MANAGEMENT

Manny started his career right out of college as President and Founder of Governor’s Distributors,  a national B2B Tobacco Distribution Company which he built to nearly $20M in sales and successfully sold in 2010.

 

Manny Balani is the founder and President of Gotham Cigars, a national direct-to-consumer online retailer of Premium and Mass-Market cigars. Gotham Cigars offers a more convenient way for cigar connoisseurs to purchase their products and have them delivered to their door. Gotham Cigars has been recognized as a six-time Inc 5000 Honoree, as well as The Florida Business Journal’s Fast 100 as one of Florida’s Fastest Growing Companies.

 

In 2020 Manny Acquired A1 Supplements.com, an online vitamin and supplement retailer catering to the fitness industry. He is currently overseeing strategic opportunities and new product launches.

 

Organizational Involvement and Board Roles:

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Entrepreneurs Organization (Atlanta and South Florida)

Young Presidents Organization (YPO- Miami)

Boston University Alumni Group (South Florida)

Coaching Startup Companies at A.T.D.C.  - Advanced Technology Development Center

 

Manny is a graduate of the Inspiring Entrepreneurial Strategy Program at Harvard Business School, the Master’s Entrepreneurial Program at MIT, and has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Boston University.

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Kelly Michols

COO

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Kelly Michols is a dynamic business leader with over 25 years of senior executive experience developing world-class sales and marketing teams in start-up, scaled growth, and mature stages. Kelly began his career at Procter and Gamble learning to sell successfully and manage a sales organization for maximum results.

 

Since leaving P&G, Kelly has spent a career leading multiple companies in various Consumer Goods industries to commercial success including Rexall Sundown, MetRx, Pure Protein, Celsius, and Scandinavian Tobacco Group. At each stop, Kelly took a developing business that needed direction, or a struggling business that needed to be repaired, and turned each around by implementing effective sales strategies, teaching and developing people to execute the strategies, and celebrating success. His passion remains in helping businesses and sales organizations maximize success.