Sam Phillips Leaves Alec Bradley

In a surprising announcement today, Sam Phillips has announced that he has left Alec Bradley Cigar Co. He had been with the company for four and a half years, most recently holding the title of vice president of marketing.

Phillips told halfwheel that the split was amicable and said he has high praise for Alan Rubin, Ralph Montero and the Alec Bradley team.

He added that his role had changed a bit in recent months and the bulk of his day was focused on handling big events for the company as well as working with Rubin on the overall advertising and “big picture” marketing of the company.

Cigar Snob was the first to report the news of Phillips’ departure.

Phillips joined Alec Bradley in September 2010 after working with Rocky Patel Premium Cigars for four years as the director of marketing. Prior to that, he was president of the Zen Restaurant Group and had been the national director of sales for Indian Tabac Cigar Company.

Phillips said he plans to take a month or so and spend time with family before deciding on what his next move will be. He noted that the transition from Rocky Patel to Alec Bradley was a quick one, so he’s looking forward to having some downtime.

In a statement to halfwheel, Rubin said that “Sam is a talented guy and I’m sure he’ll be successful in his future endeavors.” He noted that the company had begun outsourcing some of Phillips’ responsibilities and that “the direction of our company required different areas of expertise that Sam was not hired for.”

It’s been a busy year or so for the Alec Bradley marketing department. Clay Roberts joined Alec Bradley in the middle of last year after Roberts’ tenure at A.J. Fernandez ended. In October, Gianni Brunetti—who was listed as the director of social media—left to manage an online cigar store.

(Rubin’s comments were added shortly after this story was first published. Additionally, Brunetti left the company in October, not December as was first reported.)