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 firm in the global tobacco industry, and the second-largest U.S. firm (behind Philip Morris). RJR is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc.
The company's headquarters are located in the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem. Built in 1929, the 20-story building was the South's first skyscraper and later became the model for the Empire State Building in New York City.
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.
Between these facilities, R.J. Reynolds employs approximately 6,800 people.
Salem cigarettes were introduced in 1956 as the first filtered menthol cigarette. Salem eventually dominated the menthol cigarettes category -- becoming one of the world's best-selling brands. Today, Salem cigarettes remain one of the best-selling menthol brands in the United States. Salem stands apart from other menthol cigarettes with its imaginative "Stir the Senses" positioning, innovative packaging and distinctive product blends.
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