At the start of the month, the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced it was furloughing its entire staff. Today, the PCA announced two key employees will be returning, Executive Director Scott Pearce and Head of Government Affairs Joshua Habursky.

In a communication to PCA members, John Anderson, President of the PCA commented, “Over the past few weeks, the PCA board and executive committee has been considering the current state of the industry and the association. As we have had to make the difficult decisions with the furlough, we have examined and assessed the many priorities the organization has operationally as well as the many advocacy efforts the PCA engages in on behalf of the industry.”

“As we have reviewed and identified the critical priorities for the organization and the industry, and the amount of work involved, we know it is critical that we keep our legislative fight going. Not only are we seeing increased taxes, smoking bans, and characterizing flavor bans, but we have significant momentum in our fight for federal regulatory relief. In addition, we need to ensure continuity in our headquarters and to keep the planning and production of the 2021 trade show on schedule as well as handle day-to-day operations for member inquiries and communications. Therefore, the PCA Board has decided to bring Executive Director Scott Pearce and Head of Government Affairs Joshua Habursky back off furlough to manage and oversee the work in the specific priority areas. All federal and state advocacy questions should be directed to Joshua Habursky and all other inquiries should go to Scott Pearce,” added Andrerson.

As for the rest of the staff, the PCA again has stated the furlough is temporary and has not given a timetable for those employees to return.