Wana Brands Appoints Joe Hodas As CMO, Gets Into Missouri

Last week, cannabis industry veteran Joe Hodas joined Wana Brands as Chief Marketing Officer.

Hodas brings over two decades of marketing expertise to this newly created position, as the Boulder, Colorado-based company expands both domestically and internationally. Hodas will be responsible for generating revenue by creating innovative and refined marketing campaigns for Wana while helping grow the brand, market share and consumer loyalty.

He will also support new market expansion, partnerships, government relations and innovation.

“Although I’m joining the Wana team in an unprecedented time, I’m honored to come on board and I know there will be so much work to be done to communicate what we are doing within the company and for our customers,” Hodas said. “In my eyes, this opportunity represents the culmination of all the best practices I’ve learned in cannabis over the years (in management, operations, finance and marketing) all rolled into one leading company.”

Hodas also commended Wana on its culture, which he attributed directly to CEO Nancy Whiteman and her team.

“It’s a culture that is confident, but welcoming. Decisive but open to input from many sources. Focused, yet flexible. This role just feels like the right fit. I've known and respected Nancy for many years, and have watched Wana from the sidelines with great admiration as it grew to dominate the edibles space… secretly hoping that there might be an opportune time to join her. I've always known that timing is everything. That has been proven to me in the past week, now it’s time to get to work,” he added.

Previously, Hodas was CMO at Dixie Elixirs, CEO of Gofire, and COO for General Cannabis Corporation. He also held positions including Sr. Director of Corporate Communications for Frontier Airlines, as well as agency experience at Vladimir Jones and Ogilvy Public Relations.

Getting Into Missouri

In addition to Hodas’ appointment, Wana revealed that it struck a partnership with Clovr to bring its products to medical marijuana patients in the state of Missouri, which will begin serving patients later this year. Clovr is a Kansas City-based medical marijuana manufacturing company that produces infused cannabis products including gummies, chocolate bars and concentrates. 

“Wana’s partnership with Clovr will bring a trusted, consistent, alternative treatment option to patients of Missouri,” said Nancy Whiteman, CEO, Wana Brands. “So many are already registered for the Missouri medical marijuana program, and they will benefit from a range of ratios Wana Brands products offer to help dial in the desired treatment.”

Wana expects to have products available through Missouri medical marijuana dispensaries in Q4 2020. This continues to solidify Wana’s foothold in the Midwest, which also includes a presence in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Oklahoma.  

Photo by Javier Hasse.