The level of activity this summer has been a constant bustle with very little reprieve. Our staff and board of directors have been completing projects on a nearly daily basis across all departments, continuing to advance our mission of protecting and promoting “specialty tobacco retailing.” Chances are that a member of the PCA has traveled to your area this year, met you at a multi-vendor event, or crossed paths with you at a cigar festival or marquee industry event.
The team is traveling more to connect with our members, spread the word about new association programs, and solicit your feedback. This is done with a purpose, as we have reorganized the team into a sales force to exponentially expand the association and spur on a renaissance of ideas within the premium cigar industry. From events at brand new member lounges to recognizing the 50th anniversary of retailers like Emerson’s Cigars, the PCA is supporting our members at their brick-and-mortar establishments. There has been a lot of travel, but it hasn’t been a summer vacation.
The proof is in the results, with a net increase of 10 percent membership growth or 300 new retailers and 70+ manufacturers joining the association in 2025. Financially, the association crossed $1 million in annual revenue dues and, as of the end of June, was $600,000 over the total revenue of 2024. The PCA is visible, active and unafraid to try new ideas, invest time and resources responsibly and listen to the needs of our members.
The PCA hosted nearly a dozen meet and greets, co-hosted two state advocacy events bringing together hundreds of state legislators—an August Recess reception with Ferio Tego with over 300 people in D.C. and a dedicated Alliance event in New York/New Jersey—and supported the Meet the Makers event (Scotland), Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival (Colorado), Brew City Cigar Festival (Milwaukee), and the Coastal Virginia Cigar Festival (Virginia), to name just a few. Concurrently, the association has continued to defend the definition of premium cigars in court and filed comments fighting back against burdensome regulations in California. The association launched a new digital merchandise store, announced a partnership with Florida International University (FIU) to host a Master Class on Luxury Cigar Marketing, and continued to release new projects into the fall season.
Over the summer, the association team also grew with the hiring of Ricardo Carioni to lead the international and educational programs for the PCA. This decision reflects the expanded scope and depth of programming planned for the association, with more growth expected for the latter part of 2025 and into 2026.
It has been a pleasure and an honor to lead the association this year and meet so many of our members. I truly appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by the board of directors to serve as the association’s Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for my first full year in 2025 and to have a 5-year contract extension into 2031. The vision of the board of directors and the work ethic of the staff have made overseeing the operations of the association a true pleasure, with results in which we can all take great pride.
– Contributed by Joshua Habursky, CEO of the Premium Cigar Association (PCA). He can be reached at joshua@premiumcigars.org.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 3, 2025. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.