Senor Negro Cigars

Mark, 46, now known as Senor Negro in the amazing county of the Dominican Republic, grew up in a small Missouri town with four sisters, his father working 2 jobs as a painter and mechanic to support their family as best he could. Homeschooled, with no scholarships, he couldn’t afford college tuition in Tennessee, so he left after one semester and started working at Lowe’s, then later launching his roofing company at 26, which he built for 20 years with very limited crew members. In 2007, a friend at a Nashville horse race gave him his first cigar, igniting a passion. In February 2025, snow stopped his work and his love of playing golf in Tennessee, so he booked a last-minute trip to Punta Cana, hearing it had the best golf and Dominican cigars. There, he stayed in a random condo near a cigar lounge where Dario, a short, friendly Dominican, welcomed him. The next day, Saturday, the factory was closed, but Dario had his brother open it just for Mark. It was a small building off a busy road you’d miss at speed. Mark met the rolling supervisor, who let him roll his own cigar. That night, back at the lounge, Alexander, the 52-year-old master blender with 35 years of experience from three generations, showed up, completing Mark’s life-changing experience. Believing deeply that God’s will must needs come to pass, Mark saw each step of his journey-the roofing, the cigars, this trip-as part of a divine plan. Inspired, he adopted his new motto: Welcome to the Fire, because he has the lighter, symbolizing his role as an igniter of passion and dedication in men. He now aims to make his roofing company and cigar ventures an experience of excellence, teaching his father’s lessons of providing and protecting, and even teaching non-smokers to enjoy a well-made cigar, lighting a fire in everyone he meets.