Company announces the promotion of two team members to leadership positions within its Mission Partners business unit
PHOENIX, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — 4Front Holdings, LLC (“4Front”), a leading retail and brand development company in the cannabis industry, announced today that it has added two members to its executive leadership team with the promotions of Don Schaefer to Executive Vice President of Retail and Jeremy J. Manning to Executive Vice President of Production within its Mission Partners USA, LLC subsidiary (“Mission Partners”).
The two executives will oversee retail and production operations, including cultivation, for Mission Partners, 4Front’s subsidiary that directly funds and manages state-licensed cannabis operations under the MissionTM brand. Mission Partners currently manages two Mission medical cannabis dispensaries, in Chicago and Allentown, Penn., and one production facility in metro Chicago. 4Front anticipates an additional four Mission dispensaries and one production facility will open across Maryland and Massachusetts before the end of 2018.
In his role as Executive Vice President of Retail, Mr. Schaefer is responsible for supporting the efficient and successful rollout of Mission-branded retail locations throughout the country, including hiring and training management teams and helping develop scalable operating procedures. A former non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Mr. Schaefer first joined 4Front in the spring of 2014 as an operations consultant where he assisted 4Front Advisors’ clients with dispensary applications and the implementation of their retail businesses. In total, Mr. Schaefer has assisted in the opening of more than a dozen medical marijuana operations across the country. Before joining 4Front, Mr. Schaefer worked in management positions at two restaurant businesses known for their commitment to excellence. Immediately before joining 4Front, he was Director of Operations for Sweetgreen, helping the chopped-salad restaurant grow from two to 25 locations in five years. During that time, the company grew from 16 to 700 employees. Mr. Schaefer also formerly led management training for Hillstone Restaurant Group and its more than 50 locations.
Mr. Schaefer’s expertise and experience, along with his leadership skills, will help ensure the Mission brand is able to rapidly scale and deliver on its commitment to help people live their best lives possible, according to Josh Rosen, 4Front’s CEO.
We believe Mission’s competitive advantage is a focus on superior customer service, so Don’s extensive experience with high-quality, multi-state retail operations, particularly in the area of building cohesive teams, will serve as a critical addition to 4Front’s executive team.
Josh Rosen, 4Front’s CEO
In addition, Don’s four years with 4Front provide him with a great foundation as we continue to expand Mission’s footprint across the country. I’m particularly excited to be promoting from within, and 4Front will no doubt benefit from Don’s leadership.
In his role as Executive Vice President of Production, Mr. Manning oversees the operational integrity of the buildout and operations for Mission Partners’ related cultivation and processing facilities in Massachusetts and Illinois. Prior to joining 4Front in early 2018, Mr. Manning was Senior Manager of U.S. Facilities, Projects & Plant Engineering for E Ink Corp., the company behind the digital e-reader display technology used in Amazon’s Kindle and several other popular e-readers. A mechanical engineer by education, Mr. Manning joined E Ink shortly after it spun out of the MIT Media Lab in the late 1990s and was integral in helping it commercialize the technology and scale the business, including being responsible for designing and building its world-class clean-room and advanced manufacturing facilities.
“Jeremy’s experience and expertise in the design and construction of high-performance labs and manufacturing facilities, in particular related to exacting environmental controls and managing to production KPIs, will be critical as we expand our cultivation and processing capabilities,” Rosen said. “We are thrilled to add his business-critical project and team management skills to our expanding executive team.”
About 4Front
Founded in 2011 with a mission to help professionalize the emerging industry, 4Front Holdings, LLC (“4Front”) is a leading retail and brand development company in the U.S. cannabis sector. It has developed a national platform that consists of a multi-state footprint, including its Mission-branded retail operations, and a far-reaching network of partnership relationships. Led by a group of professionals with experience in finance, real estate, manufacturing, and multi-location retail and hospitality operations, 4Front has invested heavily to assemble a comprehensive collection of management skills and hands-on operating expertise that can support the rapid operational growth opportunity being afforded by the increased legalization of cannabis across the United States, as well as internationally. For more information, visit 4Front’s website.
