Dave Lafferty is the new executive director of premium cigar sales for Nat Sherman International.

The longtime Drew Estate employee will be in charge of the company’s wholesale cigar sales. He replaces Ike Karipides, who left Nat Sherman late last year—coincidentally—to join Drew Estate. Lafferty most recently served as director of national accounts for Drew Estate.

“I’ve known David for more than ten years,” said Michael Herklots, vp of retail and brand development for Nat Sherman, in a press release. “He’s an industry expert with tremendous experience across all aspects of the premium cigar business. He’s a great leader, a fun guy, and will be a great fit for our organization.”

Lafferty’s first day on the job will be June 4.

He is part of a growing list of hires for the company, which also includes: Michael Maiure as associate brand manager, Kylie Beaudreau for midwest sales, and Andy Yaffee for southeast sales.

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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.