Cornelius & Anthony, a relatively new cigar company based in Keysville, Va., has announced two notable hires: Spence Drake and Courtney Smith.

Drake joins the company as its national sales director, he held a similar position at Cubanacan until resigning in May and previously worked in that role at A.J. Fernandez before that. The company says he will focus on developing regional and national accounts.

“This is such an exciting opportunity,” said Drake in a press release. “Cornelius & Anthony’s potential is tremendous, and I am proud to be part of the team that launches it.”

As for Smith, she is now the company’s director of business development. This comes after spending five-years at La Palina Cigars as the company’s vice-president.

“I am so proud to be joining such a respected family and a company that prides itself on Meridian quality,” said Smith. “I look forward to working with this team – keep your eyes open for what we have in store!”

Cornelius & Anthony is part of S&M Brands, best known for its Bailey’s cigarettes brand. The Bailey family launched the premium cigar company last year with the Avant Garde brand.

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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 have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.