The RJR Headquarters building (back left) in Winston Salem, NC was built prior to the Empire State Building, which was designed by the same architect.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR), based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and founded by Richard Joshua Reynolds in 1874, is the second-largest tobacco company in the U.S. (behind Altria Group). RJR is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. Image File history File linksMetadata DTWS.jpg Summary Source URL: http://skyscraperpage. ... Image File history File linksMetadata DTWS.jpg Summary Source URL: http://skyscraperpage. ... Winston-Salem is a city located in Forsyth County, North Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Richard Joshua R.J. Reynolds (1850-1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Altria Group, Inc. ... Reynolds American, Inc. ...

Recent history

In 1987, a bidding war ensued between several financial firms to acquire RJR Nabisco. Finally, the private equity takeover firm, Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts & Co (commonly referred to as KKR) was responsible for the 1988 leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco. This was documented in several articles in The Wall Street Journal by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. These articles were later used as the basis of a bestselling book, Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco, and then into a made-for-TV film. As a result, in February 1989, RJR Nabisco paid executive F. Ross Johnson US$53,800,000 as part of a golden handshake clause, the largest such deal in history at the time, as severance compensation for his acceptance of the KKR takeover. He used the money to open his own investment firm, RJM Group, Inc. Private equity is a broad term that refers to any type of equity investment in an asset in which the equity is not freely tradable on a public stock market. ... Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (commonly referred to as KKR) is a New York City-based private equity firm that focuses primarily on late stage leveraged buyouts. ... The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an influential international daily newspaper published in New York City, New York with a worldwide average daily circulation of more than 2. ... Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco (ISBN 0060161728) is a book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, about the leveraged buyout (LBO) of RJR Nabisco. ... Barbarians at the Gate is a made-for-TV movie based upon the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, about the leveraged buyout (LBO) of RJR Nabisco. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... F. Ross Johnson was the former chief executive of RJR Nabisco. ... A golden handshake or golden parachute is a clause in an executive employment contract that provides the executive with a significant severance package in the case that the executive loses their job through firing, restructuring, or even scheduled retirement. ...

In 1998 the company was part of the Master Settlement Agreement. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was an agreement between the largest tobacco companies and 46 U.S. States reached in 1998. ...

In October 2002, the European Union accused R.J. Reynolds of selling black market cigarettes to drug traffickers and mobsters from Italy, Russia, Colombia and the Balkans. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

On July 30, 2004, R.J. Reynolds merged with the U.S. operations of British American Tobacco (operating under the name of Brown & Williamson). A new parent holding company, Reynolds American Inc., was established as part of the transaction. July 30 is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... British American Tobacco Plc (LSE: BATS, AMEX: BTI) (BTI on the American Stock Exchange) is the third largest cigarette company in the world. ... Brown & Williamson is an American tobacco company, which produces cigarette brands. ... Reynolds American, Inc. ...

Marketing, sponsorships and criticisms

They used to be the title sponsor of NHRA drag racing and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1972 to 2003. The National Hot Rod Association, known as the NHRA, was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 in the State of California to provide a governing body to organize and promote the sport of drag racing. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1987, RJR resurrected the mascot for their Camel brand of cigarette, Joe Camel. Joe Camel, a cartoon, anthropomorphic camel, was claimed to be a ploy to entice and interest the underaged in smoking. RJ Reynolds maintained that Joe's "smooth character" was meant only to appeal to adult smokers. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ...

This criticism was reinforced by a 1991 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association ^[1] showing that more children 5 and 6 years old could recognize Joe Camel than could recognize Mickey Mouse or Fred Flintstone, (the Fred Flintstone character was also once used to sell R.J. Reynolds cigarettes) and alleged that the Joe Camel ad campaign was targeting children, despite R.J. Reynolds' contention that the campaign had been researched only among adults and was directed only at the smokers of other brands. In response to this criticism, RJR instituted "Let's Clear the Air on Smoking," a campaign of full-page advertisements consisting entirely of large type text, which denied the charges and declared that smoking is "an adult custom". JAMA, published continuously since in 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal published 48 times per year. ... Mickey Mouse is an Academy Award-winning comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. ... Fred Flintstone. ...

In late 2005, R.J. Reynolds opened the Marshall McGearty Lounge in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago as part of a marketing strategy to promote a brand of "superpremium" cigarettes and counteract local smoking bans in restaurants and cafes that took effect in 2006. The lounge, which offers thirteen varieties of exclusive "hand-crafted" cigarette, along with alcohol and "light food", has been "well received" in the neighborhood and by the targeted upscale market, according to company officials. The company planned to open a second location in Winston-Salem in the summer of 2007, but scrapped those plans within weeks of opening, citing the increasing number of smoking restrictions in public places by state and local governments. ^[2] West Town is a community area located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ...

Brands

R.J. Reynolds brands include Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem, Doral, Eclipse, Export A and Pall Mall. Brands still manufactured but no longer receiving significant marketing support include Barclay, Belair, Capri, Carlton, GPC, Lucky Strike, Misty, Monarch, More, Now, Tareyton, Vantage, and Viceroy. The company also manufactures certain private-label brands. Five of the company's brands are among the top ten best selling cigarette brands in the United States, and it is estimated that one in three cigarettes sold in the country were manufactured by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. In 2006 R.J. Reynolds acquired the rights to the smokeless tobacco products Kodiak and Grizzly snuff. This acquisition added to their smokeless line which also includes Red Man Chew, the most popular brand of chewing tobacco in the United States. Camel is a brand of cigarettes introduced by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) in 1913. ... A pack of KOOL Milds and a cigarette. ... Winston - outdoor advertising. ... Salem is brand of cigarettes introduced in 1956 by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as the first filter-tipped menthol cigarette. ... Doral is a savings brand cigarette introduced in 1969 from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. ... Packs and cartons of Eclipse cigarettes. ... The RJR Headquarters building (back left) in Winston Salem, NC was built prior to the Empire State Building, which was designed by the same architect. ... Pall Mall cigarettes are a brand of cigarettes produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and internationally by British American Tobacco at multiple sites. ... Capri is a brand of cigarette manufactured by Brown and Williamson. ... , see Lucky Strike (CSI episode). ... Tareyton is a brand of cigarettes manufactured by the American Tobacco Company. ...

Facilities

The company's headquarters are located in the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem. Built in 1929, the 20-story building was built by the same architects (Joshua Edwards and Chad Edwards) who later designed the Empire State Building in New York City. An architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person who is involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... The Empire State Building in New York The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York, NY. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

R.J. Reynolds' largest plant, Tobaccoville, a 2 million square foot (190,000 m²) facility constructed in 1986, is located in the town of Tobaccoville, North Carolina near Winston-Salem.

The company's Whitaker Park plant, located in Winston-Salem, was built in 1961 and is about 1 million square feet (90,000 m²).

Macon manufacturing, located in Macon, Ga., resides in a 1.4 million square foot (130,000 m²) facility built in 1974.

The company also has tobacco-sheet manufacturing operations in Chester, Va., and Winston-Salem; leaf operations in Wilson, N.C.; tobacco-storage facilities in Blacksburg, S.C. and Richmond, Va.; and a significant research-and-development facility in Winston-Salem.

Among these facilities, R.J. Reynolds employs approximately 6,800 people.

R.J. Reynolds' subsidiary R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Foreign Sales Corporation is established in the British Virgin Islands to optimize its tax liability.

References

The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina. ...

External links

• Official site