People + Passion
Our leadership team is comprised of a deep bench of experts and industry leaders that collectively bring hundreds of years of experience across cannabis, retail, agriculture, and finance and an unparalleled understanding of the sector. They have charted a course and guided 4Front from its early beginnings to the success we have today. They are passionate, committed stakeholders and aligned to drive long-term success. With some of the best minds in the industry, they have earned their reputation as efficient operators and thought leaders. As a testament to their skills, our leadership team earned 4Front Ventures a spot in Inc. Magazine’s Best-Led Companies of 2021 list.
Operational Leadership
Leo Gontmakher
CEO
Leo co-founded Northwest Cannabis Solutions, which under his leadership grew to be one of the largest and most successful producers of cannabis products in Washington state. He also served as Chief Operating Officer at Cannex, which merged with 4Front in July 2019. Before entering the cannabis industry, he served on the senior management team at North America’s largest processor and distributor of specialized seafood products.
Andrew Thut
CIO
Andrew was an early investor in 4Front, joining the company full time in 2014. He brings to the team a wealth of financial-management experience and business acumen having previously served as managing director of the BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund at BlackRock Advisors LLC. During his 11- year involvement, the $2 billion fund ranked in the top five percent of all domestic small cap growth funds.
Keith Adams
CFO
Keith Adams previously served as the chief financial officer of LPF Holdco, LLC d/b/a Loudpack, with more than 30 years of experience in accounting and finance, Keith has a successful track record of scaling companies, driving profitability and raising equity and debt. After serving as CFO and driving growth in a variety of tech start-ups – from hardware, SaaS and ecommerce to pharma, manufacturing and food industries, Keith made his foray into cannabis in 2018 serving as chief accounting officer at DionyMed, a multi-state cannabis brands, distribution and delivery platform.
Ray Landgraf
President, California Operations
Ray was the founder and CEO of Island Cannabis Co., a premier California cannabis brand and consumer-products business. Before founding Island, he served as vice president of global business development and head of authentication and verification solutions for Dun & Bradstreet, and has held leadership positions at Credibility Corp., Reply!, MerchantCircle, Viking Asset Management and Fisher Investments. Also, he is an active investor and advisor at several private technology companies including Kaya Ventures, Eaze, Emotive, Indigo, LeafLink and Malbec Labs.
Brandon Mills
Executive Vice President
Brandon served as president and chief operating officer of Island. With his strong entrepreneurial and C-Suite background, Mills brings expertise in corporate strategy, operations, technology, product and data in both public and private operating environments. In addition to his role at Island, Mills has served as: co-founder and head of product for true[x], an advertising technology platform; founder and CEO of BlockBeacon, a mobile marketing platform acquired by Credibility Corp in 2012; and vice president and general manager of Dun & Bradstreet.
Joshua Krane
VP, Operations California
Josh Krane has a diverse operations, product, strategy, digital media background with a recent emphasis on cannabis manufacturing and distribution operations and logistics. He is currently responsible for all production and operations including supply chain and distribution at our California manufacturing facility.
Gabe Mendoza
EVP, Retail Operations
Gabriel Mendoza is a lifelong Chicagoan who has worked in the cannabis industry since 2012. Gabriel began his cannabis career by serving as the company’s Operations Manager for both dispensary and cultivation center operations. In addition to his operational experience, Gabriel is the co-creator of the non-profit, Chicago NORML. Chicago NORML was founded in 2017 with the goal of educating and motivating communities of color to destigmatize and accept the cannabis plant as a vehicle for wellness, and empowerment.
Christopher Wimmer
General Counsel
Christopher previously served as in-house vice president of legal at Agrify Corporation, where he provided legal advice on all aspects of this publicly traded cannabis cultivation and extraction equipment company. He has 17 years of diverse experience as an attorney, and he has been in the cannabis industry for four years – two of which he has spent as in-house legal counsel – assisting in acquisitions, partnerships, wholesale purchases, IP licensing, HR matters and litigation. Also, from 2019 to 2020 Wimmer was a pro bono attorney for social equity cannabis businesses, providing free legal information to employees and customers.
Jill Vipond
VP, Human Resources
Jill is an HR professional with over 15 years’ experience working within financial and construction industries with a strong focus on employee development, engagement, and retention. She earned a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Ottawa University, and a Bachelor of Science from Texas State University. She has also achieved the designations of SHRM-CP and PHR.
Tera Martin
Chief of Staff
Tera brings 10 years of cannabis industry experience in retail operations, cultivation/processing/wholesale operations, product development, sales and marketing strategy and management, branding, project management and compliance. Her battle with breast cancer sparked her advocacy efforts in the medical marijuana industry and she was on the forefront of legalization in Washington.
Board Members
David Daily
Director
David is the CEO of Gravitron, LLC which he founded in May 2004. David has designed or led the GRAV® design team to bring over 500 unique top-line products to the cannabis market. Dave is an investor, board member, mentor, and advisor to over a dozen start-up stage brands in cannabis and consumer packaged goods. He holds a B.A. in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Kathi Lentzsch
Director
Kathi has more than three decades of experience in retail and wholesale operations and management with public and privately held companies. Until December 2020, Kathi was the CEO, President and a Board member of Bartell Drugs. She left this role after successfully leading the sale of the company to Rite Aid, the third largest pharmacy chain in the country. She has held senior executive roles at Pottery Barn, Cost Plus World Market and Pier 1 Imports.
Leo Gontmakher
CEO, Director
Leo co-founded Northwest Cannabis Solutions, which under his leadership grew to be one of the largest and most successful producers of cannabis products in Washington state. He also served as Chief Operating Officer at Cannex, which merged with 4Front in July 2019. Before entering the cannabis industry, he served on the senior management team at North America’s largest processor and distributor of specialized seafood products.
Chetan Gulati
Director
Chetan Gulati has served as a member of the Company’s board of directors since December 2020. He has been a partner and head of research at Navy Capital, a New York-based asset manager focused on the rapidly growing global cannabis sector from 2019 to the present.
Roman Tkachenko
Director
Roman has served as a member of the Company’s board of directors since December 2020. From March 2010 to the present, Mr. Tkachenko has served as the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Direct Source Seafood LLC, a major crab and shrimp importer and wholesaler. DSS is not only committed to quality, but also to upholding the integrity of the seafood industry as a whole. In order to deliver on this initiative, DSS offers products that are sustainable and environmentally friendly, and has grown to become the largest king crab and snow crab importer in the United States.
Amit Patel
Director
Amit Patel brings to the 4Front Board a wide range of experience in investment management, investment banking, and the management and oversight of operating companies, including companies undergoing strategic transformations. Mr. Patel has served as managing partner of Paceline Partners since January 2016 and oversees the firm’s investment activities.
Robert Hunt
Director
Robert has more than 15 years of experience in the cannabis industry, serving as an attorney, consultant and entrepreneur. Since January 2018, Hunt has been a managing member of Linnaea Holdings, a California-based cannabis-focused private equity and operating company hybrid venture, and since January 2017, Hunt has been a managing member of Shingle Hill, a boutique cannabis consulting firm.
Business as Unusual
This is a unique business with unique challenges and opportunities that have opened the door to an exceptional leadership group from diverse backgrounds. We have challenged ourselves to innovate and look beyond existing strategies, processes, assumptions, and mindsets to ensure we attract and retain some of the best and most committed minds in the business, ensuring we remain competitive, relevant and ultimately continue to elevate lives through the power of cannabis. Come back often and learn about some of our team’s personal journey with the flower.
Tera’s story
Tera’s battle with breast cancer sparked her advocacy efforts in the medical marijuana industry and led her to be on the forefront of legalization in Washington. Tera is one of the founders of the Pink Gene Foundation which strives to help young women become proactive in the fight against breast cancer by educating, providing resources and offering assistance. They are dedicated to helping women identify whether they are at high risk of breast cancer. Another special fact about Tera is that she holds the past titles of Miss Issaquah USA, Miss Greater Seattle USA and Miss Photogenic Washington USA. On her free time you can find her judging pageants and donating her time to the community.
Gabes’s story
Gabriel is the co-creator of the non-profit, Chicago NORML. Chicago NORML was founded in 2017 with the goal of educating and motivating communities of color to destigmatize and accept the cannabis plant as a vehicle for wellness, and empowerment. Gabriel is responsible for co-creating the curriculum used by Chicago NORML to train individuals on how to get a job in the cannabis industry. To date, the organization has trained over 1,000 individuals, and has helped to place over a dozen minorities into highly competitive cannabis jobs within the state of Illinois. As chair of the legislative committee Gabriel has spoken to countless state and federal politicians on the benefits of legalizing cannabis. It was the efforts of Gabriel and Chicago NORML that helped shape the Illinois cannabis law into the most socially conscious and equitable cannabis law in the United States.