You're probably here because you want to know a little more about us. Well, here you go! We're here to serve your pipe, pipe tobacco and cigar needs, so here's who's providing that service. We're proud to have a sophisticated, professional and knowledgeable staff and we're here to help you in any way that we can (well, with things tobacco related, at least; our quantum physics skills are frequently found wanting and our plumbing skills are nonexistent).
Below you'll find a (hopefully fairly current) list of everyone who works for Smokingpipes.com and what we all do here. To the left, that's our main building, which houses our store, Low Country Pipe & Cigar, plus some of our storeroom/warehouse space and most of our offices, which are on the second and third floors. We have a second, smaller, facility about a two hundred feet from the left end of the building (as oriented in the photo) that houses most of our warehouse space and our shipping and receiving staff, plus the customer service department. Anyway, poke around below and get to know us a little bit. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us (888 366 0345) or email us.
To know Sykes is to know that his interests lie primarily in pipes, technology, and...the 11th century Mediterranean? Born into an academic family, Sykes entered college assuming he would continue in that tradition. But life has a funny way of turning a history major from Vanderbilt expecting a career in academia, into a successful pipe retailer. During his freshman year of college in 1998, he was hired to work in a local tobacco shop. And thus began a love affair with tobacco and pipes that has not diminished across his years in the tobacco business. It was about this time that everyone thought that the internet would change everything and that company book values were measured in 'eyeballs', and Sykes saw an opportunity to combine his love of pipes and technology. He founded Smokingpipes.com in 2000 while he was still finishing up his degree, with the hopes that it could become a hub for pipe enthusiasts around the world to find high quality pipes. "Technology should augment the personal touch, not replace it" says Sykes, about almost everything (and occasionally entirely out of context during meetings, which is how we know he's been napping). He has experience in every capacity within the company, seeing as how he was the company in its infancy, but his main responsibilities include sales, vendor relations, overseeing finances and operations, coding, and making high level decisions about restaurants on business trips.
Having studied art and poetry at CalArts in Valencia, California, Ted admits freely that his initial impulse to pick up a pipe had more to do with cultivating his pretentiousness as a blossoming young artist than it had to with his desire to smoke fine tobacco. Fastforward ten years and Ted's thoughts on pipes and tobacco are as sober as his critique of conceptual art. After years in a local rock band in Stockton, California, and six years with Starbucks Coffee, Ted came into the company as Sales Manager. Presently, as General Manager, Ted supervises the various departments that compose Smokingpipes.com. This means he has a hand in estate restoration, purchasing, customer service, sales, shipping, photography, our bi-weekly update, and our brick & mortar store. He’s a pretty busy guy anymore.
If one were to idly wander through the Smokingpipes offices, your first impression of Lisa might simply be that of a quiet, diminutive, friendly lady sitting behind a contrastingly large desk. The reality is that she sits behind that large desk because she is the rock of Smokingpipes - while Sykes is brainstorming with Tommy or Ted, or trotting off overseas to meet with pipemakers and work out some crazy deal, Lisa's the one making sure we have things like electricity, shelter, fresh coffee beans by the sack-full, and paychecks.
Originally from Reading, PA, Lisa relocated to South Carolina on account of her love of the beach, and ascended to her current senior position (rather literally) from being manager of our first-floor brick & mortar pipe and cigar shop, Low Country Pipe and Tobacco.
Aside from her official duties as the Smokingpipes matriarch, Lisa also serves as our resident expert on all matter Disney-related, as evidenced by the hefty dream-vacation itinerary she provided Adam with when he took his wife to Disneyworld. (And which turned out, by all accounts indeed, to be a rousing success.)
After more than seven years of direct involvement in Laudisi Enterprises, and as VP of Sales for four years, Tony left at the end of 2009 to continue to pursue his 'education' in Atlanta, GA. Forgive us for being skeptical, but having received his reports of the co-ed population of Atlanta, we're now expecting his thesis to be entitled "The Biological Implications of Postmodern Anthropological Rituals in Atlanta, GA: A Case Study". Tony managed day-to-day operations at Smokingpipes.com for two years, so we're constantly finding ourselves calling to ask questions, mostly beginning 'where the ____ is...'. He's also involved in strategic planning for the company, and joins us for major company events, such as the Chicago Pipe Show.
Tommy is the newest addition to the Operations staff at Smokingpipes.com. Brought on board to help manage the ever growing network infrastructure and massive database queries that run the backend of the Smokingpipes.com website. Tommy is originally from Charleston, SC only recently moving to the Little River area to be closer to the office. He has a vast background in IT from building massive networks, writing advanced web applications, optimizing/fixing queries (like the ones Sykes wrote), and of course dealing with the day to day horrors of computer world.
Susan serves many roles within the company. Most importantly (and the easiest to define for these purposes) is the role of Purchasing Manager. Susan gets to use the company credit card to ensure we are always well stocked with tobacco, cigars and smoking accessories. This entails working closely with vendors, keeping on top of industry and sales trends and predicting the future (she even has her very own crystal ball). To say she is native to Myrtle Beach would be a massive understatement, as her family has been in the area since the mid-1700s.
Chuck is the son of a United States Marine Corps Sergeant Major and former Drill Instructor - which, he assures us, did indeed make for a colorful boyhood. Upon reaching adulthood, or at least a close approximation to it, he himself enlisted in the Marines "despite my knowledge of that organization", as he tells it. Having eventually survived that youthful indiscretion, he later embarked upon a career in telecommunications, starting out as a technician, and retiring forty years later as a senior application engineer. Upon retirement, his initial plans were to settle down in the North Myrtle Beach area and enjoy himself by, for once, doing nothing. As novel as this experience may have been for Chuck, he soon realized there was a reason he hadn't done it before - and promptly came to us, hoping we would give him something to do. And so we have, utilizing his "limitless creative talents" (as he modestly describes them) as the all-purpose office go-fer, and, by unanimous decision, our Master Coffeemaker.
Originally from Mississippi, John found his way to South Carolina by way of his education; first receiving a bachelors in Fine Art/Photography from Delta State and then his masters at Clemson. Finally realizing that he was born a pipe smoker (who knew?) during his first week of employment, John feels complete now that he has the outlet to nuture his newfound hobby. John is a movie buff, a cat person and a mediocre juggler. He also loves the taste of burnt cheese.
Photo Editor & Winner of best Smokingpipes.com Beard Award
A graduate of Atlanta's Oglethorpe University, Chris Johnson relocated to the Myrtle Beach area with his wife, Katy, and their little daughter, Maeve, shortly before joining the Smokingpipes.com team, and has since become quite the budding pipe enthusiast. This latest pursuit joins his already long-running interests in surfing and the art of aquascaping. What's more, he's also followed in another great Smokingpipes.com employee tradition: Conspicuous beard-growing.
"One of my earliest memories is of my grandfather and his cherry pipe tobacco while I played with the push-button light switches in his old house," Linda tells us. And somewhere between then and her coming to work for Smokingpipes.com, she's been a lifeguard on Lake Erie (winning an award in the Lifeguard Olympics for, as she put it, "saving a brick"), earned a degree in graphic design from Kent State, been an au pair in Austria, worked in the printing industry, married a (formerly, her) college professor, raised a daughter, become a fourth-generation member of the American Skol, a Czech cultural/gymnastic organization, and even been a competitive gymnast herself up into her forties.
She lists her loves as coffee, travel (picked up during the three months of her childhood spent roaming Europe while living out of a VW van), the ocean, and South Carolina's remarkably blue skies - the latter two of which have lured her back here time and again, until she finally decided to make matters easier by simply not leaving.
Until mid-2011, Alyson was manager of the combined Merchandizing and Marketing departments. She has since cut back her responsibilities to go back to school and pursue other things, but continues to do some design work, video editing and the like for Smokingpipes.com. Although she has lived in South Carolina since 2002 (leaving behind New Jersey), she refuses to eat grits or say "y'all". She is a self-diagnosed ailurophile, but we secretly think she's just building a cat army. (Alyson, you shouldn't leave your "literature" in the copier.)
Pam comes to Smokingpipes.com by way of Las Vegas. While in Vegas, she spent almost 25 years in the gaming and hospitality industry, overseeing various departments. She moved to Myrtle Beach in 2007 to be closer to the beach (and also to her children). Pam's infectious optimism, positive attitude and high energy level is spread around the office while she flits about the second floor getting pipes ready for the update. She also makes sure all of those pipes get pushed up onto the website and compiles the newsletter that we send out twice a week. Pam is a big fan of cooking, wine festivals, her cat "Boots" and also enjoys poking fun at the cacophony of Eric's musical preferences.
Forgive the cliche', but Adam's passion for pipes definitely goes to 11. And you realize that when you ask him a question about pipe bits and his twenty minute answer doesn't include a comma or a breath. Adam's duties here include, but are not limited to, inspecting all new and estate pipes for drilling, fit and finish, construction, and cosmetic issues. He also enjoys writing weekly condition statements along with pipe descriptions, mainly estates. He is, to put it mildly, meticulous in his research and would rather quit smoking a pipe than sell something below quality to a fellow smoker. Adam is also a celebrated pipe maker, creating and crafting some of our more sought after pipes. He is an industrial design graduate of Purdue University, and has designed pieces such as office products, furniture and cars. Adam's future in pipes was cemented when, as a young child, he refused to watch Frosty the Snowman because he couldn't fathom why a snowman with a magic hat would choose a corncob pipe over a patent sandblast.
A former Firefighter, EMT and Mainer, Cassidy left the New England winters in exchange for the sunny shores of South Carolina in 2009... and she hasn't looked back since. Working as Pam's right hand woman in the merchandising department, she has found that slinging boxes of pipes is a breeze compared to slinging a fire hose. In her spare time Cassidy enjoys the finer things in life, such as wine and music and can often be heard singing while she works.
Eric's humble beginnings with smokingpipes.com started with data entry where his love of pipes grew and eventually merged with his creative writing talent. He now describes about 75% of the pipes and smoking accessories that go up on the website every week. Eric is another member of our New Jersey faction, and is a fan of smoking a latakia, cheap cigars and silence. In his own words, "Animals adore me, women giggle schoolgirlishly at me, and men want to know what I could have possibly been thinking."
Kaye comes to us with extensive experience within the customer service industry. Throughout her 27 years of customer service experience, she served 13 years in the Air Force, worked within the restaurant and hospitality industry, and spent her last eight years as a customer service representative and sales coordinator for a newspaper company. Born in Virginia, Kaye moved to South Carolina in 1977. Basically, she'll do anything to be outside; yes, even yard work. And in what may be the greatest example of yin and yang, she owns both a poodle and a Harley.
customer service liaison & Dave Grohl Doppelganger
Comments? Questions? Straightforward, hardcore, no nonsense customer service? Mark's your guy. His mission is to ensure your experience with Smokingpipes.com makes you want to have another experience with Smokingpipes.com. His genial manner and positive attitude are infectious around the office (which is a great change of pace in this era of bird and swine flu). Mark is yet another member of the New Jersey faction, but we don't hold that against him. He's a cat person by nature, and despite being friends with Alyson, refuses to let her pass out her "literature" to his feline companions.
Leila is the latest edition to our Customer Service/Sales Force. She arrived in South Carolina in 2010 via the Slow Boat from... Lake Huron? That's right; she and her husband traveled 32 days by boat to escape the snow of Lake Huron and bask in the sun of the South Carolina coastline. She and her husband also live on their boat and share it with their pampered dog Radar. Leila has a degree in computer applications and has worked in various customer service positions for 15 years. She enjoys spending her free time spoiling her dog, reading, fishing, and (duh!) boating.
Ryota is our man in Tokyo. He handles customer service for our Japanese customers, providing the same service in Japanese that we offer in English from our main offices in South Carolina. An avid pipe man, Ryota fell in love with pipes while attending Keio University in Tokyo. Since then, he's become involved in pipe clubs and shows in Japan. We first met him at the Chicago Pipe Show in 2011 and he joined the team at the beginning of 2012. A California native, Ryota relocated to Japan to attend college, and now resides there helping to bridge the gap between Smokingpipes.com and its Japanese customers and suppliers.
Bill works in our estate department cleaning pipes and arguing about sports with Tom on the third floor (Those in the offices below them swear that the occasional wrestling match takes place). Bill moved to South Carolina from (you guessed it!) New Jersey in search of a warmer climate that would allow him to get more use out of his motorcycle. He is a certified welder and previously worked in sales, primarily brokering mortgages. Bill took the job with smokingpipes.com to get the employee discount on Tatuaje cigars.
Tom refurbishishes and restores estate pipes, an invaluable task for Smokingpipes.com. Tom ensures each estate pipe is restored to the best condition possible, preserving the beauty and functionality of these classics for future pipe smokers to enjoy. Tom took the usual route of most pipe restorers, getting a B.S. in Aeronautical Science and then spending 25 years as a commercial airline pilot. He grew up in Virginia and has spent the past 20 years in North Carolina. Before coming to work for us, he was a customer. In fact, we pay him in Dunhill Patents.
Aside from her duties as head of the shipping department, Janice is enjoying her introduction to the world of pipes, cigars and tobacco. After serving as a retail sales associate within our store, Janice now fulfills the duties of shipping supervisor, where she oversees the process by which all of your orders get to you in a timely manner. She and her husband came to the beach from the northern Chicago suburbs, preferring to experience snow through the magic of television.
Order Coordinator & Winner of "Heaviest South Carolina Accent" Competition
Jennifer works between our store and the shipping department gathering pipes and weighing bulk tobacco to fill orders. She is origionally from Atlanta, Georgia and was lured to the area in 2006 by her love of the beach. Jennifer enjoys anything that involves getting outdoors including camping, fishing and gardening. She is also a big fan of sports, especially Yankees baseball and she adores animals.
Originally from Albany, NY, Wayne moved to Myrtle Beach in October of 2011 to be closer to his family, as well as to enjoy the improved climate the South Carolina shores offer. Wayne is a huge fan of boxing, and also thoroughly enjoys camping and fishing. Actually, to say he is a "fishing enthusiast" is putting it lightly - much as many of us keep separate briars at hand, specialized for English or aromatic blends, Wayne is rumored to carry no less than two different fishing poles in his car at all times.
Shipping & Receiving Associate & Katie the Riveter
Katie works in the shipping department to ensuring that your pipes, cigars, tobacco and accessories get packed up and shipped out right and on time... every time. The most recent addition to our Jersey faction, Katie moved to South Carolina with her family when she was just two years old.
Bill has been living in the Low Country for 27 years which makes him the closest thing to a "local" that we have. Originally from Ohio, Bill has a Bachelor's degree in Business and over 16 years retail experience. A frequent cigar smoker, Bill also owned a beachfront bar for four years (we figured if he could handle that riff raff he would have no problem with the crowd that frequents our store.) Bill's pride and joy are his wife of 25 years, his two children and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Kelly spends his days assisting customers in our store. His love of cigars brought him to seek employment within our retail store, leaving behind a life of land development and construction management. He's a fan of reading, running, cooking, and his two young daughters, Maggie and Sarah. And when time permits, a second cigar.
Originally from Philly, Vinny moved to South Carolina a year ago after retiring from 44 years in sales with his lovely wife Linda. However, it didn't take long for the boredom to set it in. When cutting the lawn with scissors lost its appeal he began spending more and more time in our lounge and as things have it, we were hiring. A knowledgeable cigar smoker and friendly personality make Vinny the perfect person to help our customers pick out the best smokes.
Dave, who is 58, relocated to Little River with his wife Patty from the ski resort area just southeast of Pittsburgh, PA in 1995, following an experience with a defective snow shovel which he chose to interpret as a "divine omen" to seek warmer climes.
Dave has many years experience in industrial machinery and heavy mechanics, stretching back to his first job at WABCO in 1971. In 1987 he thought he would try his hand at a Mack Truck distributor because they were smaller than trains, and they let him drive them. When he saw an ad for a job at a "pipe shop" in May of 2011, he admits he didn’t realize the kind of pipes they meant until he got to the store. They took a big chance and hired him anyway, and Dave now enjoys the easy life, smoking his briar at work and talking to customers. He is very happy that most of these pipes only weigh a few ounces and enjoys “picking” orders for website customers from all over the world. He's even taken to using his motorcycle to shuttle items from the warehouse for our "brick & mortar" customers.
As a personal goal, Dave has set out to make sure he samples each of the vast number of pipe tobaccos the store has available as part of his “bucket list”. Of course, that will no doubt take many, many years, as the shop’s tobacco inventory is quite extensive and new products are coming in all the time. When you visit Low Country, be sure to ask Dave what he thinks you should try. He guarantees you’ll like his suggestions.
Aside from his official (and semi-official) duties, Dave is also a member of the “Low Country Pipe and Cigar” Pipe Club and has a great time at the club meetings arranged by Gene DiStefano.
Hours of Operation:
Our website is always open and you can place an order at any time. Phone/office hours are 9am-7pm US/Eastern (GMT -5:00) Monday-Friday and 10am-5pm US/Eastern (GMT -5:00) on Saturdays. Our Little River, SC showroom is open 10am-7pm US/Eastern (GMT -5:00) Monday-Saturday. We are closed on Sundays.
We reserve the right to verify delivery to cardholder via UPS. You must be 18 years or older to make any selections on this site - by doing so, you are confirming that you are of legal age to purchase tobacco products or smoking accessories. We will deny any order we believe has been placed by a minor.
WARNING: Smokingpipes.com does not sell tobacco or tobacco related products to anyone under the age of 18, nor do we sell cigarettes.WARNING:Products on this site contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
