Mike Gold Appointed to PCA Board

Mike Gold, president of Arango Cigar Co., has been appointed to the Premium Cigars Association’s (PCA) board of directors. He will replace Alan Rubin, the Alec Bradley founder, who resigned his seat last month following the sale of Alec Bradley to Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG).

Gold’s term will be a uniquely short one as it will expire at the start of the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show, which takes place March 22-25 in Las Vegas. Historically, the PCA Convention & Trade Show has taken place during the summer, but next year’s trade show is being moved to the spring. Rubin—alongside Mike Conder of Crowned Heads and Christian Eiroa—was appointed to the board in early 2022; their terms expire in 2024.

“Mike has been an incredible force for the industry for decades and his perspective and insights will be invaluable for the Board,” said Greg Zimmerman, president of the PCA board of directors, in a press release. “Mike really understands the value of our work in the states and will be a tremendous help in guiding our advocacy strategy,” Zimmerman said.

Gold ran for a PCA board seat last summer but lost out on one of the two seats designated for manufacturers.

“Really it was just a few votes difference,” said Scott Pearce, executive director of PCA. “And with only two seats open, it was very tight. When Alan stepped down, the board felt the best way forward was to reach out to the member who had the next most votes. We’re very grateful Mike accepted. Everyone is looking forward to working with him.”

Arango is based in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Ill. It is a large distributor of both cigars and pipes and sells its own brands, like Arango and Perfecto Garcia, as well as a wide range of products from other companies.