Glynn Loope who officially stepped down as executive Director of Cigar Rights of America (CRA) ten days ago has joined the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) as an advisor for state government affairs. It’s part of a restructuring being done to PCA’s Government Affairs where Joshua Habursky  has been promoted to Head of Government Affairs. Previously Habursky was Director of Federal Affairs.

“Glynn brings a wealth of industry experience and has been working closely with Josh and me developing state and regional training models. It will be a huge help to have his advice and insights as we work through some unprecedented challenges in the states,” said PCA Executive Director Scott Pearce in a press release.

In addition to Loope, the PCA has hired graduate intern Ryan Parada, a current graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. Parada will be a research assistant and work on projects to help provide quality information to assist in tax and smoking ban legislation.

Finally, Patrick Anderson of Proventure Consultants will re-engage with PCA as a general consultant on both federal and state affairs as we head into the new year. The PCA says it will evaluate additional consultants and programs on a case by case basis and will look to attack proposed legislation in states that present credible threats to the premium cigar industry. The team of in-house lobbyists and consultants will also work with PCA marketing and communications to build new member content, podcasts, interviews, and virtual/live events.

“It is important that we build a team that can tackle that variety of issues that we will face at the federal and state levels. We feel confident that the experience, demonstrated success, and aggressive approach will serve our members well and protect the industry from retailers to manufacturers to consumers,” added Pearce. “It is imperative that the PCA is poised and ready to not only fight back, but to be proactive in making continuous progress for the industry.”