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Kretek International, based in Moorpark, California and a major player in the clove cigarette business, and also the owner of the giant cigar, pipe and accessory distribution firm Phillips & King, announced on Wednesday that it purchased the assets of North Carolina-based Tobacco Outlet Business L.L.C. That company owns and operates Tobacco Outlet Business Magazine and the Tobacco Plus Conference & Exposition, which will now be part of the Kretek empire. The Tobacco Plus Expo traces its roots back to the height of the Cigar Boom in 1997 when the first International Cigar Exposition (ICE) was held in Las Vegas, as an alternative to the then-impossible-to-get-into Retail Tobacco Dealers of American annual convention and trade show. Always held in Las Vegas and usually in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the name changed to the International Tobacco Expo (ITE) from 1999-2002, changing again in 2003 to become the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) Expo. The event had significant participation from the cigar trade, as well as some cigarette manufacturers. Compared to the RTDA (now IPCPR) show, the NATO Expo drew numerous convenience store and tobacco outlet dealers and the cigar presence was focused on the lower end of the market, notably machine-made cigars from Altadis U.S.A., Swisher International, General Cigar and John Middleton, Inc. Although national NATO meetings were held at the show each year, the name changed again in 2007 to the current Tobacco Plus Exposition. With the Nevada smoking ban now fully enforced in Las Vegas, it is not possible to hold the event there and allow smoking, so it will move to New Orleans for the first time in 2009. While the first 12 shows were always held in March or April, the 2009 edition will be held on May 6-7 at the New Orleans Convention Center. The 2009 IPCPR show will be held in August at the same facility. Smoker sprayed with Lysol at an Arkansas church! In the latest outrage against a smoker, an employee of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church has sued the organization after he was sprayed with Lysol disinfectant after re-entering the building after smoking a cigar outside. Larry D. Collins filed the suit, claiming that after he re-entered the building with the unlit (actually, post-lit) part of a cigar he was smoking outside, he was stopped by the church’s executive secretary Dawn Sorcy who repeated the church’s non-smoking policy inside its facilities. Collins said that he showed Sorcy that his cigar was unlit, but was then sprayed by Sorcy with Lysol in the eyes and face. According to a report in the Southeast Texas Record, “A few days later after speaking to the office supervisor, Collins was terminated from his position. The lawsuit states that the office supervisor said it was easier to replace Collins than Sorcy, regardless of who was wrong or right.” The complaint, filed on July 24, prays for damages of $20,000 based on employment discrimination and for injuries suffered by Collins because of the spraying. ~ Rich Perelman CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGCigar Humidors and Cigar Accessories at Humidor Vault! Your online cigar humidor source, with rock-bottom pricing and fantastic customer support!Like sports? Get news and commentary you won’t see in your morning newspaper at TheSportsExaminer.com! Join the examination! A limited amount of classified advertising is available in this space on a weekly basis. For details, call Pat Harris at (213) 365-7965 or inquire by email by clicking here. Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below! Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free cigars and accessories! Just click on the “Register & Win” button above; enter today! Looking for a cigar party? Take a look at our exclusive list of hundreds of cigar events across the country, listed by state and date, only on CigarCyclopedia.com!
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Did you know?
“After popularizing so many Havana brands, Dunhill had its own brand, made in Cuba, from 1970 to 1991.
