JM Search Recruits CEO for RX Green Technologies

November 21, 2023 – Kristian Shannon and Jocelyn Scott of JM Search have recruited Gary Santo as CEO of RX Green Technologies, a producer of commercial cultivation supplies for the cannabis industry. He replaced Wes Matelich, who will remain on the board as an advisor. “With such a strong foundation in place, RX Green Technologies is ready to scale,” said Mr. Matelich. “Following an extensive search led by myself and the board, we are excited to add a leader with Gary’s depth of experience in the cannabis industry and strong history of transformational leadership. Together with his passion for serving customers and brand partners and proven track record of developing and inspiring lean, high-performance teams, we believe Gary is the right person to take RX Green to the next level and accelerate the company’s growth opportunities.”
Mr. Santo brings nearly three decades of experience leading high-performing teams in consumer credit, financial services, gaming and technology, higher education, specialty-pharma and regulated cannabis sectors across North America. He has held a variety of senior-level positions including roles at The Cannabist Company, and most recently held the role of CEO at TILT Holdings Inc., a multi-state operator and global inhalation business in the licensed cannabis industry. During his tenure at TILT, Mr. Santo expanded TILT’s operational capacity and led its strategic pivot towards a brand partner focused, B2B, consumer packaged goods model designed to leverage the strengths of the company’s plant touching and non-plant touching businesses.
“I’m excited to join a company with RX Green’s strong operational foundation and great reputation,” said Mr. Santo. “As a former operator in the cannabis industry, I understand first-hand the need for efficient, predictable results from the cultivation process. Cultivators need a dependable partner capable of understanding their specific growing environment and collaborating with them to develop formulations that consistently outperform the competition where it matters most – in the garden.”
“I also understand the need for a dependable supplier, able to deliver products on time, as ordered,” continued Mr. Santo. “With manufacturing operations in Colorado and New Hampshire, a direct-to-cultivator sales model and a relentless approach to quality control, RX Green offers the kind of superior supply chain management and support not easily found in this industry. Put simply, for growers seeking to improve harvest yields while reducing their COGS, RX Green is one of the best kept secrets in the industry. I look forward to building upon the great work that Wes and the team have done to ensure that RX Green is a secret no more.”
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RX Green Technologies is an agricultural input company based in Bedford, NH, and Denver, CO. Dedicated to supporting commercial cannabis cultivators, RX Green’s direct sales and service model delivers market leading quality controlled, research-backed consumable products.
Experienced Search Consultants
JM Search is an advisor to CEOs, investors, and boards of directors in recruiting, assessing, and delivering high performance leaders and transformational leadership teams. Its clients include private equity firms and portfolio companies, venture capital-backed businesses, and publicly held companies across North America. Founded in 1980, the JM Search recruiting team brings together former operating and financial executives, investors and experienced search professionals with deep industry specialization, functional expertise, and proven access to talent spanning multiple industry sectors.
JM Search Recruits CEO for Elliott Aviation
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Mr. Shannon serves as a vice president at JM Search and a member of the firm’s consumer practice. With over 25 years of experience in talent acquisition, executive recruitment, and human resource leadership, his track record spans working with an array of businesses, from small private and private equity-backed companies to multi-billion dollar public organizations. Leveraging his HR and consumer background, Mr. Shannon focuses on placing human resource, operations and supply chain, and sales and marketing executives across the consumer goods and manufacturing industry.
Ms. Scott is a principal at JM Search and a member of the firm’s healthcare and life sciences practice. She brings over 20 years of search experience specializing in pharmaceutical and biotechnology, clinical drug development, and commercialization recruiting. Her expertise spans across clinical drug development from phase one through approval, and all aspects of go-to-market, and commercialization for pharmaceuticals and biologics.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media