The Cigar Association of America (CAA)—one of the three main cigar industry trade groups—has named Brian Fojtik as its new svp of government relations.

As part of his new role, Fojtik will work on both federal and state issues and will work with CAA’s 46 different state lobbyists as well as its federal lobbying team.

“We did a thorough search and interviewed many highly qualified candidates from around the country,” said David Ozgo, CAA’s president, in a press release. “Brian’s extensive experience with tobacco issues and his enthusiasm for CAA and the opportunities that now exist within the cigar world made him stand out. I look forward to working with him.”

Prior to joining CAA, Fojtik most recently served as the national local coordinator for the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO). He has previously held positions at U.S. Tobcco Co., NJOY, an e-cigarette company, and Reynolds American.

Overall Score

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I handle the editing of our written content, the majority of the technical aspects of the site and work with the rest of our staff on content management, business development and more. I’ve lived in most corners of the country and now entering my second stint in Dallas, Texas. I enjoy boxing, headphones, the Le Mans 24-hour, wearing sweatshirts year-round and gyros. echte liebe.