Executive Spotlight: Wendy Alison Berger
Title: Board Director / Member of the Board
Company: Green Thumb Industries OTC:GTBIF / CannaVu
Years at current company: 5 years / recent
Education profile:
Syracuse University: Bachelor of Science, Finance and Marketing, 1988
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; MBA, Finance and Real Estate, 1993
Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: Following my entrepreneurial dream and creating WBS Equities, LLC which specializes in ground-up construction, renovation, development, sale-leaseback transactions and acquisitions of food manufacturing and food distribution facilities. I’m also incredibly proud of having co-founded Illinois Women in Cannabis in 2014 with GTI’s Senior Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Dina Rollman. IWC connects, educates, mentors, and supports Illinois women of all ages and backgrounds in order to maximize their opportunities in the emerging Illinois cannabis industry.
Company Mission: GTI’s mission is to promote well-being through the power of cannabis. CannaVu’s is to provide advertisers the ability to purchase digital advertising while meeting and exceeding state and federal requirements.
Company’s most successful achievement: It’s hard to choose one “most successful” achievement for Green Thumb but I think what stands out most is how we’ve created the right team to thrive in a highly dynamic and evolving industry, and our diligent approach to capital allocation. CannaVu is the best at what it does and I’m excited about the achievements we’ll make this year.
Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes
If so, how much?: GTI has raised $250 million in equity since 2018 and $105 million in debt.
Any plans on raising capital in the future? We like the position of our balance sheet. With our recent sale and leaseback transactions and the cash flow generated from our business operations, our growth plans are funded, and we are optimistic about our future. CannaVu may raise capital this year.
Most important company 5-year goal: GTI wants to continue to expand access to Green Thumb’s branded cannabis products such as Beboe, Dogwalkers, Dr. Solomon’s, Incredibles, Rythm, and The Feel Collection that help the well-being of so many people. CannaVu wants to remain the premier platform for canna-compliant digital advertising.