To Support Sustained Growth, Jeff Wells Transitions from CEO to Chief Visionary Officer, Michael Johnson Promoted to Chief Executive Officer
Lewis Koski Elevated to Chief Strategy Officer, With Steve Asma Joining as SVP of Customer Experience
LAKELAND, Fla., May 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metrc, the most trusted and experienced provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States, announced Jeff Wells, co-founder and chair of the board of directors, has transitioned from CEO to chief visionary officer (“CVO”), and in his stead, Michael Johnson, a Metrc veteran who has been serving as president and chief financial officer (“CFO”), has been appointed as CEO, effective immediately. The company also announced that Lewis Koski, who has served as chief operating officer (“COO”) since 2019, has been promoted to chief strategy officer (“CSO”). Additionally, Steve Asma, an operations and customer experience leader, joins the Metrc team as senior vice president of customer experience.
“This is an exciting time for Metrc, with technology advancements at the forefront that will pave the way for more sophisticated programs that maintain safe and secure markets,” said Jeff Wells. “As we rapidly expand our business, we feel it’s the perfect time to restructure and expand our leadership team. Since joining Metrc, Michael has been integral in scaling our company, driving core financial decisions, and enhancing business practices across the board. It’s been a privilege to serve and represent Metrc as CEO – I’m exceptionally proud of the work we’ve accomplished, and I’m excited to continue to work closely with Michael in his new role. Transitioning to CVO, I’ll have the opportunity to help craft and see through the long-term vision for our company – to provide the necessary data for the assurance of a secure, diverse, and resilient legal cannabis market, along with exceptional service. Our brightest days are ahead of us.”
Michael Johnson added: “It is an honor to become the CEO of such an innovative and groundbreaking company. This dedicated and creative team has collectively guided our business processes and substantially expanded our operations, providing a bedrock for the efficient and impactful company we've become. I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to Jeff, our management team, and the board of directors for the opportunity to spearhead the advancement of our RFID technology and SaaS platform, which is transforming the regulated supply chain sector. I look forward to leading Metrc in its next chapter of growth – furthering our mission to power technological innovation and data-driven regulations. Together, we will provide a strong foundation for this burgeoning industry for many years to come.”
Johnson’s experience managing highly effective teams, integrating business units, and building out enterprise-wide processes has consistently led to the harmonization of customer experience and profitability. During his time as Metrc’s president and CFO, he transformed its organizational infrastructure, hired top leadership across all phases, and led year-over-year growth of nearly 50%. Prior to joining Metrc, Johnson spent his career scaling hyper-growth tech businesses, working with investors and overseeing financial operations. Most recently, he served as the CFO of InformedDNA, the largest provider of genetics services, where he led the company to consecutive years of high growth, eventually selling the company to private equity investors. Prior to InformedDNA, Johnson served as the CFO of CM Group, a family of global marketing technology brands, where he drove cost efficiencies and increased margins through corporate acquisitions, financing, and restructuring. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Metrc’s new CSO Lewis Koski has been with Metrc since 2019, serving as the company’s COO. Koski has been instrumental in forging lasting relationships with a diverse set of industry and government stakeholders while providing strategic leadership at Metrc, including scaling operations, expanding its footprint, and more than tripling the number of employees. Intimately involved in supporting the development and implementation of cannabis policy from the infancy of medical markets to the realization of legalization, he continues to be pivotal in safeguarding the needs and concerns of private businesses while strengthening regulatory markets. Prior to Metrc, he served as the deputy senior director of the Colorado Department of Revenue's Enforcement Business Group, directing state policy surrounding regulated markets and its enforcement. Koski also served as the director of the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, where he helped build the first state agency in the U.S. to develop and implement medical and adult-use cannabis policy.
Steve Asma, a results-driven operations leader with more than 15 years of experience scaling global teams, joins Metrc as SVP of customer experience. He brings deep expertise creating customer-centric cultures and sustainable operational rigor in service of leading-edge products and experiences. Previously, Asma served as VP, Fintech and Disruptors Operations at Sitel Group, a “top three” global contact-center company. Prior to Sitel, he held similar operations leadership roles along with responsibility for the office of program management at Sykes Enterprises and Frontier Communications, leveraging collaborative skills to deliver exceptional outcomes.
Metrc now holds exclusive government contracts in every region of the U.S., with a total of 21 government contracts to date. While these areas have diverse regulatory frameworks, each jurisdiction shares the common goal of ensuring safe legal cannabis markets. With four newly announced state contracts in March and April 2022 alone, Metrc sits at the forefront of radio-frequency identification (RFID) data collection for regulatory compliance in the country. To date, the company has a 100% contract renewal rate and has tracked more than 150 million cannabis plants and 70 million packages – these numbers are expected to rapidly grow with the expansion of existing markets and creation of new ones. Metrc continues to be the favored partner of regulators and businesses in serving their unique needs and goals.
About Metrc
Metrc is the most trusted and experienced provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States. Our solution combines advanced software, radio-frequency identification (RFID), a dedicated customer-support team, and a secure database to track cannabis from growth, harvest, and processing to testing, transport, and sale. Metrc is engaged in 21 government contracts and serves more than 300,000 users, including growers, testing facilities, dispensaries, state regulators, and law enforcement officials. We are proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s legal cannabis market.
Media Contact:
Justin Bernstein
Mattio Communications
justin@mattio.com
