Home Town Company Now
Is International Firm
RJR acquires a new president; and
he acquires some overseas responsi¬
bilities.
By HAROLD LLLISON
Ale» Gallowoy. president o* R. J. Reynolds
Toboceo Co.— < Photo b* Bill Roy.'
Alexander Henderson (Alex) Gal¬
loway has been president of R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co. since last June
21. But only recently — the latter part
of October and the first week of No¬
vember — did he get around to visit¬
ing some cigarette factories in his com¬
pany's tobacco empire. And in doing
so. he shattered traditions.
Ever since 1875 when the late
Richard J. Reynolds began to manu¬
facture plug tobacco in a little red
factory in Winston-Salem, the com¬
pany has concentrated all its manufac¬
turing operations in that city. There
are Reynolds leaf processing plants in
other places, but the company has
made all of its tobacco products —
plug, smoking and cigarettes — in
Winston-Salem. It is one of the few
of the nation’s billion dollar corpora¬
tions, if not the only one. that has so
concentrated its manufacturing activi¬
ties in one community.
On March 29, Bowman Gray,
chairman of Reynolds’ board of direc¬
tors, announced a subsidiary of the
company had acquired a 51 per cent
interest in the German firm of Haus
Neuerburg K. G. for $10,200,000 in
cash. With main offices in Cologne.
Haus Neuerburg operates cigarette
factories at Trier, Baden-Baden and
West Berlin.
And it was those plants in Germany
that Galloway spent three weeks in
visiting.
He discovered the Germans possess
traits of North Carolinians. "They arc
industrious and friendly." he says.
"The factories operate efficiently, and
they are as clean as any I've ever
seen.”
The filter and non-filter cigarettes
manufactured by Haus Neuerburg
have such brand names as Guidering.
Mercedes. Overstolz and Batschari.
Whether or not the German plants will
ever produce Camels. Winstons and
Salcms is a matter of speculation in
some quarters.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. pur¬
chased its German interests in antici¬
pation of sharing in West Germany's
booming economy and also gaining ac¬
cess to the European Common Mar¬
ket.
Galloway, the head of this now in¬
ternational firm, was born in Winston-
Salem Dec. 27, 1907. His parents,
both deceased, were Alexander H.
Galloway and Mrs. Mamie Gray Gal¬
loway. His father was in the insurance
business. His mother was the sister of
two former presidents of Reynolds To¬
bacco Co., the late Bowman Gray, Sr.,
and the late James A. Gray. Sr.
Galloway is a graduate of Woodbcrry
Forest and the University of North
Carolina. At Carolina, as a member of
the Class of 1929, he was elected to
membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He is a
member of Beta Theta Pi social fra¬
ternity.
Shortly after graduation from Caro¬
lina. he began work as a clerk in the
accounting department in the old red
Reynolds office building at Fifth and
Main streets. About three months later
he moved into the newly completed
22-story Reynolds Office Building at
Fourth and Main streets. He has re¬
mained there ever since.
Finance has been Galloway’s chief
field of activity with Reynolds. He
was made assistant treasurer in 1937,
promoted to treasurer and elected to
the board of directors in 1951, and
named a vice-president in 1955. In
April. 1959, he gave up the post as
treasurer and was designated the com¬
pany’s chief financial officer, with re¬
sponsibility for the treasurer's and
comptroller’s offices and the account¬
ing department. Continuing as chief
financial officer, he was elected an
executive vice-president in October.
1959.
A career in finance has not soured
Galloway's disposition. "He is very
affable, and he has an excellent sense
of humor." his associates say.
Once a good tennis player and
swimmer, he now finds his recreation
on the golf course.
After occupying the president's
chair for several months. Galloway
says he did not find the transition
very difficult — “thanks to Reynolds’
team management system."
Executives become as familiar as
THE STATE. January 7. 1961
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