Cresco Labs^[1], one of the country’s largest multistate cannabis operators, has made a significant new hire. According to a press release^[2], the company, which is headquartered in Chicago, has tapped Greg Butler as its first chief commercial officer. In this newly created role, Butler will be tasked with managing the commercial planning for Cresco Labs, spearheading the launch of all new products and innovation, brand M&A and integration.

It’s a tall order but one that Butler, a former marketing executive at Molson Coors, might be more than singularly equipped to fulfill.

On Butler’s seminal role at Cresco Labs, CEO Charles Bachtell, expressed considerable enthusiasm. In a public statement, he had profuse praise for Butler’s “remarkable general management pedigree and an impeccable reputation from his work driving growth for the world’s most iconic brands.”

Bachtell also held forth on how Butler’s formidable skills will suit him well at Cresco Labs. “Cannabis is an industry where his background in patient marketing, wellness retail, corporate planning and traditional CPG brand building are all necessary to deliver growth, and I couldn’t be more pleased to add these capabilities to our arsenal for driving long-term value,” he continued. “Greg’s addition strengthens an already accomplished team that’s well positioned to usher in the next generation of cannabis—normalization and professionalization.”

Butler, who has an MBA from Harvard, joins Cresco Labs from MNML Ventures, a Cresco Labs affiliate. He had worked there as an operating partner for a year. During that short tenure, he had accomplished a great deal, noted the news announcement. While at MNML Ventures, Butler “relaunched seven cannabis brands with new brand positionings, identities and packaging design, oversaw the creation of a multi-year innovation pipeline, and drove the concepting and launch of the national Sunnyside retail brand.” Sunnyside is Cresco Lab’s national dispensary brand.