TU SPONSORS

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Sponsors which have made the free educational, certification, and professional services of Tobacconist University (TU) possible. Our efforts to "Preserve Luxury Tobacco for Generations to Come" would not be possible without the intellectual and monetary contributions of our Sponsors. We are particularly proud of our no-advertising policy and open-source Academic Curriculum which ensures an unbiased, thorough, dynamic, and democratic learning institution.

Ironically, I am the only Tobacconist University Sponsor at the moment. Ironically, I have been sooooo busy over the last 4 years of development that I have barely leveraged TU assets for my retail company A Little Taste of Cuba (ALTOC); except for Certifying every Tobacconist. In the future ALTOC will have the entire TU website co-branded with our logo at the top left hand corner of every TU page. TU will be hot-linked to the ALTOC website (http://www.cubacigar.com/ , which I have also neglected) with quick-links to the FAQ, HOW-TO, Glossary, and Campus pages. All of this in an effort to provide our retail customers with the most value-added services possible. And always striving to enhance customers' product, industry, and Tobacconist appreciation.

But as they say, that is neither here nor there.... I really just wanted an excuse to show off the new Sponsor Logo. I will not use this for ALTOC because we are currently putting together our family of Founding Sponsors; they will be a distinguished group of vertically integrated companies. This is a slow process and we are at various stages with several extraordinary companies. Over the next two weeks the final batch of Sponsor Proposals will go out and then we will wait and see what the future holds.

Ultimately, this Sponsor Logo will be a Badge of Honor for those companies extraordinary enough to use it. The TU Sponsor Logo will be absolute proof that these companies are committed to Brick & Mortar Tobacconists, consumers, and our precious industry. Fortunately, we can accomplish a lot with very little; annual Sponsorship will cost less than a one page ad in Cigar Aficionado. By providing the free educational services and committing to higher standards we will usher in a new age of Credibility for this besmirched and maligned industry. Cigar & Pipe makers deserve a great deal more respect than they are currently getting; as do retail Tobacconists, since we are their ambassadors and the final point of contact for passionate consumers.

I hope you like the Sponsor Logo: it is a symbol for companies who 'walk the talk'. In the future, if you see a company using it to show their pride, you will know they are truly committed to their consumers and Tobacconists!