Meet The Team

Home | The Team

Here at Cornell & Diehl, we believe a personal touch is the key to crafting the highest-quality boutique pipe tobacco blends. Our team is small, tight-knit, and dedicated to the craft of artisanal blending. From stripping raw leaf to applying labels designed by our in-house artists, nearly every step of our production is executed by hand. What machinery we do use dates to the '20s and '40s and requires skill, experience, and mechanical aptitude to correctly operate. Our staff embodies the innovative spirit of Cornell and Diehl, contributing daily — as a team — to the advancement of the science and satisfaction of pipe smoking worldwide. The people of Cornell and Diehl are the soul of our entire organization; by knowing who we are, you'll understand more about the products of our passion, expertise, and dedication to the craft.

Jeremy Reeves

Director, Head Blender

A pipe smoker for over a decade, Jeremy is as passionate about pipes, pipe tobacco, and blending tobacco as a man can be. His experience as a tobacco shop manager, as well as a wood-fire pizza chef, give him unique insight into running a boutique blending operation like Cornell & Diehl, where he is the Director and Head Blender. When he isn't running the factory he enjoys the outdoors, particularly camping and hiking. He's an "adventurous eater," and has an expressed love for trying new things and attempting to recreate them in his kitchen at home, which is another reason he's such a great fit at C&D. Born in Portales, New Mexico, Jeremy is a bit of a rolling stone. He has called Chicago, Denver, Cleveland, and Portland home, before moving to South Carolina, where we hope he will stay.

Crystal Harrelson

Facilities Coordinator

Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Crystal came to South Carolina a while back, and is currently our Facilities Coordinator at Cornell & Diehl. Using her past experience in inventory coordination and receiving, Crystal ensures our shelves are always stocked, schedules preventative maintenance, and assists with various administrative duties to keep things running smoothly at all times. A consummate DIY-er, when she's not at work, you can find her neck-deep in quilting supplies or out with her grandchildren feeding the fish in her backyard.

Bretton Otto

Industrial Mechanic

Bretton, or just "B," came to Myrtle Beach by way of Maryland, and has since married the love of his life. He wears many hats, given the nature of his role, with current responsibilities including machine maintenance, machine design, and prototyping new machines, as well as automation and modifications of older equipment. He is an innovative thinker and is constantly finding new ways to improve processes with the right tools. Aside from his mechanical wizardry, Bretton is also incredibly kind. A relaxed, pleasant, and goofy person to be around in and out of work, you'll find him tinkering with whatever needs fixing, flying stunt kites, and pretending to be a tourist in the Myrtle Beach area — assuming he and his wife haven't set off camping.

Jennifer Murray

Production Supervisor

If gaining the ability to fly like a bird is out of the question, then Jen has discovered the next best thing behind the handlebars of her Harley Davidson. In fact, motorcycling is a passion that has allowed her to see our vast country on two wheels, having traveled to a whopping 48 states via the open road with her partner Randy. Originally from Lancaster, PA, Jen started as a Blending Associate and is now our Production Supervisor at C&D.

She is an intrepid adventurer who enjoys the RV lifestyle, pursuing life with a spirit of courage, and proactively challenging herself to face her fears. When not chasing her love for the open road or giving her all to her professional goals, Jen can most likely be found spending time with her Pitbull rescue, Tobias, or enjoying her favorite rock-n-roll and blues artists. Jen now lives in the warm and snow-free environment of South Carolina, where she has happily retired her snow shovel.

Heather Uribe

Packaging Supervisor

Heather discovered Laudisi while working at the gas station adjacent to our main headquarters, watching for any available openings to apply for. An opportunity arose, and we're thrilled to have her aboard. She is now the Packaging Supervisor at C&D. Originally from upstate New York, she currently lives in Loris, South Carolina, has been married to husband Emiliano for 15+ years, and is the proud mother of three boys: Miguel, Crispin, and Nikolas. Valuing honesty, hard work, and integrity, Heather describes herself as a passionate, positive, and helpful person with a very big heart.

Outside of work, Heather loves to read books, go fishing, watch football (she's a hardcore Tennessee Titans fan), spend time with her family outdoors, and ride motorcycles. A bird lover, she has two Green-Cheeked Conures and six parakeets, and often fosters others from the animal shelter.

Richard Horger

Blending Associate

Richard was born in Germany but spent most of his life living in Ohio and cheering for the Buckeyes before finding his way to Myrtle Beach. Describing himself as kind, hard-working, and adventurous, he brought his work ethic to Laudisi in early 2021, working as a Production Associate for Cornell & Diehl. He is now a Blending Associate for C&D. He enjoys doing home improvement projects, fishing, spending time with family, and hanging out with his Cattle Dog named Bolt. When he’s not busy at work tinning tobacco and readying your favorite C&D blends, Richard is always on the prowl for some good standup comedy.

Coby Bryan

Blending Assistant

Adventurous, eccentric, and fun, Coby is the latest addition to C&D's Blending team as a new blending associate. Hailing from Maryland, he joins the team having been a customer of ours for years. Coby brings with him a passion for the tobacco industry and has a great deal of personal experience with C&D's robust portfolio, arriving to turn his hobby into a career.

Fueled by adventure, Coby lives for the thrill of the unknown. Outside of work, you can find Coby hiking, camping, and tie-dyeing. Quick with a joke, Coby relies on comedy to get him through and always follows the age-old advice, "Don't eat the yellow snow."

Cameron Sparks

Blending Assistant

Jeffery Hodder

Production Associate

Jeff Hodder is a man of few words and a relaxed, easygoing disposition who enjoys country music and cheering for the Pittsburg Steelers. Having moved to Myrtle Beach from Pennsylvania in 2019, it’s no surprise he is an unrepentant waver of the Terrible Towel, but he is acclimating to his new environment well and recently admitted he also enjoys relaxing on the beach. He joined Cornell & Diehl as a Packaging Associate in 2021, now working as a Production Associate and, when not busy keeping you supplied with your favorite blend, spends time with his dog and cat.

Brandon Cianci

Production Associate

Joining Cornell & Diehl late 2022, Brandon — or "Luigi" as he's been called — hails originally from Connecticut and works as one of C&D's Production Associates, working to craft and blend your favorite C&D pipe tobaccos. He's a team player who's still comfortable working individually, and his patient, goal-oriented spirit and passion for learning have made him a quick fit at C&D. In his free time, Brandon enjoys gaming on his self-built computer, as well as listening to audio books and writing, and he's also second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon-do, both certified as an instructor and traveling internationally to compete in tournaments.

Shawn Mikesic

Production Associate

Shawn lives his life with compassion for others and a deep belief in helping those in need. “You never know what someone else is going through and a simple act of kindness may mean the world to them.” It’s a kindness that Shawn extends to animals as well. Over the years, he has rescued many pets, including his current fur-baby, Stark, and has volunteered in local rescues and the Humane Society. Even with his busy volunteering commitments, Shawn still finds time to support his beloved Carolina Gamecocks, indulge in his love for music and film, and keep up-to-date with his favorite fantasy book series. Shawn’s late grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, was his mentor and hero in life and taught Shawn the importance of wisdom and giving back to others.

Chad Ford

Production Associate

Ivy Hemingway

Packaging Associate

Ivy is a North Myrtle Beach native and has lived in the area all her life. As one of our Packaging Associates, she works with the rest of the team to make the magic happen — tinning, labeling, and readying your favorite blends. When she's not at work Ivy enjoys traveling and simply spending quality time with her family. She has a warm heart, a congenial demeanor, and she is constantly smiling.

Marijo Berry

Packaging Associate

Marijo is a Myrtle Beach native and our resident science buff, having attended Socastee High, as well as the Academy for Art, Science, and Technology where she specialized in environmental sciences. When she's not at work she's continuing her studies in pursuit of a degree in psychology at Coastal Carolina University. A lover of all things outdoorsy (she doesn't like to stay still), Marijo's active personality translates well as a Packaging Associate for Cornell & Diehl as she's constantly on the move ensuring that tobacco is tinned, labeled, and ready for your cellar.

Dennis Busick

Packaging Associate

As one of our talented Packaging Associates, Dennis lends a hand in readying tobacco so that it's perfect for cellaring or enjoying straight out of the tin, aiding the team tinning and labeling your favorite mixtures. When he's not hard at work, Dennis enjoys spending time on the golf course and listening to classic tunes from the '60s and '70s.

Debora Trail

Packaging Associate

Originally from North Carolina, Debora joined Cornell & Diehl as a Packaging Associate in the summer of 2022, helping to make sure all of C&D's mixtures are properly blended, assembled, and ready for humidors around the world. An avid lover of the outdoors, Deb enjoys spending time at the beach hunting for shark teeth, and she's always up to try new things, with interests ranging from animals to jewelry, art to cosmology.

Tyrell LaRue

Packaging Associate

After relocating from Fargo, North Dakota, Tyrell joined us in the fall of 2022 as one of our Shipping Associates, ensuring that all pipes, cigars, tobacco, and accessories are safely packaged before making their way across the globe. His laid-back persona makes him easy to get along with, and his honesty, dependability, and kindhearted nature make him a joy to work with. Outside of the office, Tyrell enjoys playing video games, golfing, fishing, and watching movies, and he's a big fan of Star Wars and baseball, supporting the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins.

Tim Good

Packaging Associate

Tim learned a valuable lesson from his beloved mother: Anything worth doing is worth doing right. That ethic has served him well. For example, why settle for a single tattoo? Tim has 25+ tattoos. Why be a casual reader when so many books beckon? Tim has read a book a week since his early teenage years and has absorbed over 2500 titles so far. And why hop from job to job in pursuit of career satisfaction when you can spend 20+ years in a single dangerous profession? Tim spent 23 years of his professional life working for the Dauphin County, PA Prison. The point is, Tim sticks with activities that interest him — unless that activity is retirement. After settling in the Myrtle Beach area with his wife Tiffany for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, Tim realized that he wasn’t ready for a life of leisure and (luckily for us) found a new work home with the good folks at Cornell & Diehl.

Mark Frye

Packaging Associate

Originally from West Virginia, Mark is the proud father of two grown children, three cats, a dog, and four donkeys. He is also married to his wife Kim, who brought him to a company event here at Laudisi, where he fell in love with the Laudisi community. Outside of work, Mark enjoys hunting, listening to Death Metal, playing guitar, and exercising.

A Fairmont State College and University of South Carolina alum, he studied Education and Library Science and played college football for a year, and is proud to say he played in every game they attended. He also served in the United States Marine Corps. Patient and positive, Mark is a valuable asset to the team.

Lisa Longo

Packaging Associate

Lisa arrived at Laudisi after moving to South Carolina from Pennsylvania, and is eager about working here as a Packaging Associate. She has been married to her significant other for over 25 years. Some fun facts about her include that she is one of seven siblings — she has one sister and five brothers — she has a lot of nieces and nephews, who she is very close with as well as being close to the rest of her family, and she enjoys walking and doing puzzles in her free time. She lives by several pieces of wisdom, including that it is never okay to judge other people, and that treating others the way you want to be treated is a valuable life lesson to take with us.

Faith Marsh

Packaging Associate


Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Faith is eager to work at a company that values her growth and professional development. With key skills in multitasking, packing, and communication, she is an excellent fit as a Packaging Associate in Manufacturing at Cornell & Diehl. Describing herself as enthusiastic, calm, and observant, she is driven to achieve her goals by going above and beyond in all that she does. She always strives to treat people with kindness and is inspired by the creativity that can be found in daily life: “Life is artistic.”

Outside of work, some of Faith’s favorites include the Seattle Seahawks, the Maze Runner book series, horror movies (especially A24 films), and indie rock music. If we held an office talent show, she’d wow everyone with her ability to sleep anywhere. She admires her parents and Bob Ross, and loves to read, play video games, and snooze on the weekends. Her favorite place to travel is to the mountains, having fond memories from her childhood of the way she would relish the vacations she’d take with her family, smelling the fresh, clear air. She also cannot live without potatoes … who could?

Ridge Williams

Packaging Associate

WARNING: This product can expose you to tobacco smoke, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and nicotine, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov.