Cigarette Company ownership since 1969
 

I was trying to find out who owned Cig and for what years. Didn't Don Aronow sell and buy it back once or twice? All I know is Don Aronow owned it from 1969 - ?. He owned it at the time of his death in 1987 correct?

1987 - 2002 - who owned it?

2002 - 2021 - Skip Braver

2021 - current - New owners.

I read back in the day it was sold to Hawk Racing Engines for a short period of time then sold back to Don ?

Wikipedia says

"Once Aronow was able to formally open his new company, he started Cigarette Racing Team using his own designs in 1970. Having sold Cigarette for the last time in 1982 (after having sold it and purchasing it back in the late 1970s while merging it with his own Squadron Marine), he formed USA Racing Team and built the Blue Thunders, 39-foot catamarans used by the United States Customs Service to patrol U.S. waters"

Very confusing on who owned Cig and for what time frames. Seems like Don owned it from 1982 until his death in 1987...but what happened between 1987 and 2002? Also, what happened in the 70's?

A look at Cigarette Racing Team on sunbiz.org sheds some light I think...

Date Filed - 3/19/1970 - Voluntary Dissolution on 3/21/1983 - Owner Don Aronow
Date Filed - 3/15/1978 - Involuntary Dissolution on 12/14/1982 - Owner Halter Racing Boats, Inc - Harold Halter
Date Filed - 12/24/1980 - Voluntary Dissolution on 2/21/1983 - Owner Don Aronow
Date Filed - 5/21/2002 - Skip Braver
Date Filed - 6/4/1984 - Revoked for annual report on 9/22/2000 - Owner Jeffrey Friedman
Date Filed - 4/28/1984 - Admin dissolution for annual report on 9/16/2005 - Owner Penny Field

Come to think of it...wow is this confusing

I think the ownership was quite "messy" after Bob Gowens left in around 1993, but I think it goes a little something like this
1970-Mar 1978 Don Aronow
Mar 1978-1981 Halter Marine (Hal Halter)
1981-1982 Don Aronow
1982-1984 Integrated Resources along with Jerry Jacoby
1984-1994 Jeffrey ”Jeff” Friedman
1994-Jul 1997 Robert Torter
Jul 1997-1999 Exhale Holdings (Exhale Holdings bought Hawk Marine from Craig Barrie and Cigarette from Robert Torter)
1999-2002? Alchemy Holdings (Merger between Exhale and Alchemy)
2002-2021 Skip Braver
2021- Ophir Sternberg of Lionheart Capital and John H. Ruiz

That's a great run down!

I'm curious where the previous owners are now and what they're up to.

I believe the ownership between 1999-2002 was quite shady. Primary owner, Lou Johnson from Staten Island, NY, was/is member of the Lucchese family and Bobby Miller, a minority owner from Chicago, IL. The F.B.I. and the Justice Department focused on the company’s owners' criminality between 99-02.