Cannabis Movers & Shakers: MedMen, Flora Growth, Ayr Wellness, Perfect Union, Sipp Industries

MedMen Promotes Tyson Rossi To Chief Strategy Officer

Marijuana retailer MedMen Enterprises Inc. MMEN MMNFF announced Tuesday the appointment of Tyson Rossi to the role of chief strategy officer.

Ross, a cannabis industry veteran, has been part of MedMen’s executive management team since 2019, most recently serving as senior vice president, product and revenue. He co-founded a number of cannabis ventures, including Arizona-based multistate craft edibles company Flourish Cannabis; Bōdee Holdings, Inc., a privately-held cannabis company headquartered in Phoenix and Los Angeles-based Edible Solutions, a leading consulting agency in the cannabis industry.

“We’re thrilled to promote Tyson Rossi to the role of Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for driving MedMen’s company strategy and expansion efforts while overseeing all product-related activities of our business,” Michael Serruya, Interim CEO of MedMen stated. “I have the utmost confidence in Tyson’s ability to lead strategy as MedMen advances into a new phase of growth and progress, prioritizing profitability, a diverse roster of best-in-class brands, and the continued refinement of the industry’s premier retail experience.”

Flora Growth Taps Award-Winning Operations Expert Joël Reyes as SVP of Global Operations

Flora Growth Corp. FLGC revealed Thursday it has hired operations and personnel development expert, Joël Reyes as senior vice president of global operations. Reyes brings extensive experience in operations management and optimization, leadership and C-suite consultation and development, business development and strategic consultative sales, both within startups and large corporations.

As senior vice president of global operations, Reyes will oversee operational excellence across the organization, beginning with Flora’s robust Colombian activities, including the optimization of Flora’s pipeline of cannabis derivatives and raw materials into the global market, assessment of supply chain, evaluation of R+D and product development and identification of distribution opportunities.

“2022 is the year for Flora to rapidly grow sales and revenue, and being surgical in our operational execution at every touchpoint will be critical to achieving our goals,” Luis Merchan, president and CEO of Flora Growth Corp stated. “As an award-winning expert in operations management, the appointment of Joël Reyes comes at the perfect time as Flora Growth’s aggressive global brand expansion and M&A strategy continue to be implemented.”

Ayr Wellness Adds Joyce Johnson-Miller To Board Of Directors

Vertically integrated cannabis operator Ayr Wellness Inc. AYR AYRWF welcomed  Joyce Johnson-Miller to the company’s board of directors on Thursday. Additionally, Johnson-Miller has been appointed and confirmed to the company’s audit committee.

“Joyce brings valuable experience and presence to our Board of Directors,” Jonathan Sandelman, founder, chairman and CEO of Ayr stated. “She has forged a successful career as an investor and operator over the past 30 + years, with a keen eye towards responsibly driving shareholder value. We are proud to welcome her to the Ayr team.”

Johnson-Miller previously served as senior managing director and partner at Relatively Capital and as a managing director at Cerberus Capital Management, in addition to vice president roles at ING Bank INGA and Citicorp. She sits on many boards including one at New Lake Capital Partners NLCP, a provider of real estate capital to state-licensed US cannabis operators.

Perfect Union Appoints Nicole Hanratty As Vice President Of Marketing

Perfect Union, the California-based cannabis retailer, announced on Wednesday that it hired Nicole Hanratty as its new vice president of marketing.

"Nicole comes to Perfect Union with the ideal blend of cannabis knowledge, brand building and marketing expertise," Denyelle Bruno, CEO of Perfect Union stated. "She is a creative marketing strategist and a thought leader. We are thrilled to welcome her to the team. I have no doubt she'll take the brand to the next level."

In her new role, Hanratty plans to develop and execute marketing strategies for the vertically-integrated multi-state operator. She will be heading and creating all marketing initiatives as well as tracking their success.

Sipp Industries Hires Jakob Jorgensen As New Interim Chief Executive Officer

Wednesday Sipp Industries SIPC announced the appointment of Jakob Jorgensen as new interim chief executive officer. Nick Pelletiere will remain as a board director of Sipp Industries. 

Jorgensen has nine years of management experience with recreational and medicinal cannabis markets in Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington, Colorado, California and Oklahoma. He has vast knowledge in opening and managing high volume dispensaries, designing and managing C1D1 extraction/lab manufacturing facilities, isolation/micronization of cannabinoids, custom formulation building and SOP implementation for all aspects of the cannabis industry including designing/building and managing large scale indoor-outdoor cannabis cultivation facilities.

Photo: Courtesy of David Gabrić on Unsplash