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John H. Hager  

Hager contracted polio when his son was vaccinated for the disease with live virus vaccine in 1973.[3] As a result, he uses a nonmotorized wheelchair for daily ambulation - and competes in wheelchair races.[6]

Career

After his active duty military service, Hager began work for the Duke family at the American Tobacco Company in Richmond, Virginia. The company retired him after his bout with polio, but he returned - beginning at the bottom again. At American Tobacco, he served as a government affairs representative. Hager was forcibly retired from the American Tobacco Company after the company's sale in 1994.[2] . . .

* Man of the Year, Tobacco International Magazine, 1990

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The lowdown on the Bush bash  

•Groom: Henry Hager, 29, of Richmond, Va., son of John Hager, chairman of the Virginia Republican Party and a former lieutenant governor and tobacco executive.

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Schweitzer-Mauduit Announces First Quarter 2008 Results 

Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (NYSE: SWM) today reported a first quarter 2008 net loss of $1.2 million compared with net income of $4.2 million during the first quarter of 2007. The diluted loss per share was $0.08 compared with diluted earnings per share of $0.27 in the prior-year quarter. Restructuring expenses decreased earnings per share during the first quarters of 2008 and 2007 by $0.09 and $0.11, respectively. Excluding restructuring expenses, earnings per share of $0.01 for the first quarter of 2008 declined relative to diluted earnings per share of $0.38 for the first quarter of 2007.

Wayne H. Deitrich, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, commented that, "The first quarter 2008 financial results for Schweitzer-Mauduit were disappointing. Although we expected the first quarter of 2008 to be the lowest earnings quarter of the year, results were more severely impacted than expected by significant inflationary cost increases, especially energy, combined with a longer than planned start-up of a rebuilt paper machine in France and unfavorable currency impacts. We realized increased earnings from higher sales volumes of reconstituted tobacco leaf products and cigarette paper used in lower ignition propensity, or LIP, cigarettes, but this was not enough to offset negative changes in our business. During the first quarter, we completed the 35 million euro acquisition of the 28 percent minority share in our reconstituted tobacco leaf business in France.

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• New way to crush a cigarette  

A tiny blue capsule is the key element in R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s latest attempt to woo smokers.

The capsule is embedded into the filter of a regular Camel Lights cigarette.

When smokers squeeze and snap the capsule, it releases menthol to change the flavor. The cigarette -- packaged in a sleek black and blue box and called Camel Crush -- is being test-marketed at North Carolina Quality Mart convenience stores, and, beginning this month, in Pennsylvania.

"We're giving the adult smoker the ability to savor two distinct flavors with Camel Crush and customize the experience," said Brian Stebbins, the senior business-unit director for Camel. "They can crush it a little and get a slight flavor over the length of the smoke. They can crush it completely and get a fresh menthol blast." . . .

the capsule also has become the latest target of anti-smoking groups, which claim that product innovations such as Camel Crush and the marketing of cigarettes are geared toward attracting young consumers.

"Tobacco companies have carefully designed their products to attract new users, almost all of whom are children," said The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a February report titled "Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs."

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2nd UPDATE: BAT Pricing, Currency Pushes 1Q Operating Profit Up 18% 

British American Tobacco PLC (BTI) Wednesday unveiled better-than-expected first-quarter results, citing better pricing and favorable exchange rates.

The London-based maker of Lucky Strike, Kent, Dunhill and Pall Mall cigarettes, said that net profit rose to GBP599 million in the three months to March 31, from GBP495 million a year earlier.

Sales were up 14% at GBP2.54 billion, while operating profit - the key figure U.K. analysts and investors track - rose 18% to GBP807 million in the first quarter.

Analysts had predicted a 13% first-quarter rise in average operating profit to GBP782 million from GBP692 million a year earlier.

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New federal contraband tobacco enforcement strategy a good start, but more action is needed 

The Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA) reacted positively to the announcement by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and the RCMP that the government has adopted a new enforcement strategy to tackle the out-of-control problem of contraband tobacco. However they reminded all levels of government that quick action is needed to reign in a criminal trade that's growing exponentially. "For a lot of our members, particularly small family-run convenience stores contraband tobacco is the number one issue facing them. Many get 50%-60% of their sales from the legal sale of tobacco", said Dave Bryans, President of the CCSA. "But beyond the business impact, the speed at which contraband tobacco is being spread by criminals through communities and showing up in places like schools is alarming and should be a reminder to every politician how serious this threat is to families and communities."

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British American Tobacco: Quarterly Report to 31 March 2008 

- The reported profit from operations was 18 per cent higher at GBP807 million with a similar increase if exceptional items are excluded. All regions contributed to this strong result. Profit from operations, excluding exceptional items, would have been 10 per cent higher at comparable rates of exchange.

- The reported Group revenue increased by 14 per cent to GBP2,541 million as a result of favourable exchange, improved pricing and a better product mix. Revenue would have increased by 6 per cent at comparable rates of exchange.

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• Tobacco bosses come out smoking  

Parliament is considering the second part of the Tobacco Bill, which was split into two on technical grounds in 2006.

The first, the “section 75” bill, dealt primarily with smoking in public places, and was signed into law by President Thabo Mbeki in February.

The second, the “section 76” bill, goes to the heart of tobacco firms’ business, as it proposes tightening the existing restrictions on the advertising and promotion of their products.

Yesterday the Tobacco Institute, JTI and BAT complained in separate presentations to Parliament’s health committee that they had not been properly consulted by the health department on the section 76 bill. BAT spokeswoman Fay Kajee said the company was prepared to go to the Constitutional Court to ensure proper public consultation, if need be.

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New anti-smoking plans  

The State Government’s proposed new anti-smoking measures have drawn rave reviews from the local Cancer Council and a mixed response from Mudgee regional residents.

Anti-smoking proposals contained in a discussion paper released last week by Premier Morris Iemma include removing cigarettes from customers’ line of sight, banning all cigarette vending machines and outlawing smoking in cars with children.

The idea is to reduce children’s exposure and access to cigarettes and tobacco products.

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BAT Profit Rises 21% on Currencies, Premium Brands (Update5) 

British American Tobacco Plc, Europe's largest cigarette maker, said first-quarter profit gained 21 percent on favorable currency movements and higher sales of the premium Kent, Dunhill and Lucky Strike brands.

Net income climbed to 599 million pounds ($1.18 billion), or 29.73 pence a share, in the three months ended March 31, from 495 million pounds, or 24.06 pence, a year earlier, London-based BAT said today. That beat the 559 million-pound median estimate of six analysts. Revenue rose 14 percent to 2.54 billion pounds.

BAT gained the most in six weeks in London trading after the pound's decline against currencies from the euro to the Brazilian real added 54 million pounds to operating profit. The cigarette maker has also exploited smokers' switch to higher-priced brands such as the ultraslim Kent Nanotek in Russia. A 12-month, $42 billion wave of tobacco mergers reduced competition, enabling companies to raise prices for their costliest brands.

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Pazardjik BT vies for stake in Mostar cigarette factory  

Pazardjik BT, formerly a part of state-owned Bulgartabac Holding and now owned by Bulgarian firm Chesteam, is the sole eligible bidder for 67 per cent of Bosnian cigarette factory Fabrika Duhana Mostar, SeeNews agency reported, quoting a statement of the Bosnia and Herzegovina privatisation agency.

The procedure attracted two offers, the other from an unnamed Canadian company.

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French tobacco shipments drop 10.2 percent in April - industry association  

Deliveries of tobacco products to French tobacconists fell 10.2 percent in April from the year-earlier period, the Federation of tobacco industries said

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British American Tobacco: Quarterly Report to 31 March 2008 

- The reported profit from operations was 18 per cent higher at GBP807 million with a similar increase if exceptional items are excluded. All regions contributed to this strong result. Profit from operations, excluding exceptional items, would have been 10 per cent higher at comparable rates of exchange.

- The reported Group revenue increased by 14 per cent to GBP2,541 million as a result of favourable exchange, improved pricing and a better product mix. Revenue would have increased by 6 per cent at comparable rates of exchange.

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Ruyan America's Electronic Smoking Substitutes Win Two Awards at 2008 Tobacco Plus Expo Held in Las Vegas 

Ruyan America, Inc., Minneapolis, announced today that its products won two of the six awards presented at the 2008 Tobacco Plus Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center April 24th and 25th. The Company's E-cigarette was named 2008 Most Innovative Product and its Ruyan Vegas E-cigar was named Most Marketable New Product of the Year.

Both products are cigarette alternatives/smoking substitutes that allow users to satisfy their cravings for nicotine in places and situations where they otherwise cannot smoke. The Ruyan E-cigarette and the Ruyan Vegas E-cigar use ultrasonic atomization technology to create nicotine infused water vapor that users draw as if it were smoke. Additionally, the products allow users to effectively simulate the physiological and psychological attributes of smoking without creating any harmful second hand smoke.

Donald J. Bores, Chairman of Tobacco Outlet Business magazine, one of the Expo's sponsors, stated, "The Ruyan products represent a great opportunity for tobacco retailers to expand their product offerings, provide their customers with convenient smoking alternatives and allow them to choose when and where they are able to satisfy their desire to smoke

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• Award Winning Smoking Alternatives to Be Featured at 'Cigar Night' at Twin Cities' Nightspot 

Ruyan America, Inc., Minneapolis, announced today that it will be previewing its award-winning and ground-breaking smoking substitutes on Thursday, May 22, 2008, at Neisen's Sports Bar and Grill, 4851 West 123rd Street, Savage, Minn., from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The preview will feature the Ruyan Vegas E-cigar, recently awarded the honor as Most Marketable New Product at the 2008 Tobacco Plus Expo held in Las Vegas on April 24th and 25th, 2008. Ruyan will also have its E-cigarette available that night; the Ruyan E-cigarette was given the 2008 Most Innovative Product award at the same Las Vegas Expo. Products will be available for sampling and for sale.

The Ruyan Vegas looks and feels like a premium cigar, five and one-half inches in length with a circumference of approximately 50 ring size. The Ruyan Vegas uses a microchip, airflow sensor, ultrasonic atomizer and nicotine-infused cartridges to produce a vapor that provides its user with the experience of smoking, without producing dangerous second hand smoke and without endangering the health of associates or bystanders. The Ruyan Vegas has approximately 1800 mouthfuls of vapor, nearly the equivalent vapor to the mouthfuls of smoke produced in a carton of conventional cigarettes, and is meant to be disposed after it ceases to produce vapor. Smokers who use it to replace all of their smoking activity report it lasts as long as a carton of cigarettes

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