Marijuana Business Magazine October 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | October 2019 116 Industry Players | New Hires & Promotions A look at some recent hiring moves in the marijuana industry Surterra Snags HR Exec Atlanta-based Surterra Wellness, a rapidly growing multistate operator (MSO) with operations in Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada and Texas, hired Stevens J. Sainte-Rose as chief human resources officer and as a member of its executive leadership team. Sainte-Rose most recently led human resources at Dawn Foods, a Jackson, Mississippi-based bakery ingredients manufacturer. Before Dawn, he served as chief human resources officer at U.S. Walgreens, and before that, he spent 10 years with The Coca-Cola Co., including a stint as senior vice president of human resources at Coca-Cola Inter- national. Earlier in his career, Sainte- Rose held HR leadership roles at Aramark Corp., Pier 1 Imports, Burger King and Millennium Broadway Hotel.  Sainte-Rose is Surterra’s latest big- name appointment. Others include: • CEO and Chair William “Beau” Wrigley Jr. , former chair and CEO of the family-founded, global gum and confections company Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. • Executive Director Ed Brown , former CEO of Patrón Spirits Co. • Chief Financial Officer Fareed Khan from Kellogg Co. • Chief Information Officer Neil Hampshire from ModusLink Global Solutions, a supply chain magager. Former GTI CEO Joins Kush Board Pete Kadens , a former CEO of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest publicly traded cannabis operators in the United States, has joined the advisory board of KushCo Holdings, a Garden Grove, California-based ancillary company with operations in North America, South America and Europe. Kadens will provide guidance on corporate development and M&A activities. By Omar Sacirbey A s the son of legendary marijuana activist Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist who pioneered medical cannabis in the United States, Dr. Peter Grinspoon , a palliative care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital who also teaches at Harvard Medical School, has received and turned down numerous inquiries from MJ companies seeking his expertise. But when Akron, Ohio- based company Galenas, which describes itself as a “patient-focused, craft cannabis cultivator,” contacted Grinspoon through his website, his interest was piqued. After vetting Galenas, which also has operations in Michigan and wants to become a major marijuana player in the Midwest, Grinspoon accepted the offer, citing Galenas’ organic and energy-efficient practices, as well as its focus on patients. “They wanted to have deep medical expertise as part of their team, so that anything they would need to learn about they would have access to. All companies should do that, because knowledge is power,” Grinspoon told Marijuana Business Magazine. He noted that he recommends medical cannabis as part of his practice at a clinic in Chelsea, Massachusetts, a working-class town north of Boston. What will Grinspoon do for Galenas? He will offer guidance regarding cannabis products, delivery methods and the research surrounding various cannabis strains and their effectiveness for particular medical conditions. “As a primary care doctor, there’s no disease that I’m unfamiliar with, and I’ve been advising patients about medical cannabis basically my whole career—even though it hasn’t been legal to certify patients (in Massachusetts) until 2012,” Grinspoon said. “But I’ve been certifying patients since then and using it in my clinical practice, so I have a lot of experience clinically to draw on.” Grinspoon declined to say how he would be compensated for his services. Ohio Grow Company Pages Dr. Grinspoon Dr. Peter Grinspoon