Cresco Labs Continues to Redefine Cannabis Industry, Names Former Molson Coors Marketing Executive Greg Butler Chief Commercial Officer
Celebrated marketer brings diverse experiences in health and wellness, as well as CPG brand building, to help scale Cresco Labs’ U.S. market presence and create the first nationally recognized portfolio of cannabis brands
CHICAGO, February 13, 2020–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cresco Labs (CSE:CL)(OTCQX:CRLBF) (“Cresco” or “the Company”), one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, today announced a high-profile leadership hire to support its steadfast commitment to building the most important cannabis company in the U.S. Greg Butler joins Cresco Labs as its first Chief Commercial Officer (“CCO”). Greg brings to Cresco Labs a strong background in driving brand growth for top-tier CPG companies including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Molson Coors, wellness retail execution for Walgreens, and business growth and capital management strategic advising for leading private equity portfolio companies.
In this newly created position, Greg is responsible for demand and commercial strategic planning, bolstering Cresco Labs’ sales and marketing teams with top talent, leading the launch of all new products and innovation, brand M&A and integration, and driving enterprise strategies to deliver on the company’s vision to be the most important cannabis company in the U.S. among patients, customers, consumers and industry stakeholders.
“One of the key components of our success is the ability to strategically curate a leadership team with both institutional expertise and the highest caliber of subject matter experts across different industries—from retail to healthcare to beer to CPG,” said Charles Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs. “Greg has a remarkable general management pedigree and an impeccable reputation from his work driving growth for the world’s most iconic brands.”
Cannabis is an industry where his background in patient marketing, wellness retail, corporate planning and traditional CPG brand building are all necessary to deliver growth, and I couldn’t be more pleased to add these capabilities to our arsenal for driving long-term value.
Charles Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs
Greg’s addition strengthens an already accomplished team that’s well positioned to usher in the next generation of normalized and professionalized cannabis.
After a year serving as Operating Partner at MNML Ventures, an affiliate of Cresco Labs, Greg has stepped into a full-time CCO role to continue to execute the long-term growth plan that has already delivered significant results. He led the creation of a pioneering occasion-based portfolio strategy, relaunched seven cannabis brands with new brand positionings, identities and packaging design, oversaw the creation of a multi-year innovation pipeline, and drove the concepting and launch of the national Sunnyside* retail brand. He also helped reshape Cresco Labs’ robust marketing, retail operations and sales teams that are made up of notable hires from Apple, Starbucks, PepsiCo and Red Bull.
“The results of Greg’s leadership speak for themselves,” says Tom Manning, Chairman of the Cresco Labs Board of Directors. “He oversaw the Miller portfolio and developed a commercial strategy for the billion-dollar Miller Lite brand, delivering 13 quarters of sustained growth after years of declining sales. He also has launched innovation consumer campaigns for global brands that drove share growth and has won a wide range of awards from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to the Effie Awards.”
Greg graduated from Queen’s University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Throughout my career, I’m most energized by the opportunity to support the entrepreneurism of small companies in hyper-growth mode with the discipline and proven strategies of large CPG brands. After my first conversation with Charlie about his vision for Cresco Labs, I knew the opportunity to help navigate its strategic growth was the perfect fit.
Greg Butler, Cresco Labs CCO
Cresco Labs is reimagining the way consumers and patients look at the cannabis industry, and I’m excited to be part of its extraordinary mission and enhance the impact the company has already made.
About Cresco Labs
Cresco Labs is one of the largest vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis operators in the United States. Cresco is built to become the most important company in the cannabis industry by combining the most strategic geographic footprint with one of the leading distribution platforms in North America. Employing a consumer-packaged goods (“CPG”) approach to cannabis, Cresco’s house of brands is designed to meet the needs of all consumer segments and includes some of the most recognized and trusted national brands including Cresco, Remedi and Mindy’s, a line of edibles created by James Beard Award-winning chef Mindy Segal. Sunnyside*, Cresco’s national dispensary brand, is a wellness-focused retailer designed to build trust, education and convenience for both existing and new cannabis consumers. Recognizing that the cannabis industry is poised to become one of the leading job creators in the country, Cresco has launched the industry’s first national comprehensive Social Equity and Educational Development (SEED) initiative designed to ensure that all members of society have the skills, knowledge and opportunity to work in and own businesses in the cannabis industry. Learn more about Cresco Labs at www.crescolabs.com.
