CAA Elects Tabacalera''s Javier Estades As New Chairman

The Cigar Association of America recently announced that it has elected cigar industry veteran Javier Estades of Tabacalera USA as its new chairman.

Estades, who started in the cigar industry 12 years ago, is the head of Tabacalera USA, a newly formed group that now oversees Altadis U.S.A., the maker and distributor of such non-Cuban premium cigar brands as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad and VegaFina. Altadis U.S.A. is Britain-based cigar giant Imperial Tobacco PLC's premium cigar division in the United States.

CAA, which is a national trade organization of cigar manufacturers, importers and distributors based in Washington D.C., elected Estades during the organization's recent annual conference held in Palm Beach, Florida. The organization, which dates back as far as 1900, was officially established in 1937 as the Cigar Manufacturers of America.

Estades replaces Dan Carr, the former president of General Cigar Co. Enditem