Mr. Wexler previously served as our President and CEO from June 2009 until his retirement in January 2022, and as President and Chief Operating Officer of North Atlantic Trading Company, Inc. (“NATC”), our primary operating subsidiary, since June 2006. Before June 2006, Mr. Wexler had been the Chief Operating Officer of NATC since June 2005, and before that, the President and Chief Operating Officer of one of our other subsidiaries beginning December 2003. Mr. Wexler was a consultant to a number of emerging marketing, communication and financial companies, advising them on financial, marketing and strategic matters, at times in an operating role from 1998 to 2003. From 1977 to 1998, he was employed by Philip Morris, USA in various positions in the Sales, Marketing and Finance Departments. As Group Director, Discount Brands, his group introduced the Basic and Alpine brands. He served as Senior Vice President of Marketing from 1992 to 1993 and Senior Vice President Finance, Planning and Information Services from 1993 until his departure in 1998. Mr. Wexler also serves as a strategic advisor to The Velour Group LLC, a Michigan-based boutique private equity firm engaged in the hands-on incubation of startups, including consumer goods, nutraceuticals, and cannabis. He is also on the advisory board of EDM Snacking, a consumer products company focused on tortilla chips. Mr. Wexler remains on the board of the Tobacco Merchants’ Association as Director Emeritus. Mr. Wexler holds a Bachelor of Science in administrative science from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.