Rick Waples

Rick Waples has over 25 years of experience in various roles within the tobacco, e-liquid, and beverage industries. Rick has served as the National Director of Outside Sales at Phillips & King since 2022. Prior to that, they held positions such as Director of Retail Operations and Alternate Channels at Kretek International, Regional VP at KT&G USA, and Vice President of Sales at Boulder International Inc. Rick also worked at JTI as the Director of Sales for the central states and at PepsiCo - Pepsi Beverages Company as a Key Account Manager. Rick began their career at Altria, where they achieved the highest market share in their region as a Senior Account Manager.

Rick Waples has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Business/Telecommunications/Broadcasting/English, with a major in Business and a minor in English, from Arizona State University. Rick also pursued further education in Marketing/Brand Development Strategy at IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Switzerland. Additionally, Rick has obtained certificates in Achieving Leadership Success Through People and Leadership and Team Development from the American Management Association. No specific start or end dates are provided for their education history.