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OAKLAND, CA and TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2019 /CNW/ – PRESS RELEASE – Harborside Inc., a California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis enterprise, has announced Peter Bilodeau as interim CEO, replacing Andrew Berman. The company is also announcing the expansion of its senior management team with the promotion of Greg Sutton as Chief Operating Officer of Cultivation and Manufacturing and the addition of Lisah Poore as Chief Retail Officer, with Mireille Duclos leading Harborside’s human resources department.

Having led Harborside as CEO since February 2018, including with its listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), Andrew Berman will be stepping down as CEO, President and Board Member. Given the changing and challenging market conditions, the Board believes a new and broader leadership team is necessary to accelerate the growth of the company. Peter Bilodeau, Harborside’s current Chairman of the Board of Directors, will serve as interim CEO and together with a subcommittee of the Board will undertake a recruitment process for a suitable replacement. The changes are effective immediately.

“We thank Andy for his tireless efforts navigating the transition from a non-profit to for-profit business, foundational work that will set the stage for future expansion,” said Peter Bilodeau, Chairman and Interim CEO of Harborside. “The executive team is excited to add Greg, Lisah and Mireille to Harborside’s senior management. These changes are expected to accelerate the company’s growth, advancing Harborside as a leading cannabis retailer in California and driving shareholder value.”

Sutton has extensive experience in the cannabis space, particularly in cultivation, distribution, manufacturing and business-to-business wholesale and branded product sales. Sutton is a lawyer and has extensive experience in M&A. He will oversee Harborside’s 4-acre cultivation facility in Salinas, Calif., and drive wholesale and branded product sales, and leads the company’s new brand development initiatives. In his new role, Sutton will spearhead Harborside’s cost cutting efforts to drive efficiencies and cost management initiatives across the company’s business units towards the achievement of strong sustainable profitability.

Poore comes to Harborside from Dosist where she was the Senior Vice President West. While there, Poore supported a wholesale strategy for multiple accounts in California, including delivery. Prior to joining Dosist, Poore worked as a VP at Sephora where her experience included running the retail services team, education and overseeing 70+ stores. Prior to Sephora, Poore held senior retail roles with Estee Lauder/MAC Cosmetics and Starbucks. With over 25 years of retail strategy experience, Poore will be responsible for the seven retail stores the company will have operational by year end employing approximately 160 people, including the company’s newest locations in Desert Hot Springs and San Leandro, Calif., both planned for opening in Q4 of this year.

Duclos comes to Harborside from the pharmaceutical manufacturer Leiters, a multi-state PE-backed compounder and outsourcer of 165+ employees, where she held the position of Director of Human Resources. Prior to Leiters, Duclos served in senior human resources positions at Fortune 50 companies including Nestlé and Sears Holdings as well as serving as the VP of Human Resources for the 1,500 employees at Amerit Fleet Solutions. Duclos will work with Sutton on the implementation of the cost cutting program.