Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Nevada CCB, Digipath, Agricor And Botanacor Laboratories, Curaleaf, Hervé, HERBL

Governor Steve Sisolak Reapoins Three Members To Nevada's CCB

Governor Steve Sisolak recently reappointed the initial three members of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board, including Jerrie Merritt, Dennis Neilander and Justice Michael Douglas. They will each serve a term of four years.

The three experts have been serving on the board since February 2020 to assist with the formation of the regulatory agency the will oversee the cannabis industry within the Silver State.

In October 2020, Governor Sisolak appointed Riana Durrett, a former executive director of Nevada Dispensary Association and Reno-based physician Dr. Bryan Young to serve on the CCB, bringing the final number of members to five.

Digipath Taps Stone Douglass To Serve On Board Of Directors

Cannabis-focused testing laboratory  Digipath, Inc. DIGP welcomed the seasoned business expert Stone Douglass to its board of directors as vice-chairperson.

Douglass is the owner of a private investment company Ducks Nest Investments, Inc.

He has served in several management positions for over 35 years. In addition, he helped in the reorganization of over 30 companies in industries as diverse as Piper Aircraft, RedEnvelope, and Spy Optic.

Currently, he serves as CEO and director of GeoSolar Technologies, Inc., CEO and is chairman of Empire Global Gaming, Inc., CEO and chairman of The Birch Factory, Inc. and CFO and director of P5 Systems, Inc.

“I believe Digipath is well positioned within the burgeoning cannabis testing sector. Driven by massive growth in the cannabis industry as more states move toward legalization, the demand for certified analytical testing labs has never been stronger,” Douglass said Wednesday.

Former Canopy Exec Miles Lanning Joins Agricor And Botanacor Laboratories

Hemp and cannabis testing laboratories Agricor and Botanacor jointly revealed the appointment of Miles Lanning as the new vice president of quality assurance and regulatory affairs for both companies.

Prior to this, Lanning served as head of regulatory affairs and quality assurance for the Canadian-based Canopy Growth Corporation CGC WEED.

“With our new CDPHE approval in the hemp sector, and the raft of new testing regs that are coming through nearly every regulatory channel for both cannabis and hemp, Miles will bring his substantial skills to bear for Botanacor and Agricor through a period of extraordinary growth,” Dr. Carl Craig, Botanacor and Agricor’s CEO said.

Curaleaf Holdings Hires Ranjan Kalia As CFO

Cannabis company Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. CURA CURLF said Monday that Ranjan Kalia agreed to oversee the company’s financial department.

Kalia succeeds Michael Carlotti, who opted to step down from the role of CFO for medical reasons.

Kalia served as executive vice president and CFO of Virtusa Corp since 2008. Prior to that, he spent eight years with EMC Corporation.

“I am pleased to welcome Ranjan to the Curaleaf executive leadership team,” said Joseph Bayern, CEO of Curaleaf. “With over thirty years of experience in executive finance positions at complex multinational companies, Ranjan brings a wealth of expertise which will be instrumental in helping fuel our continued growth.”

Hervé Appoints Two Marketing Experts

Hervé, a maker of luxury French-inspired and cannabis-infused desserts, has hired two experienced marketing executives to lead and enhance the company's brand promotion strategy, on the heels of securing $3 million through oversubscribed series A raise.

The former head of marketing at Canndescent, Cheyne Nadeau, agreed to serve as vice president of marketing of the Las Vegas-based company.

A former marketing manager at PLUS Products Emily Ryan will serve as head of trade marketing at Hervé.

"We are thrilled to add Cheyne and Emily to the Hervé team at this exciting time of growth," Sebastien Centner, founder and president of Hervé commented. "Their expertise is key to introducing new customers to the Hervé brand and will help us realize our goal of building the first true luxury cannabis company grounded in an authentic desire to elevate the consumer experience."

HERBL’s COO Art Smuck Retires

California-based cannabis supply chain solutions company HERBL recently announced that Art Smuck, the company’s chief operating officer, has retired.

Robert (Bobby) Turner agreed to replace Smuck as the new COO of the Santa Barbara-based company. Turner spent his career working at every level of Whole Foods Market.

“On behalf of the entire HERBL team, I want to thank Art for his leadership over the past two years; his sweeping knowledge of the supply chain ecosystem has established best practices that the entire industry will benefit from for years to come,” Mike Beaudry, CEO of HERBL, said. “Bobby’s valuable experience in scaling national brands and his ability to create synergies across various internal teams will be a tremendous asset to the company as we enter our next stage of growth.”

Photo by David Gabrić on Unsplash