Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Columbia Care, Affinor Growers, Open Book Extracts, Trait Biosciences, WM Technology, CBD Health Club, MedMen, TGOD, Cann American

Columbia Care Welcomes Former Green Leaf CEO And Co-Founder Philip Goldberg To Board

Columbia Care Inc. CCHW CCHW CCHWF (FSE:3LP) has tapped Philip Goldberg, former CEO and co-founder of Green Leaf Medical, to serve on its board of directors.

After co-founding Green Leaf in 2014, Goldberg grew the company to include 400,000 square feet of cultivation space, three extraction labs, and ten dispensary licenses across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, with 500 full-time employees.

The New York-based company purchased Green Leaf last month in a $240 million stock and cash deal.

“Phil has been a great partner throughout the acquisition and integration process,” Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care said Monday. “His experience in the space and success in growing a high-quality, customer-focused company is going to be a tremendous asset for our Board and shareholders.”

Affinor Growers Appoints Bo Slack To Serve On Advisory Board

Affinor Growers Inc. AFI RSSFF said Monday that it has welcomed Bo Slack to serve as a member of its advisory board.

He will assist with growth plans for local, year-round strawberry production across Canada, the USA and internationally in his new role.

Slack brings more than three decades of experience in innovative agricultural operations, marketing, food safety and sustainability.

“As we begin strawberry production in our 15,000 square foot Abbotsford BC greenhouse in the next 90 days, we are bringing on experienced executives and experts to ensure that we execute the five-year business plan available on our website, I am excited about working with an industry leader like Bo, to develop strategic relationships and deliver high quality produce to Canadian and US markets throughout the year,” Nick Brusatore, CEO of Affinor, commented.

Open Book Extracts Taps Two More Experts To Its Leadership Team

CBD producer Open Book Extracts continues its hiring streak with two new additions to its leadership team, following the recent appointments of Nicole Lemus, Andrea Groncy and Brad Jones.

Based in Roxboro, North Carolina, the company appointed Andrea Baillo to serve as vice president of product innovation and research and Alexandra DePalma as director of product innovation.

Baillo is a seasoned scientist with vast experience in cannabis research, development, and manufacturing, cancer research, and food and beverage industries.

Most recently, she served as senior director of research and development at Green Thumb Industries Inc. GTII GTBIF

DePalma is a cannabis product developer and scientific researcher with over a decade of experience in analytical chemistry, material science engineering and product development across several industries.

Prior to this, Baillo also served at GTI as a research and development manager and product developer.

"OBX is pleased to welcome Andrea Baillo and Alexandra DePalma to OBX to accelerate product innovation to develop high-quality, efficacious, research-backed products," OBX CEO Dave Neundorfer said Tuesday. "Their combined scientific expertise, coupled with their understanding of market demands, will enable them to identify, prioritize, and deliver differentiated solutions for our global client base."

Trait Biosciences Welcomes Flavors and Fragrances Exec Auroni Majumdar To Strategic Advisory Board

Cannabinoid biotechnology research organization Trait Biosciences Inc. has appointed Auroni Majumdar to serve on its strategic advisory board.

Majumdar, who is currently vice president of strategy and business development of integrated solutions at International Flavors and Fragnances Inc., opted to join the Vancouver company and assist in developing a commercial system for delivering innovative solutions to the CBD-infused product market.

"Trait's mission to develop innovative cannabinoid technologies delivering superior water-soluble extracts will enable the formulation of higher quality and safer CBD products," Peter McDonough, CEO of Trait said. "Our technologies seek to ensure consumers have a safe, reliable, and predictable experience each time they choose a CBD-infused product."

WM Technology Announces Board Of Directors On Heels Of Debut On NASDAQ

Cannabis tech firm WM Technology, Inc. MAPS announced Wednesday its board of directors, a month after its debut on NASDAQ in June.

The board has nine members, including Scott Gordon, chairman and CEO of Silver Spike Capital: Chris Beals, CEO of WM Technology; Tony Aquila, Douglas Francis, Brenda Freeman, Olga Gonzalez, Justin Hartfield and Fiona Tan.

The company said that the outstanding vacancy would be filled by an affirmative vote of a majority of the company’s board of directors.

“We have assembled a best-in-class Board of Directors with highly experienced leaders in the technology, retail, and cannabis sectors,” Beals said. “Their collective expertise will play a key role in guiding WM Technology forward as we execute our growth strategy and scale our technology platform globally."

CBD Health Club Taps Bill Burns To Distribute Its Products In Austin, Texas

CBD Health Club reported Wednesday that Bill Burns joined its team as a distributor for the company's triple strength Pain Relief CBD products for wholesale and retail customers in the Austin area.

Burns, who has vast sales and marketing knowledge, will focus on Westlake-West Rim, Barton Creek, Old West Austin, West Lake Highlands and Balcones Park neighborhoods.

The CBD Health Club is a brand of Gulf Coast Extractions, LLC, of Houston, Texas.

"Bill brings a world of sales and marketing talent to the CBD Health Club," Mike Burns, founder of CBD Health Club, commented. "He has bought and sold real estate in Austin for the last forty years and he ran his own homemade chili company that won several awards at chili cookoffs in the area."

MedMen Enterprises Interm CEO Tom Lynch Named Permanent CEO

MedMen Enterprises Inc. MMEN MMNFF revealed Thursday that the current interim CEO and the board’s chairman, Tom Lynch, will be appointed as its permanent CEO.

Lynch, who is “thrilled to be joining MedMen in a more permanent capacity,” has been serving as interim CEO since March 2020.

“We have an incredible opportunity to capitalize on our recent successes and continue on our path of rapid growth and profitability. It is our goal to solidify MedMen’s place as the premier cannabis retailer and to continue the expansion of our retail footprint to ensure everyone has access to the highest quality and most effective cannabis products in the market today,” Lynch said.

The Green Organic Dutchman Welcomes Gayle Duncan As CGO

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings TGOD TGODF disclosed Thursday that Gayle Duncan opted to join its senior leadership team as chief growth officer.

With vast knowledge in launching, building and managing businesses, brands and teams, Duncan will improve existing sales and marketing capabilities and enhance brand awareness across North America.

"With the addition of Gayle, a seasoned marketer and proven sales growth enabler, I have even greater confidence in our ability to continue to deliver against our objectives," Sean Bovingdon, CEO and Interim CFO of TGOD, commented.

Cann American Welcomes Brad Hanger To Board Of Directors

Cann American Corp. CNNA has appointed Brad Hanger to its board of directors.

Hanger held various cannabis licenses in Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, alongside advancing initiatives in the Arkansas and Mississippi markets during his career.

He currently holds five licenses in the fields of cultivation, processing, dispensary and transport.

"I'm very excited to bring Brad into Cann Am," Jason Black, the company's CEO, said. "He's among the most impressive people I've ever encountered in this industry, and I'm honored to have him join the company."

Photo by David Gabrić on Unsplash