Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Rob Van Dam, Cresco Labs, Grow Glide, 4Cable TV, Blueberries, Marijuana Strategic Ventures, Justice Grown, Cansortium, Pure Harvest

Here is a summary of the latest leadership changes within the cannabis industry.

Hires Pro Wrestler Rob Van Dam Is Chairman of UAPC's Board

UAPC INC. UAPC, which recently signed an agreement to purchase CBD distributor RVD Wellness, named professional wrestler Rob Van Dam as its new board chairman.

The Las Vegas-based cannabis and hemp company is focused on international expansion via acquisitions of properties, assets, product lines and licenses.

Van Dam (pictured), who goes by the acronym/nickname RVD, has worked at a number of wrestling promotions including WWE and TNA, now Impact Wrestling.

Related Link: From Bingo Halls To Wrestlemania — RVD Discusses How Cannabis Fuels Life And Business

For many years as a professional wrestler, Van Dam openly expressed his appreciation for cannabis, supporting the community and spreading the word about the medical benefits the plant brings. What’s more, Van Dam has creatively used slogans for his wrestling character, such as “RVD 420."

Cresco Labs Appoints PepsiCo Veteran As COO

Cannabis company Cresco Labs CRLBF appointed CPG industry expert Ty Gent as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Gent will oversee “operational consistency” and scaling of the company. He has more than 35 years of professional experience in CPG and supply chain areas. His latest employment was at US Foods, where he was the Chief Supply Chain Officer.

His professional biography contains a big name in the beverage space – PepsiCo PEP where he covered several executive management roles, such as Senior Vice President of Operations, and Senior Vice President of Logistics.

Current COO David Ellis will step down from this position and become Regional President of Operations for Emerging Markets — New York, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

Grow Glide Hires Ken Frate As Director of Business Development

Cannabis cultivation solution company Grow Glide hired Ken Frate as the Director of Business Development.

Previously Ken Frate was working at CannaCribs, where he was in charge of forming pre-production strategies, sales goals, and finalizing million dollar-worth sponsorship deal in the industry.

"Ken not only brings a best in the cannabis business network of trusted relationships, he has a strategic vision to uplevel our entire sales organization and meet our very ambitious revenue goals,” Grow Glide CEO Travis Schwarz stated. “This hiring is a key moment in our company and serves as a signal that Grow Glide is a serious player, not only with our vertical racking solution, but with the many other innovative cannabis growing solutions in our product pipeline."

4Cable TV International Adds Slaugh And Estopinan To Its Board Of Advisors

4Cable TV International Inc. CATV added Mark Slaugh and Arthur A. Estopinan to its Board of Advisors 

Slaugh has experience in regulatory affairs in the cannabis/hemp industry, as he founded iComply, the oldest cannabis compliance company to support cannabis enterprises and guide them through all the protocols and procedures of the regulated industry.

Besides being a CEO of iComply, Slaugh is a council member of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Estopinan previously was a Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee with 27 years of service in the United States Congress. To 4Cable TV International he brings extensive experience in various issues related to legislative procedures. 

Blueberries Medical Appoints New Chairman & Interim CEO

Latin American medicinal cannabis producer Blueberries Medical Corp. BBRRF recently announced it has collected CA$1 million ($788,495) via a non-brokered private placement, and in connection to the financing it made the following leadership changes:

• Christian Toro stepped down from the position of Chairman and CEO, and was replaced by Facundo Garretón, who became Chairman and Interim CEO;
• Sebastian Hochbaum joined the board of directors;
• Directors Fabio Valencia Cossio, Dr. Andres Vidal, Francisco Sole, Matthew Bajurny, and Paola Castañeda, all resigned from the board;
• After these changes the board counts four directors – Facundo Garretón, Patricio Villalba, Catherine Lathwell, and Sebastian Hochbaum, while the fifth director is yet to be nominated by FLA Ventures;
• The audit committee of the board was transformed with the additions of Catherine Lathwell, Patricio Villalba, and Facundo Garreton.

Blueberries Medical compensated Garreton and Hochbaum each; Garreton was provided with 250,000 compensation shares and 1.75 million options, while Hochbaum was given 500,000 options to buy common shares of the company at a price of $0.13 per share in the next five years.

Marijuana Strategic Ventures Appoints Arman Tabatabaei to the Board of Directors

 SecurCapital Holdings Corp. CQER, soon to be renamed Marijuana Strategic Ventures, welcomed Arman Tabatabaei to its board of directors as an independent board member.

Tabatabaei is a cannabis industry veteran with proficiency in the management area. Previously, he worked with various publicly traded companies like Cannabis Strategic Ventures NUGS and Sugarmade Inc. SGMD, helping them advance their operations. Tabatabaei is also a founder and Chairman of Cannabis Global Inc. CBGL.

Bonsall, California-based SecurCapital Holdings aims towards creating a conglomerate of multinational cannabis enterprises.

Justice Grown Appoints Gregg Carlson As CFO

Multi-state cannabis company Justice Grown hired Gregg Carlson as its new Chief Financial Officer.

Carlson has more than 30 years of experience in financial operations, helping companies with sales transactions, purchases, and turnarounds. He has been an international financial advisor to many of the Fortune 500 executives, and has covered many industries, including cannabis.

Carlson is a specialist in strategic and business planning.

Las Vegas-based Justice Grown was founded in 2014 by Chicago's Loevy & Loevy firm, an organization known for many social justice defense initiatives.

Cansortium Appoints CEO Robert Beasley To Board Of Directors

Cansortium Inc. TIUM CNTMF appointed CEO Robert Beasley to the Board of Directors.

Beasley became CEO of the Miami-based company in September, and now has joined Executive Chairman Neal Hochberg and Directors David Abrams, John McKimm, and Roger Daher on the board.

Cansortium also revealed it has dismissed the Special Committee, which was formed in October 2019, and consisted of Hochberg, Abrams, and McKimm.

The Special Committee was created to help senior management with their efforts on advancing the company’s balance sheet. During the committee’s activity, the company managed to save $4.5 million annually, ensured a $4.6 million equity private placement, and restructured around $35 million of its liabilities.

In addition, Cansortium broadened the Audit Committee to the Audit and Finance Committee and welcomed Abrams and Daher as the new members.

Pure Harvest Hemp Appoints Amanda Bowman As CEO

Pure Harvest Corporate Group Inc. PHCG appointed Amanda Bowman as the new CEO of Pure Harvest Hemp, the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary.

Bowman has extensive experience in the cannabis industry, being part of an award-recognized producer of hemp extracts and CBD oil, and a member of the ASTM International Cannabis Committee and Colorado Department of Health CHAMP Initiative. She worked on various compliance programs that were rewarded with top-scores on all GMP and Food Safety audits.