Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG AUTUMN 2020 | PCA The Magazine 33 B Y W I L L I A M C . N E L S O N A lanRubin, founder and owner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Alec BradleyCigars, was not born to a cigar family. This alone does notmake Rubin unique, but it is a mark of distinction in an industry so dominated by inherited relationships and family ties. In 24 years Rubin has securedAlec Bradley’s place as one of the premier cigar labels, with awide portfolio of products known for quality and consistency—and a corporate ethicmarked by dedication to customer service. It was a journeywhose pitfalls Rubinhad to navigate as a true explorer, one step at a time, and from the very beginning. Rubin started out a hardwareman, in the footsteps of his father. A child of the ’60s in southFlorida, Alan Rubin finished his studies at theUniversity of Florida in 1983 and then learned the nuts and bolts of the business world byworking for the family firm, All Points Screw Company. By its nature, the companywas a low-margin, high-volume concern, so itmade a big difference in the company’s fortunes whenRubin the son found away to goose volume. AfterHurricane Andrew struck the region in 1992, suddenly hurricane roof fasteners came into high demand, andRubin led the family business to focus on supplying fasteners. It showedRubin’s bona fides as a shrewd business strategist. While his livelihood lay inhardware, Rubin’s passion lay in cigars. Introduced to fine cigars by a friend’s father while still inhis early 20s, Rubin pursued the interest keenly as a young hobbyist. He started frequenting tobacconists, and he evolved into a hardwaremanwho knewhis cigars. Upon selling All Points ScrewCo. in 1996, he leapt at the chance to turnhis passion into a business. That year he incorporatedAlec BradleyCigars, named for his sons Alec andBradley—small boys at the time—fully investing his family pride in the fate of the fledgling company. (Also, Rubin’s father had advised that when starting a business, it’s good for the first letter in the company name to be A, because this places it at the start of the YellowPages.) It was very exciting, but bear inmind, this was all taking place around the time the cigar boomwas fading. Rubinwould need every scrap of business savvy his talents and experience could deliver if hewas to succeed. The challenges were daunting. Being an industry newcomer, Rubin attended trade shows and tried to meet people, but he found the search for a reliable manufacturer elusive. An early arrangement with a Honduran factory proved unworkable. In addition, his businessmodel needed rethinking. From1997 to 1999, Rubinwas importing cigars for sale on golf courses—a line he calledBogey’s Stogies—but that venturewas unprofitable and left Rubin seriously in debt and B R A D L E Y C I G A R S Guided by passion, a natural-born cigarman finds his rightful place. Left, Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley Cigars Above, Alec, left, and Bradley Rubin PHOTOS COURTESY OF Alec Bradley Cigars