U.S. Small Business Administration Visits J.C. Newman Cigar Co. Administrator Loeffler is the second current Cabinet Member to roll cigars at El Reloj Yesterday, Administrator Kelly Loeffler, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited J.C. Newman Cigar...
U.S. Small Business Administration Visits J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
U.S. Small Business Administration Visits J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
Administrator Loeffler is the second current Cabinet Member to roll cigars at El Reloj
Yesterday, Administrator Kelly Loeffler, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited J.C. Newman Cigar Company’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida, as part of her nationwide tour supporting American small businesses. Eric, Bobby, and Drew Newman shared Tampa’s history as “Cigar City” and their family’s 130-year history in the cigar business. They walked the Administrator through El Reloj, the last traditional cigar factory in America, and thanked her for SBA’s support of exempting premium cigars from FDA regulation.
“We are an industry full of small businesses,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman. “From family farmers who grow our tobacco to the multi-generational families like ours who roll cigars to the family-owned cigar lounges across the country, small businesses are a cornerstone of what makes America’s historic premium cigar industry so special.”
During the tour, the Newmans taught Administrator Loeffler how to hand roll premium cigars. She rolled The American, the first 100% all-American cigar. From the heirloom tobacco to the hinges on the box, every part of The American is grown or made in the United States. She became the second current U.S. Cabinet Member to roll a cigar. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also rolled cigars at J.C. Newman just like his grandmother did.
“SBA has been a steadfast supporter of premium cigars for more than a decade,” said Newman. “The SBA Office of Advocacy played a key role in exempting premium cigars from FDA regulation. It is difficult for small business to navigate the federal bureaucracy and have their concerns heard. Thankfully, SBA gives us a voice to share our concerns about overregulation with FDA, the White House, and the rest of the federal government.”
Administrator Loeffler was accompanied by Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) who represents parts of Tampa Bay. Congressman Bilirakis continues to be a steadfast supporter of Tampa’s historic cigar industry. His grandparents owned a bakery in Tampa’s Ybor City historic cigar district that fed Tampa’s cigar workers.
“When my great-grandfather founded our family business in 1895, there were 40,000 cigar factories in the United States,” said Newman. “Today, El Reloj is the last traditional cigar factory still operating in the country. Last year, we welcomed more than 20,000 visitors to El Reloj to visit our cigar museum, take a factory tour, learn how to roll cigars, or attend a private event. We invite everyone to experience Tampa’s historic cigar tradition, just like Administrator Loeffler did yesterday.”
After Administrator Loeffler departed El Reloj, Drew Newman testified via video from El Reloj before a SBA Roundtable hearing on opportunities for deregulation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Newman spoke on behalf of the premium cigar industry from The American Room, surrounded by cigar workers who were hand rolling The American cigars.
