Company establishes U.S. governance standards with appointment of new directors and sub-committees
MINNEAPOLIS, May 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Vireo Health International, Inc. (“Vireo Health” or the “Company”) (CSE: VREO), a leading science-focused, multi-state cannabis company, today announced the addition of four new Directors to the Company’s Board and the formation of three committees to provide oversight and guidance on Audit, Compensation, and other Corporate Governance matters.
Vireo Health is pleased to have added several highly-regarded industry leaders with deep retail, manufacturing and financial expertise to help guide the Company as we continue to execute upon our ambitious growth plans.
Kyle Kingsley, M.D., Chief Executive Officer
Together with our extremely talented leadership team and dedicated workforce, I am confident we have the necessary talent to create shareholder value and build the cannabis company of the future.
“I am honored to join the Vireo Health Board of Directors and offer my consumer branding expertise to a leader in the rapidly growing cannabis industry,” said Chelsea A. Grayson, Vireo Health Director and CEO of True Religion Brand Jeans. “Diversity and equality are extremely important to me and I am delighted to serve alongside two other extraordinarily talented women on the board.”
In addition to Grayson, the four new members of the Board include Chad Martinson, Chief Executive Officer of ACOVA Integrated Health; Amy Langer, co-founder of Salo, LLC and a Director of HealthPartners, a leading non-profit health insurance provider; and Judd Norquist, CPA, a Partner at Abdo, Eick & Meyers, a leading regional accounting firm. The new Board members join Dr. Kingsley, who continues to serve as Chairman, Chief Financial Officer Amber Shimpa, and Chief Operating Officer Ari Hoffnung.
Chelsea A. Grayson, J.D., is the first ever female CEO of True Religion and sits on the True Religion board of directors. Previously, Ms. Grayson was the CEO and a board member of American Apparel, where she significantly improved the Company’s operations before it was sold to Gildan Activewear. Prior to joining American Apparel, Ms. Grayson was an M&A and corporate governance partner with Jones Day. Ms. Grayson is also an advisory board member for Marca Global, a leading online reputation management company and a Board Leadership and Corporate Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Amy L. Langer, CPA, is the Co-founder of Salo LLC. At Salo, Ms. Langer drives growth and brand affinity through analysis of market gaps, architecting and leading innovative strategy, and establishing sustainable and scalable infrastructure. Ms. Langer and Salo have been recognized locally and nationally with a wide range of awards including Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur Magazine, and the Inc500. Her expertise encompasses human resources, finance, and accounting. She began her career as a CPA auditor for KPMG followed by time at one of largest staffing agencies as their National Business Development Director. Ms. Langer also serves on the board of directors for HealthPartners and GreaterMSP.
Chad Martinson MBA, CPA, CMA, is currently the Chief Executive Officer of ACOVA Integrated Health. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of ACOVA Integrated Health, and as CFO and Executive Vice President of Operations at Upsher-Smith Laboratories, acquired by Sawai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. He also previously served as VP of Finance and Business Development at Medtronic in the company’s neuro division, and spent eight years at KPMG in the audit practice.
Judd Nordquist, CPA, is a Partner at Abdo, Eick & Meyers, LLP, serving on their leadership team and leading the firm’s Manufacturing segment. Judd works with business owners solving challenges and creating better bottom line results through tax planning, cash flow management, pricing, budgeting/forecasting, overhead allocation calculations and ultimately assisting owners with their transition planning.
Kyle Kingsley, M.D., is the Founder and CEO of Vireo Health, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, serial entrepreneur, and inventor. His mission is to build the cannabis company of the future by bringing the best of medicine, engineering, and science to the cannabis industry. Under Dr. Kingsley’s leadership, Vireo has experienced exponential growth and is now one of the country’s leading multi-state operators, with licenses in ten states.
Amber Shimpa serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Vireo Health and has held this position since Vireo’s inception in 2015. She is responsible for all aspects of the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, investor relations and administrative functions. She has 14 years of experience as a financial services professional with various commercial and investment banking organizations. Prior to joining Vireo Health, Ms. Shimpa spent nine years as Vice President of a commercial bank focused on nationwide lending.
Ari Hoffnung serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Vireo Health. Mr. Hoffnung previously served as New York City’s Deputy Comptroller for Budget & Public Affairs, where he oversaw the City’s $70 billion budget, managed a staff of more than 100 employees, and served as the chief liaison to all levels of governments and to various labor unions. Prior to his public service, Mr. Hoffnung was a Managing Director at Bear Stearns, where he worked for more than a decade.
About Vireo Health International, Inc.
Vireo Health International, Inc.’s mission is to build the cannabis company of the future by bringing the best of medicine, engineering and science to the cannabis industry. Vireo Health’s physician-led team of more than 300 employees provides best-in-class cannabis products and customer experience. Vireo cultivates cannabis in environmentally-friendly greenhouses, manufactures pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts, and sells its products at both company-owned and third-party dispensaries. The Company currently is licensed in ten states including Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. For more information about the company, please visit www.vireohealth.com.
