Marijuana Business Magazine March 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | March 2019 128 CEO of natural pet food company Solid Gold since 2015. He also served as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer of Nature’s Variety, a natural pet food line. From 2006 to 2012, Rubin was a partner in two private equity firms, where he developed and implemented optimization strategies for portfolio companies in the consumer sector. Hilal Tabsh joins Dixie as vice pres- ident of marketing and distribution for Aceso Wellness, its CBD human dietary supplement company. Tabsh will lead Aceso’s branding, market- ing, portfolio expansion and global distribution efforts. He has worked as executive vice president for Limitless Coffee and Tea in Chicago and spent more than 15 years at Red Bull, ini- tially based in Dubai, U.A.E., and later became head of sales and marketing at Red Bull North America. Dixie also brought on Andrew Floor as vice president of marketing. Floor was most recently vice president of brand and digital marketing at Australian wine producer and distributor Treasury Wine Estates and previously served as vice president of marketing at Campari America’s dark spirits division. Floor will lead branding, marketing and portfolio expansion for Dixie. Namaste Technologies Fires CEO Based on Evidence of Wrongdoing Toronto-based Namaste Technologies, once dubbed the “Amazon of cannabis,” fired CEO Sean Dollinger after an internal probe found breaches of fiduciary duty and evidence of self-dealing. The company, which sells vaporizers and smoking accessories through multiple websites, also said it’s suing Dollinger for damages and disgorgement. In addition, Namaste said it launched a strategic review process that could result in the sale of the company. In a statement, Dollinger said, “I intend to take immediate legal action to begin setting the record straight and clearing any misconceptions caused by the inaccurate allegations leveled against me.” Medicine Man Hires COO Medicine Man Technologies, a Denver-based marijuana business consulting company active in multiple states, appointed Joe Puglise as chief operations officer. Puglise was most recently a partner with the Beekman Group, a New York City private equity firm, and before that, he was president of New York properties for iHeart- Media. Puglise will be responsible for management of day-to-day sales and general operations activities.   Petco Exec Joins True Leaf Board True Leaf Medicine International in Ver- non, British Columbia, has a new vice chair for its board of directors, Jodi Watson , who most recently was a senior vice president at Petco, one of the largest pet supplies retailers in the United States. Watson also served as interim chief marketing officer at Petco, leading the creative, media and marketing efforts for more than 1,400 U.S. stores and online. She also held leadership retail posts at top brands such as Williams-Sonoma, Eddie Bauer and Circuit City. Grown Rogue Hires New COO Grown Rogue International, a vertically integrated marijuana company headquartered in Medford, Oregon, hired AdamWolf as chief operating officer. Wolf was most recently COO for MarijuanaPackaging.com and also has held leadership roles at Teleflora. Wolf takes the COO reins from Obie Strickler, CEO of Grown Rogue, who had been handling the duties on an interim basis. Golden Leaf Turnover Golden Leaf Holdings, a Toronto- based company that owns marijuana businesses in several U.S. states, has a new CEO and director. William Kulczycki comes from the outdoor industry, including 28 years as vice president of Patagonia/Lost Arrow, where he was responsible for global sales, marketing and product development. Kulczycki’s other outdoor endeavors include four years as CEO of C.C. Filson of Seattle, four years as brand president of Gregory Mountain Products in Salt Lake City and two years as executive director of Mountain Khakis of Jackson, Wyoming.  Kulczycki steps in for former CEO and founder William Simpson . Simpson will remain with Golden Leaf on a full-time basis to assist Kulczycki and the board with the company’s strategic and day-to-day activities. Michael Crooke , a veteran executive best known for leading Patagonia from 1999 to 2005, stepped down from Golden Leaf’s board to concentrate on other responsibilities. A Director’s Ascent Ascent Industries, a British Columbia-based cannabis production and research company with marijuana business licenses in Nevada and Oregon, appointed interim CEO Blair Jordan to its board of directors. Dr. Perry Kendall resigned from the board to pursue an interest in public health.   CEO for the Weekend Weekend Unlimited, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based cannabis company with plant-touching and ancillary assets in Canada and the United States, appointed Paul Chu as president and CEO. Chu has co-founded and held leadership positions at CBD Jodi Watson Courtesy Photo Paul Chu Courtesy Photo Industry Players | New Hires & Promotions