HughSeasoned VP of Operations with 20+ years of experience

Cannabis Manufacturing Lead, large scale multi-state operations, leadership, safety, training and development

Hugh, MBA, has 4+ years of experience in the cannabis space in the AZ, FL, and TX markets as an Operations Leader.

- Prior to cannabis, he led large-scale operations in the food and nutraceutical spaces.
- He has held VP of Operations and Director of Operations roles in and out of cannabis over his 20 years in manufacturing.
- He is open to a hybrid travel role.

Hugh has experience in large scale multi-site, multi-state operations from 40-acre greenhouse grows to small scale, craft indoor grows.

- He has led the manufacturing side of cannabis–extraction (CO2, hydrocarbon, solventless and ethanol) and edibles (gummies, chocolates, powdered drink additives, soft gels, mints, tinctures, RSO, etc.).
- He also has experience leading teams of 400+ direct and hourly employees with cascading manager and supervisor functions.

Hugh led cost-saving initiatives/revenue increases that included reconfiguring multi-tiered growing rooms that led to 2.5 times yield increases vs. the old method.
- He enlisted a 3rd party contractor to review energy bills for agriculture tax exemptions.
- He flattened the organization and built a high-performing leadership team of Sr. managers over critical functions, leading to an operational savings of $300,000 yearly.
- He installed Quality at the Source programs for all their manufacturing and packaging operations, which led to a reduction in rework of almost 75% and a scrap reduction of nearly $3 million.
- Additionally, he spearheaded quality initiatives to achieve a $400 per pound increase on flower prices, realizing a 50% revenue increase from 2018 to 2019.

Hugh possesses strong leadership, safety, training, and development skills.
- He collaborated with HR Management to create a Train the Trainer program focused on establishing a certified trainer in each department–this decreased turnover rate by 20% YOY through enhanced employee training.
- He established a cohesive team focused on safety that included daily team huddles, near miss reporting/investigations, first response team, and facility audits–this decreased OSHA recordables by 30%.

2022 Tri-State Cannabis Salary Guide