketing Director, adds that, “This annual event will
stimulate improved standards in the industry and help drive superior performance and growth.”

In addition to the categories above, the Zino Davidoff Legacy Award will be presented to the Appointed Merchant who “has stood out over the years as the champion of what premium cigars and premium cigar retailing are all about.”

This story was updated July 19, 2012 at 11:45 AM MST from its original form.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.