America is and always has been the land of growth and innovation. It remains the best place in the world to invest, build, and create opportunities for generations to come.
As CEO of Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses (PMI U.S.), I’m proud to lead our mission to provide better options for the country’s 30 million legal-age adults who still smoke. Living up to this mission has given us the chance to invest in a multitude of opportunities and partnerships in communities across the nation.
We have “international” in our name, but we are proud to be an American company and are excited to be growing our business here. Over the past two years, we’ve committed close to $1 billion to build and expand American facilities that produce better alternatives for smokers. That includes a $600 million advanced manufacturing plant in Aurora, Colorado, expected to create more than 500 high-skilled jobs; an expansion in Owensboro, Kentucky, that strengthens our roots in the heartland; and a $37 million investment in Wilson, North Carolina, modernizing a facility that’s been part of the community’s industrial fabric for decades.
Behind those numbers are families building futures, communities growing stronger, and local economies gaining new life. That’s what it means to be invested in America.
Here are four ways we’re invested in advancing those critical goals every day:
1. Invested in Better Choices
People are always surprised when I tell them that PMI U.S. has never sold combustible cigarettes in America and that we’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars across the country to accelerate a smoke-free future—a future without cigarettes.
Our FDA-authorized products, including ZYN and IQOS, offer adults 21+ who smoke far better options. By avoiding combustion and smoke, nicotine consumers can significantly reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals compared with cigarette smoking. Smoke-free products aren’t risk-free, and they contain nicotine, which is addictive but does not cause cancer. The science is clear: The harm from smoking comes from lighting a cigarette on fire and inhaling smoke, which contains toxic chemicals. Studies show time and again that nicotine is not a carcinogen.
No single product will work for every smoker. That’s why we need multiple pathways—and together, IQOS and ZYN are providing solutions for the millions of people looking for better alternatives.
2. Invested in Responsibility
In America, no one under age 21, the legal age of purchase, should use tobacco or nicotine products. That’s a line that should never be crossed. And as a parent, nothing matters more to me. Accordingly, we’ve established strict marketing standards: no payments to influencers to endorse our products, no youth-oriented content, stringent age verification to access our websites, and only adults 35 and older depicted in our marketing materials. Beyond that, we support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s mystery shopper program, back compliance checks, and equip retailers with free training and advanced age-verification technologies like TruAge®.
These safeguards are how we help ensure youth don’t access our products while enabling legal-age adult smokers to switch to better alternatives.
3. Invested in American Jobs
Our mission is also about economic renewal. Advanced manufacturing has long been the backbone of America’s middle class, and we believe it must remain so. By building and expanding facilities across the country, we’re creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs that ripple through local and regional economies.
The impacts of these investments are felt way beyond our payroll. We’re generating demand for local suppliers, strengthening small businesses, and expanding the tax bases that fund schools and other critical infrastructure. We’re also training workers for the industries of tomorrow, equipping them with high-tech skills to build enduring careers in advanced manufacturing.
In Aurora, our construction phase alone is expected to generate nearly $1 billion in economic impact. In Owensboro, our presence supports entire ecosystems of local vendors, contractors, and service providers.
When you commit at this scale, you’re creating more than products—you’re building stability for families, momentum for communities, and confidence in America’s economic future.
4. Invested in Communities
Since 2022, PMI U.S. and our employees have contributed more than $35 million to local and national causes, from veterans’ programs to disaster relief and economic empowerment initiatives. In 2024 alone, we gave more than $10 million to nonprofit organizations in 35 states.
Americans expect more from corporations today. Our Philanthropy 2025 Benchmark Survey shows that 84 percent of Americans believe businesses have an ethical responsibility to support the communities where they operate. Instead of writing checks from afar, PMI U.S. listens to what communities say they need most, and then acts on what we’ve learned. We call this approach pragmatic philanthropy.
We also give our people a voice in our charitable endeavors. Each year, every full-time employee can designate an approved nonprofit to receive a set amount of company funds (in 2025, it was $2,500). This year, those funds have gone toward supporting everything from animal welfare and housing to helping military spouses secure jobs. These employee-directed donations are tangible, grassroots investments that strengthen communities, families, and our teams.
The Road Ahead
At PMI U.S., we are tremendously optimistic about the American workforce and America’s future. That’s why, for us, being invested in America means showing up honestly and consistently, helping adults who smoke make better choices, maintaining rigorous standards, creating good jobs, and supporting the communities that sustain us.
We’re proud of what we’re building here at home. And we’re just getting started.
Column brought to you by Philip Morris International
Stacey Kennedy is CEO of Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses. Under her leadership, PMI U.S. has implemented comprehensive youth access prevention programs while working to provide better, scientifically substantiated alternatives to America’s ~30 million legal-age cigarette smokers.