Photo linked from http://www.culbro.com

Cigar Coop Hall of Fame
Inductee Name: Edgar Cullman Sr.
Inductee Category: Industry Leader/Ambassador
Inductee Year: 2011

It was little over a month ago before this induction ceremony that Edgar Cullman Sr. would past away at the age of 93 years old.  However, there is no doubt that Cullman was worthy of being a first ballot hall of famer.

Cullman was most famous for being president and CEO of General Cigars. Under Cullman’s leadership the General Cigars’ portfolio had unprecedented growth in both tobacco and non-tobacco products.  But perhaps the most important contribution to the industry is how Cullman positioned the role of the cigar in society.  He was largely responsible for marketing cigars to a larger audience and making cigars more “mainstream” by marketing cigars to young adults who were cigarette smokers.

While we talk a lot about cigar industries being family-owned small business operations, Cullman came from a different angle.   He was one of the rarer “captains of industry” that existed in the cigar world.   His presence made him an industry name and a popular figure.

Click here for the posthumous tribute we did for Edgar Cullman Sr. following his passing.