Interview with Jon Huber (formerly of CAO)

This will be a 3 part interview, I'll post them all here....

Part I: Getting to Know Jon Huber

Take us back Jon, to before you began working with CAO and first entered the cigar industry. Where did you grow up, what were your hobbies, what was your favorite subject in school?
I grew up in San Francisco (CA) and lived there in the city until I was 17, at which time I moved to Los Angeles to attend college. I was really a loner in high school and when I wasn’t studying, I was working out or shooting music videos. My favorite subjects were English/Literature and TV Production.

What are some of your previous employment experiences? Surely they weren’t all as good as CAO.
I think that in order to appreciate what you have today, you have to have had some past life experiences that were less than ideal. My first job out of college was as a Private Trainer for the Sports Club L/A. I was really getting paid to workout and ‘babysit’ people who wanted a trainer. But there was a lot of downhill after that. I’ve done everything from commercial real estate sales to telemarketing sales, where I sold dog shampoo and indoor tanning products. That was pretty much a low point, to be honest. Let’s say I’ve been through some “things;” but I believe that all those experiences brought me to where I am today and I really love where my life is now. So I don’t regret anything.

Do you remember the first cigar you ever had?
Of course. It was a Macanudo Hyde Park (cue the sound of irony).

How about your first tattoo?
I was 23 years old and I’m embarrassed to say that it was of a Superman emblem. It was done at Sunset Tattoo on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. I later added on to it and turned it in to a tribute piece for my Grandfather.

Reflecting on Your Time at CAO

I’ve read that you were so eager to break into the cigar industry, that you went through every ad in Cigar Aficionado and contacted the companies to inquire about work. Is this true?
All true. I think it was around 1993 and I had purchased the ‘George Burns’ issue of Cigar Aficionado at a wine store. I literally combed the issue from front to back, getting contact information and calling and writing to nearly every cigar company in that issue. I got turned down by everyone who bothered to actually reply; CAO was the last ad in that issue, and my last attempt as well.

So CAO responded to your letter?
Not immediately. In fact, it was roughly four months from when I sent the letter that I received a voice mail from Cano (Ozgener). The back-story is that Tim was visiting Nashville (he lived in Los Angeles at the time) and spotted the letter sitting on his Dad’s desk. It was Tim that read the letter and urged his father to call me. I owe the Ozgener family a lot.

What was the available position at CAO?
It was Manager of Shipping. I knew nothing about shipping but I knew it was my chance to get my foot in the door so I dove in head first.

How did you progress from that position to the Marketing department, and to eventually manager of it?
Five months into my career at CAO, I was working out in the early morning and heard a radio promo on WKDF (a popular rock format radio station in Nashville at the time) that involved cigars. I immediately stopped my workout and called the station to inquire where they were getting the cigars from. As it turned out, they didn’t actually have any cigars secured for the promo.

Long story short, I traded out CAO product for some radio spots, and from that point I parlayed that experience into a weekly stint on the morning drive-time show as “the cigar expert” where people would call in and I would answer their cigar questions. After doing this for about 4-5 weeks, I collected the cassette (yes, I said ‘cassette’) tapes of my spots and brought them in to play for Cano. He asked, “Who is this?” I said, “me.” He said, “this is fantastic…you are now the Director of Promotions & Public Relations.” That was the end of my 5 month shipping career and the start of my marketing career at CAO. To this day, Cano tells the story of how I was the “worst shipping manager ever.”

So where did this desire to be involved in the cigar industry originate from?
I was at a point in my life where I was miserable with what I was doing for a living and felt that I no longer wanted a ‘job.’ I wanted to wake up each morning and do what I was passionate about and make it my livelihood. I did some soul-searching and realized I wanted to be involved in an industry that had romance, and tradition; where something was still made by the human hand. I didn’t want to be involved with the sale or fabrication of something that was inanimate and soulless. I narrowed the choices down to either wine or cigars. It really was more out of desperation than desire. I couldn’t bear the thought of wasting another day of my life doing something I wasn’t passionate about.

When you arrived at CAO in April of 1996, what was the climate like?
CAO had just moved out of Cano’s basement into a 2000 square foot ‘shanty’ of an office. There were approximately 4 employees (including Cano). Tim was working for the company part-time on the West coast. Really, in retrospect you would say that the odds were enormously stacked against us surviving, let alone actually succeeding.
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Good stuff. Where is the other two parts? Thanks for posting this. :-)
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nice
looking forward to reading the rest
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Thanks for sharing Matthew...anxiously awaiting the rest.
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Very interested in the rest. espeically interested in whats next for him as everyone thinks all the CAO blends will be changing. Hopefully he can incoperate some in whatever the next venture is.
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Thanks for reading everyone. Dustin - part 2 will be up tomorrow, part 3 on Thursday - all in this same thread...
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Awesome read, thanks.
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Thanks for posting. I've done some work for Jon in the past but have never met him personally. Some friends have told me he's a really cool guy and I still hope to meet him some day.
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Part Two: Your Departure from CAO

The Merger

In 2007, the climate at CAO began to shift. How did the 2007 merger with Scandinavian Tobacco Group affect the daily operations at CAO?
Let’s just say that it became less and less about creating and innovating, and more and more about cold, hard numbers and profit. Nothing more.

Were you included in any of the discussions around merging with STG in 2007?
Allow me to clarify here. CAO did not merge with STG in 2007. CAO was acquired by Henri Wintermans in January of 2007, and no I was not included in any of the discussions leading up to that acquisition.

So you never offered an opinion on how such a decision would affect CAO’s product or brand?
No I did not. At that point, I could see and understand why the Ozgener family agreed to the deal and I never begrudged them that decision one iota. Truth be told, initially things remained largely the same after the Wintermans acquisition.

If you were to speculate, what would you say was the motivation on CAO’s part to complete the 2007 merger with STG?
Again, CAO did not merge with STG in 2007. That said, I feel that Cano (Ozgener) felt that it was the right decision not only for himself and his family, but for the brand, as well. He believed that by selling to Henri Wintermans, he could secure the future for not only his family, but for CAO as a brand, and for the employees of CAO, as well. At the end of the day, the reality is that when you sell your brand you sacrifice the security of the future of that brand. It was a classic case of a small fish being swallowed by a larger fish being swallowed by a larger fish.

There was another merger in January of 2010, this time between Swedish Match and Scandinavian Tobacco Group. When this merger took place, did you immediately begin considering a departure?
When that happened, the writing was on the wall. You’d have been a fool to have thought that the end result would’ve been anything other than what it ended up being. All the while, ST did their best to keep everyone at CAO ‘in the dark’ about what the final outcome would be. Did I immediately consider a departure? Not necessarily. I wanted to stay loyal to my CAO family and ride the wave all the way to the shore. I figured that God’s plan for me would unveil itself when the time was right. I never got nervous about my future.

How did your role and responsibilities at CAO begin to change?
It was pretty much ‘business as usual’ all the way up until the end. That said, it didn’t take long to realize that my business philosophies did not line up with those of the new regime. I’m not putting down their business principles; however, as I’ve said before, if I had wanted to work for corporate America I would’ve gone off and sold copy machines somewhere.

Prior to the merger, did you ever envision not being employed by CAO?
No. I was loyal to CAO and the Ozgener family for life. My big 3 values I live by are loyalty, honesty, and integrity. Could I have made more money playing the corporate game and going to another company? Maybe. But what I wanted to demonstrate to my son was that life isn’t all about money; it’s about being loyal and having the integrity to stay true to your path and those that brought you to the dance.

You chose not to relocate to Richmond and take a job at General Cigar. Was that a difficult decision?
I paused for about 3 seconds. Then I said, “no.”

Looking Beyond

When looking back at your 14 years at CAO, what are you most proud of?
For me, it wasn’t about any one cigar or any one event or any one rating. What makes me proud is that I was part of a team of individuals who stayed together and built something out of nothing; we took a business from a basement to a global brand. And to this day, I look upon those people as my family.

What were the final months at CAO like for you?
Let’s just say it wasn’t a barrel of laughs. Honestly though, I had no problems with turning over the keys to General Cigars. I understood that this wasn’t something that they signed up for either; they were trying to make the best of the situation, as well. By the time it was time to clear out my office and say my good-byes, I was more than ready for it. It was less like the tearful good-bye scenes you would envision and more of a “FREE AT LAST” feeling of complete and utter liberation; I just about danced out the front door.

If you could give one piece of advice to the new “owners” of CAO, what would it be?
I would say what I said to them before I left. That is, don’t try to “live up” to CAO–instead, take the brand and make it your own. CAO was more about the people that comprised the company than it was about cigars, and all of those people are gone. CAO is over–it’s done. Make a ‘new’ CAO because you will never replicate or duplicate the former CAO. I saw a message on twitter the other day where someone said that a General rep told them (about CAO), “We have the recipes and the cooks…we just don’t have the guys that came up with the recipes.” My reply to that was that if all it took was good recipes and good cooks, then why do the vast majority of restaurants fail? It’s about people and heart–that’s what built CAO, and that’s what walked away from CAO. I wish the new regime the utmost success; however, I would caution them against trying to “be” like CAO.

Did you immediately know who you wanted to team up with when you resigned?
Despite the fact that the official “company word” from STG was that the future of CAO was undetermined, I knew–we all knew–in my heart of hearts that CAO was not destined to be in Nashville much longer. Why they couldn’t just come out and share that with us early on is still a mystery. Nonetheless, when that happened I thought about what my ideal scenario would look like. At that point, I realized that part of what made my time at CAO so rewarding was the people I was working with on a daily basis. So I knew that–given my druthers–I would prefer to stay with those that “brought me to the dance.”

How did those conversations begin?
“Hey, when this is over and done do you wanna start something up again?” That was pretty much it….and then I said, “I’m in.”
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Fascinating read so far...looking forward to part 3 :-)
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Originally Posted by Brutus2600:
Fascinating read so far...looking forward to part 3 :-)

:-)
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Part Three: A New Day – Marriage and Crowned Heads

Anyone that follows you on Twitter knows that you’re recently engaged and will be married this summer. First off, congrats, and second, what are your plans for honeymooning!?
Thank you very much. Wow, I am so excited about marrying my girl. Her name is Laura and she is my best friend, my heart, my love, my happiness, and my soulmate. It was worth waiting 45 years to find her. The moment I put my arm around her, I knew my life had changed forever. We’re planning on honeymooning in Italy and it will be the first time there for both of us. We’re very excited, and thank you to the Twitter community for all your well wishes. It means a lot to Laura and myself.

Since your official departure from CAO, walk us through a typical day for you.
I left CAO on December 17. I took 1 week off during the Christmas Holiday to spend with family and just get away from it all. But since then, I’ve been “back in the studio,” so to speak, and we’ve been going at the creative process full steam ahead. A typical day (if there is such a thing) begins at 6:00am when the alarm goes off. I grab a cup of coffee and go for a 30-minute walk through the neighborhood with Laura. Afterwards, she gets ready for her workday and I usually do some sort of workout–either jumping rope or pushups/crunches for another 20-30 minutes. Then I get a shower and get in the office by 9:00.

No two days are ever the same at the office, but we usually wrap by 5:30 or 6:00 these days. Then I go home to Laura, pour a glass of wine, and we usually make dinner together. We try to eat at the dining table with no distractions and really try to focus in on one another and reconnect at the end of the day.

Since leaving CAO, who have you confided in within the industry, as you’ve made decisions about your future?
That really is a short list of people; they know who they are and I prefer to keep it that way.

What advice have you been given during this interim?
To be honest, there hasn’t really been a whole lot of advice coming my way. I’ve just always maintained that God has a plan for me (for all of us) and that the right opportunity would present itself when it’s supposed to, where it’s supposed to, and how it’s supposed to.

Your time at CAO marked a time of innovation and forward thinking. How will you carry this into your next venture?
I don’t think you can sit down one day and say, “I’m going to be innovative.” I believe innovation comes from within and it’s a result of what’s inside of you and how much it needs to get outside of you; you’re just there to enable the process. It’s kind of like if you have to say that you’re “cool” (a word I abhor, by the way), then you’re probably not.

You’ve known and been friends with Pete Johnson for close to 15 years. Many speculated that you’d partner with Tatuaje. Did you consider it?
Yeah, I met Pete at my first RTDA show in Cincinnati back in 1996, and we’ve been friends since. It’s no secret to Pete or anyone else in the industry that I’m a big fan of what he’s done since he came onto the scene with Tatuaje in 2003. I respect not only what he’s done with Tatuaje, but also that he’s maintained his integrity while doing so. Did I consider working with Tatuaje? Not really. I don’t think there’s anything I could bring to the table there that Pete’s not already capable of doing himself. Would I consider working with Pete, though? That’s an entirely different question.

The New Company – Crowned Heads

So, can you tell us about this office you’ve been going to, and this team you’ve been working with?
We’ve formed a brand new company called “Crowned Heads.” Currently, the company is comprised of Mike Conder (former CAO Sr. VP of Marketing), Michael Trebing (former CAO Creative Media Manager), Nancy Heathman (former CAO Graphic Designer), and myself. Just to clarify, Crowned Heads is only the company name and not a cigar brand name. We have the privilege of being able to take our time with each detail and aspect of the company and are not rushing any new releases just for the sake of ‘getting it out there’ on the retail shelf. Crowned Heads will remain meticulously focused upon attention to detail, excellent quality, and unmatched customer service. Let’s just say that we learned a lot while working at CAO; we now know what we did right and what we would do differently if given a second chance. Well, Crowned Heads is that second chance.

What is your title and what will your primary responsibilities be with Crowned Heads?
There aren’t any titles at Crowned Heads. I just spent the last few years of my career under corporate stranglehold and want to be as free and away from that sort of structure as possible; it was entirely too confining and restrictive. The bones of Crowned Heads is more like a band; everyone has a function and plays an instrument and we don’t need a title or a card to tell us who we are or what needs to be done. I suppose you could say that my role or function would be most akin to being the lead singer. That said, every singer needs a solid bass line, a consistent drummer to hold a backbeat, a lead guitarist, keys, etc. It’s the one sound that all those instruments make together that is important.

How did this all come about?
I learned a great deal from the experience that was the “merger” between ST Group and Swedish Match (General Cigar). I learned that people’s true character really becomes evident in times of crisis and challenge. I saw a lot of people part ways with their integrity just so they could keep a paycheck. I witnessed a lot of ugly, dark behavior. On the other hand, I saw some people rise above it all and take the higher road. I’m fortunate enough to be working today with some of those people that took that higher road.

What will be your first step for Crowned Heads?
The first step is to actually let people know that “the band is back in the studio.” I can’t tell you right now what the album will be titled, but I can tell you it will NOT be called “CAO 2.0.” What will be unique about Crowned Heads is that we are going to invite people to watch each step of the process along the way. Through our website and social media, we are going to pull the curtain back and invite people backstage for a firsthand look at what is involved in putting together a premium cigar company from the ground floor up.

We want people to jump in this with us; watch us scope out potential manufacturers in Nicaragua, read about the inside creative battles and challenges, hear about our plans before they happen. We will even invite some people to “test drive” some prototype blends and help us decide if they should be the first or a future Crowned Head brand. I want people to feel an ownership on some level of Crowned Heads. As time goes on, we will further and further define and shape the Crowned Heads culture, and we want to invite people to live in our world for a minute or two, enjoy our products, and most importantly, enjoy themselves.

And Crowned Heads will be based in Nashville?
Absolutely. We wouldn’t go anywhere else; this is where our heart and soul live.

How did you decide on the name?
I’ve been intrigued with the “Wizard of Oz” and was watching the movie at home on an iPad one afternoon. There’s a scene when the movie is still in sepia tone (before it goes to full color) where Dorothy meets Professor Marvel. On the side of his caravan are the words, “The Crowned Heads of Europe….Past – Present – Future.” For some reason that image just stayed with me. I paused the movie and took a picture of that image on my iPad with my phone. The name ‘Crowned Heads’ just had a certain imagery that struck a chord with everyone that I ran it by.

Many considered you to be “lead singer” of CAO, so this will be an easy fit I’m sure.
Well, thank you for that, I suppose. But the same can be said of CAO in that at one time it was more about the collective team and how everyone came together to create one sound. It’s just sad that the new ‘band management’ seems to be more about putting out elevator muzak as opposed to anything that has a soul.

You mentioned there is no real rush to push a cigar onto the market – do you expect to release something in 2011?
That’s the goal; however, we’re not going to just haphazardly ‘throw a blend together’ so that we can go stand in front of a 20′ pop-up screen in Vegas this summer. We’re going to let the right tobaccos and the right blend lead the carriage, not the other way around.

Any plans to display at IPCPR?
At this time, I can’t really say one way or another.

When can we expect a website and an invitation to witness this new journey?
That should happen towards the beginning of March, if not sooner.

The marketing approach seems to be very consumer focused, allowing us smokers to be a part of the process – this almost sounds like a reality show! Jon, are you secretly a fan of American Idol and The Bachelor!?
The approach is consumer-focused–as it should be. I want to be accessible to the people that will be supporting our brand and, hopefully, enjoying our cigars. For the record, I’ve never watched either of those shows and I think that, for the most part, network television is a waste of time.

Ok, I have to ask this, in jest – when should we expect to see your new Crowned Heads tattoo!?
Congratulations on being the first of probably 2 dozen different people that are going to ask me that same question in the next few weeks.

And lastly, are you hiring!!!??? I’m a terrible shipping manager, if that helps!
Ha! Love it…THAT was clever. Bravo.

Thanks for joining us Jon!
Anytime.

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