Jon Levine Elevated to Chief Administration Officer
Susan Villare Appointed Chief Financial Officer

NORWOOD, Mass., May 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MariMed Inc. (OTCQX: MRMD) (“MariMed” or the “Company”), a leading multi-state cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, today announced the appointment of Jon Levine to the new role of Chief Administration Officer (“CAO”) and the appointment of Susan Villare to Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) effective May 12, 2022. Strengthening MariMed’s leadership team will enable the Company to more effectively implement its strategic growth plan and solidify MariMed’s status as a premier national cannabis company.

Mr. Levine co-founded MariMed with Chief Executive Officer Bob Fireman. As the Company’s CFO, he drove the financial discipline required to make MariMed an industry leader. The Company’s finance and accounting teams, operations, sales and marketing, and external communications will all now report to Mr. Levine as CAO.

Susan Villare is a CPA and finance executive with nearly 30 years of experience leading global and national organizations through transformations and dynamic growth. Most recently, Ms. Villare was the Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis and Treasurer for Ribbon Communications (NASDAQ: RBBN) and held Chief Financial Officer and other senior finance leadership positions for public and private companies including BigBand Networks, Burst Media, MatrixOne, and Price Waterhouse. She has an accounting degree from Boston College and is skilled in the areas of financial reporting and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, ERP implementations, investor relations, and more.

“Jon has been a driving force behind MariMed’s success the past decade, including positioning us financially to achieve our ambitious growth goals,” said Bob Fireman, Chief Executive Officer. “As CAO, and with Susan, a seasoned finance executive in place, Jon can now assume a greater role to use his decade of cannabis management and operation experience to help lead MariMed into the next phase of our promising future.”

“I am excited to embark on this expanded role at MariMed, which is possible in large part because we are welcoming such a talented executive to take on our CFO role,” said Jon Levine. “Susan’s experience managing and analyzing complex financial and accounting data and negotiating and integrating dozens of acquisitions in high-growth industries, will be invaluable as MariMed embarks on the next phase of its growth strategy.”

About MariMed
MariMed Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, is dedicated to improving lives every day through its high-quality products, its actions, and its values. The Company develops, owns, and manages seed to sale state-licensed cannabis facilities, which are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis cultivation, cannabis-infused products, and dispensary operations. MariMed has an experienced management team that has produced consistent growth and success for the Company and its managed business units. Proprietary formulations created by the Company’s technicians are embedded in its top-selling and award-winning products and brands, including Betty’s Eddies, Nature’s Heritage, Bubby’s Baked, K Fusion, Kalm Fusion, and Vibations: High + Energy. For additional information, visit www.marimedinc.com.

Investor Relations Contact:
Steve West
Vice President, Investor Relations
Email: [email protected]

Media Contact:
Trailblaze PR
Email: [email protected]

Company Contact:
Howard Schacter
Chief Communications Officer
Email: [email protected]

This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.

About Ryan Allway

Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ – Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today announced the appointment of Ann Gillin Lefever to the position of Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.  In this newly created role, Ms. Gillin Lefever will be responsible for overseeing investor relations, providing guidance on strategy, growth (including potential mergers and acquisitions) and risk, and leading internal communications, as well as supporting government and public affairs.

Ms. Gillin Lefever is an accomplished business, financial and capital markets executive, who has leveraged her deep experience in equity analysis, capital markets, governance and business strategy for a successful career as an advisor to C-level and board leadership on structuring businesses to create a foundation for positive long-term operating performance, strategy and communications.

“I am thrilled to welcome Ann to the Village Farms’ executive team,” said Michael DeGiglio, CEO, Village Farms.  “Village Farms’ has had the benefit of Ann’s expertise and experience for several years as a consultant to the Company, throughout which time her counsel has been integral to our strategic planning, analysis, capital markets strategy and communication.  She brings a unique and valued perspective to the team that is firmly aligned with our evolution to a vertically integrated plant-based consumer products company, focused on cannabinoids and related health products, with opportunities in North America and around the world.  I look forward to her continued contribution, now as a full-time member of the Village Farms’ team.”

In addition to Village Farms, Ms. Gillin Lefever advised several other organizations on governance and financial strategies while dedicating time to her family, whom she describes as her life-mentors.   Her prior professional experience includes roles in the Equities Division management teams of Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers, where she was Head of the Institutional Sales Team for four years. She also developed a business model, Desk-Based Analytics, that created synergies between equity traders and institutional clients and led to increased market share and profitability through innovative content.  As a Senior Equity Research analyst covering Consumer Products at both Lehman Brothers and Sanford Bernstein, Ann won many awards for ground-breaking coverage and relished a partnership with other esteemed Food, Beverage and Tobacco analysts at Lehman Brothers. Ms. Gillin Lefever holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Georgetown University and an MBA from The Wharton School.  Currently, she sits on Georgetown University McDonough School’s Board of Advisors.

About Village Farms International, Inc.

Village Farms leverages decades of experience as a large-scale, Controlled Environment Agriculture-based, vertically integrated supplier for high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods opportunities, with a strong foundation as a leading fresh produce supplier to grocery and large-format retailers throughout the US and Canada, and new high-growth opportunities in the cannabis and CBD categories in North America and selected markets internationally.

In Canada, the Company’s wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of Canada’s best-selling brands. The Company also owns 70% of Québec-based, ROSE LifeScience, a leading third-party cannabis products commercialization expert in the Province of Québec,

In the US, wholly-owned Balanced Health Botanicals is one of the leading CBD brands and e-commerce platforms in the country.  Subject to compliance with all applicable US federal and state laws and stock exchange rules, Village Farms plans to enter the US high-THC cannabis market via multiple strategies, leveraging one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms’ cannabis success in Canada.

Internationally, Village Farms is targeting selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant medium- and long-term potential, with an initial focus on the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This press release also contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. We refer to such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information collectively as “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company’s delisting from the TSX and anticipated benefits therefrom, and may also relate to the Company’s future outlook or financial position and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the financial position, business strategy, budgets, expansion plans, litigation, projected production, projected costs, capital expenditures, financial results, taxes, plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Particularly, statements regarding the anticipated benefits of delisting from the TSX as well as future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities for the Company, the greenhouse vegetable industry or the cannabis industry are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by such terms as “can”, “outlook”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “occur”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “try”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “continue”, “likely”, “schedule”, “objectives”, or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to risks that may include, but are not limited to: our operating history, including that of ROSE Lifescience (“ROSE”), Balanced Health Botanicals (“Balanced Health”), Pure Sunfarms and our start-up operations of growing hemp in the United States; the legal status of Pure Sunfarms, ROSE and Balanced Health cannabis business; risks relating to the integration of ROSE into our business; risks relating to obtaining additional financing, including our dependence upon credit facilities; potential difficulties in achieving and/or maintaining profitability; variability of product pricing; risks inherent in the cannabis, hemp, CBD, cannabinoids, and agricultural businesses; market position, ability to leverage current business relationships for future business involving hemp and cannabinoids, the ability of Pure Sunfarms and ROSE to cultivate and distribute cannabis in Canada; existing and new governmental regulations, including risks related to regulatory compliance and regarding obtaining and maintaining licenses required under the Cannabis Act (Canada), the Criminal Code and other Acts, S.C. 2018, c. 16 (Canada) for its Canadian operational facilities), and changes in our regulatory requirements; legal and operational risks relating to expected conversion of our greenhouses to cannabis production in Canada and in the United States; risks related to rules and regulations at the US federal (Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture), state and municipal levels with respect to produce and hemp, cannabidiol-based products commercialization; retail consolidation, technological advances and other forms of competition; transportation disruptions; product liability and other potential litigation; retention of key executives; labor issues; uninsured and underinsured losses; vulnerability to rising energy costs; environmental, health and safety risks, foreign exchange exposure, risks associated with cross-border trade; difficulties in managing our growth; restrictive covenants under our credit facilities; natural catastrophes; the ongoing and developing COVID-19 pandemic; and tax risks.

The Company has based these forward-looking statements on factors and assumptions about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on information currently available to management, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, that may cause the Company’s or the industry’s actual results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities in future periods to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the factors contained in the Company’s filings with securities regulators, including this press release. In particular, we caution you that our forward-looking statements are subject to the ongoing and developing circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and future financial results.

When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as guarantees of future results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE Village Farms International, Inc.

This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.

About Ryan Allway

Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2021 / GABY Inc. (“GABY” or the “Company“) (CSE:GABY)(OTCQB:GABLF), a California consolidator of cannabis dispensaries and the parent company of San Diego’s Mankind Dispensary (“Mankind“), is pleased to announce the addition of Marshall Minor as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of GABY.

Mr. Minor brings an extensive resume to GABY’s executive team. Most recently, Marshall was CFO of Shryne Group – a multi-state operator in the cannabis industry with operations in California, Michigan, Washington and Nevada, with a combined 10 operating dispensaries and revenues in excess of $100 million. Prior to Shryne Group, Mr. Minor was the CFO of Solace Holdings/Aether Gardens, a private equity backed cannabis company focused on production and extraction. Further to Marshall’s strong cannabis knowledge, he brings senior executive experience as a CFO of a billion-dollar real estate development company, Vice President of Corporate Finance and M&A for MGM Resorts in Las Vegas and extensive capital markets and investment banking experience with bulge bracket firms in New York and regional firms in California.

“My diverse career path has allowed me to work across several high-caliber companies, generating development growth in some of the most sophisticated and competitive markets within cannabis, real estate, and investment banking,” said Minor. “I’m looking forward to applying my experience gained on Wall Street, Main Street, and in the cannabis world to GABY and helping it establish its place as a leader in the cannabis market,” said Mr. Minor.

“Marshall’s hiring comes at an exciting time for GABY as it expands its retail operations across California,” said Margot Micallef, Founder and CEO of GABY. “Mr. Minor’s impressive executive history in cannabis, gaming and investment banking will be a major asset to GABY shareholders as we continue to make acquisitions and expand the GABY brand across California. The right leadership talent is paramount in a high growth company like GABY, and I am excited about GABY’s future with the executive team I have brought together.”

GABY continues to realize synergies from its merger with Mankind and will be consolidating its distribution and manufacturing facilities from a segmented multi-city effort into a single streamlined operation based out of its headquarters of San Diego. To facilitate this change, GABY will be closing its Sonoma Pacific Distribution location in Santa Rosa and will transition all pertinent operations to Wild West Industries. This move will allow Mankind to better serve its customers by decreasing time-to-shelf of products, improving availability of proprietary products, and ensuring a single point of quality assurance, all while furthering the Company’s commitment to sustainability through the decrease of transportation emissions.

The Company is also pleased to confirm that in keeping with its policy of ensuring that all full-time employees of GABY or its subsidiaries are aligned with GABY’s shareholders, it has issued an aggregate of 16,200,000 Restricted Share Units (each an “RSU“) to 102 employees pursuant to the terms of its Restricted Share Unit Plan. Further, the Company has issued an aggregate of 940,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares“) to employees with vested RSU’s and 1,465,667 Common Shares to three consultants who elected pursuant to their consulting agreements to receive compensation in Common Shares instead of cash.

About GABY Inc.
GABY Inc. is a California-focused retail consolidator and the owner of Mankind Dispensary, one of the oldest licensed dispensaries in California. Mankind is a well-known, and highly respected dispensary with deep roots in the California cannabis community operating in San Diego, California. GABY curates and sells a diverse portfolio of products, including its own proprietary brands, Kind Republic and Lulu’s through Mankind and manufactures and distributes the brands through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Wild West Industries, based in San Diego. A pioneer in the industry with a multi-vertical retail foundation, and a strong management team with experience in retail, consolidation, and cannabis, GABY is poised to grow its retail operations both organically and through acquisition.

GABY’s shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE“) under the symbol “GABY” and on the OTC under the symbol “GABLF”. For more information on GABY, visit www.GABYInc.com

For further inquiries, please contact:
General
Margot Micallef, Founder & CEO or Investor Relations at [email protected] or 800-674-2239.

Media Contact:
Charlie Rohlfs
Senior Communications Manager
GABY Inc.
[email protected]

Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Information
The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “continue”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “potential”, “proposed” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. These statements are only predictions. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s realization of synergies from its merger with Mankind, the expansion of the Company’s retail operations in California, future acquisitions of the Company, and the closing of the Company’s Sonoma Pacific Distribution location in Santa Rosa and the transition of the Company’s operations to Wild West Industries. Although GABY believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because GABY can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. By its nature, such forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. Without limitation, these risks and uncertainties include: the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; risks associated with the cannabis industry in general; failure to benefit from partnerships or successfully integrate acquisitions; actions and initiatives of federal, state and provincial governments and changes to government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies; the size of the medical-use and adult-use cannabis market; competition from other industry participants; adverse U.S., Canadian and global economic conditions; failure to comply with certain regulations; and departure of key management personnel or inability to attract and retain talent. GABY undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Each of Mankind and Sonoma Pacific Distribution, Inc., are subsidiaries of GABY and hold a cannabis license in the State of California. Readers are cautioned that unlike in Canada which has Federal 032320-F legislation uniformly governing the cultivation, distribution, sale and possession of medical cannabis under the Cannabis Act (Federal), in the United States (“U.S.“), cannabis is largely regulated at the State level. Cannabis is legal in the State of California; however, cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal laws. Notwithstanding the permissive regulatory environment of cannabis at the State level, cannabis continues to be categorized as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S. and as such, cannabis-related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. To the knowledge of the Company, the businesses operated by each of GABY’s subsidiaries are conducted in a manner consistent with the State law of California, as applicable, and are in compliance with regulatory and licensing requirements applicable in the State of California, respectively. However, readers should be aware that strict compliance with State laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve GABY, or its subsidiary of liability under U.S. federal law, nor will it provide a defense to any federal proceeding in the U.S. which could be brought against any of GABY, or its subsidiary. Any such proceedings brought against GABY, or its subsidiary may materially adversely affect the Company’s operations and financial performance generally in the U.S. market specifically.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: GABY Inc.

This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.

About Ryan Allway

Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.