Management

 

Charles Smith // Director, President and Chief Executive Officer

Charles “Chuck” Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer for USA Inc., the parent company of the Dixie Elixirs & Edibles brand, as well as Therabis, and Aceso Wellness, two of the leading hemp supplement brands. As one of two original founders of USA Inc., Chuck helped the company grow from a “garage operation” to a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that was the first-of-its-kind for the marijuana industry.

 

Prior to building USA Inc. and the Dixie brand, Chuck was President of Bella Terra Realty Holdings where he oversaw all aspects of the Bella Terra Resort Development Company. He was also President of Sagebrush Realty Development and responsible for developing, selling and managing residential condominium projects valued at over $85 million in revenues.

 

Chuck has over twenty-five (25) years of experience in a variety of industries. He has a strong financial background, holding the position of Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized retail apparel chain and has built and managed sales and marketing teams for private and publicly traded technology companies.

 

Chuck has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Smith is married and lives in Denver, Colorado. He actively participates in a wide variety of philanthropic organizations and is an avid golfer.

CJ Chapman // General Counsel, Secretary
C. J. Chapman joined Dixie as its General Counsel on June 18, 2018. C. J. received his A.B. in politics from Princeton University and his J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Prior to joining Dixie, he directed a single-family office based in New York with respect to structure, operations and legal issues. C. J. spent his entire private practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck, LLP in the real estate and corporate departments. He practiced at Brownstein from 2006 through 2017 and was a partner from 2013 through 2017.

 

His practice focused on the acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing and development of various commercial real estate assets, including apartment and office buildings, sports complexes, hotels, shopping centers, and vacant land. In addition, C.J. advised various companies on corporate matters, including partnership agreements, formation of entities and general corporate governance. C.J. served as outside general counsel to one of the nation’s largest cattle feed manufacturers advising them on all corporate matters, including partnership agreements and corporate finance.

Andrew Floor // Vice President of Marketing, Dixie Brands

Andrew Floor leads the branding, marketing and portfolio expansion of the regulated THC product company. This includes all Dixie-branded products, the sub-brands Synergy, Mindset and Dr. Stash, as well as all new brands to be built and acquired under the THC umbrella.

 

Mr. Floor has extensive experience in the regulated alcohol industry, building leading brands through digital and consumer marketing. Most recently he was VP Brand and Digital Marketing at Treasury Wine Estates where he led integrated campaigns that spanned traditional and eCommerce channels. Previously he was VP Marketing at Campari America’s Dark Spirits division, where he was instrumental in accelerating sales growth and consumer awareness of the Wild Turkey franchise. Mr. Floor also gained international experience through 10 years of sales and marketing roles in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Ari Cohen // VP of Operations, Dixie Brands

Ari leads operations for Dixie’s regulated portfolio of THC products. He is responsible for insuring scalable manufacturing processes across all markets and brands. Through leading best-in-class manufacturing, product innovation, and quality assurance, Ari works with Dixie’s affiliate partners to launch and scale operations in both medical and adult-use markets with a strong focus on continuous improvement and operational efficiencies.

 

Prior to joining Dixie in 2017, Ari spent 10 years as the Corporate Chef for Le Pain Quotidien, a NYC-based global chain of organic bakeries.  During his time at Le Pain, Ari grew the company from 8 locations to over 200 throughout 19 countries. In his most recent role, Ari was the Chief Operating Officer of New York’s By the Way Bakery.  Ari has held leadership roles at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café, Mangia and OTG Management. Additionally, he has worked as an operations consultant for Max Brenner, Fig & Olive and Magnolia Bakery among other global brands establishing 6 production commissaries in the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Hilal Tabsh // Vice President of Marketing & Distribution, Aceso Wellness

Hilal Tabsh leads the branding, marketing, portfolio expansion and development of global distribution channels for Aceso Wellness, Dixie’s leading hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) human dietary supplement company. The CBD wellness industry is expected to continue to experience rapid growth, enhanced by the legalization of hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill.

 

Mr. Tabsh is a CPG sales and marketing executive with significant experience in the U.S. and globally. As EVP at Limitless Beverage, he helped establish the sales and marketing functions for the start-up company focused on unique drink platforms such as cold brewed coffee, matcha green tea and lightly caffeinated sparkling water. Mr. Tabsh previously spent more than 15 years at Red Bull, initially based in Dubai, U.A.E. with management roles spanning the Middle East, Africa and Pacific regions. He was subsequently head of sales and marketing at Red Bull North America, where he managed and grew a broad distribution network across 16 states and led a team of more than 50 professionals.

 

Board of Directors

 

Charles Smith // Director
Charles “Chuck” Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer for USA Inc., the parent company of the Dixie Elixirs & Edibles brand, as well as Therabis, and Aceso Wellness, two of the leading hemp supplement brands. As one of two original founders of USA Inc., Chuck helped the company grow from a “garage operation” to a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that was the first-of-its-kind for the marijuana industry.

 

Prior to building USA Inc. and the Dixie brand, Chuck was President of Bella Terra Realty Holdings where he oversaw all aspects of the Bella Terra Resort Development Company. He was also President of Sagebrush Realty Development and responsible for developing, selling and managing residential condominium projects valued at over $85 million in revenues.

 

Chuck has over twenty-five (25) years of experience in a variety of industries. He has a strong financial background, holding the position of Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized retail apparel chain and has built and managed sales and marketing teams for private and publicly traded technology companies.

 

Chuck has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Smith is married and lives in Denver, Colorado. He actively participates in a wide variety of philanthropic organizations and is an avid golfer.

Devin Binford // Director
Mr. Binford is a Managing Member of Acreage Holdings. Mr. Binford is a seasoned finance executive with extensive financing and transaction experience. He has been involved with the legal cannabis industry since 2011, focusing primarily on sourcing, evaluating and investing in licensed dispensaries, cultivation centers, processing facilities, edibles manufacturers, alternative dosage forms companies and real estate.

 

Prior to his role at Acreage Holdings, Mr. Binford worked as a Director in the Investment Banking Division at Tandem Global Partners where he was responsible for analyzing principal and debt investments as well as portfolio management. Before attending Columbia, Mr. Binford was a Manager in the Corporate Finance Group at The Blackstone Group.

 

Presently, Mr. Binford serves on the Board of Directors of USA Inc.

 

Mr. Binford graduated from Columbia University with an MSc in Real Estate Development and concentration in Real Estate Finance; he earned a B.B.A. in Finance and Computer Information Systems from James Madison University.

Brian Graham // Director
Brian Graham served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of NIOXIN Research Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in the manufacturing of hair care products. During his tenure from 2003 to 2010, Graham transitioned the company from a privately held regional consumer products business to a dominant global company recently acquired by Procter & Gamble. Under Brian’s leadership, the company’s revenues doubled and its EBITDA increased from US$1M to US$17M. Brian led the company through a rapid profitable growth phase expanding both the company’s product portfolio as well as its geographical reach.

 

After NIOXIN’s acquisition by Procter and Gamble, Brian became a member of the P&G Salon Professional Lead Team. He continued to lead the business and the integration efforts as NIOXIN’s CEO, exceeding acquisition economics by over $20 million and led several key initiatives for the business. As result, Graham received the Platinum Power of You Award from the Division President.

 

In 2010, Graham began investing in a variety of business across many industries. These include, big data, technology, real estate, business services, a multi-family office (Pathstone) and Fleetwood’s on Front Street (Maui) with Mick Fleetwood. In addition, Graham founded Blue Ridge Spirits and served as President of Asheville Distilling Company.

 

In 2014, Graham founded Rise Investments International, a company focused on providing growth equity, debt financing and management resources for closely held businesses ranging from start-ups to mid-cap enterprises. Recent transactions include Hawaii Sea Spirits, PlaySight, USA Inc., Tennis Media Company, and Gozio Inc.

 

In 1992, Graham received his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Southern University. He has also attended Executive Programs at the University of Michigan and in 2002 completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University.

Vincent 'Tripp' Keber, III // Director
As one of two original founders of the Dixie Elixirs and Edibles company, Colorado’s premiere licensed marijuana infused Products manufacturer (MIPS), Tripp Keber is widely hailed as one of the cannabis industry’s indispensable leaders. He presently serves as a consultant to USA Inc. He is also a founding member and current board director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Additionally since 2013, he has served as a Board Member of the Marijuana Policy Project as well as an Advisory Board member of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group in Colorado.

 

Prior to building USA Inc. into a leader in the cannabis industry, Tripp served as Chief Operating Officer for Bella Terra Resort Development Company, and EVP of Business Development for Sagebrush Realty Development.

 

He has a B.S. in Political Science from Villanova University and currently resides in both Aspen and Denver with his family. While he is involved in several charitable organizations located within his community, his greatest philanthropic passion is assisting in the research and development of cannabis support for veterans suffering from PTSD.

Melvin Yellin // Director
Mr. Yellin is a Founder of Acreage Holdings, a vertically integrated cannabis company licensed in 12 states. He is also currently a director of USA Inc., having previously been a partner at Tandem Global Partners, which was a globally focused money manager that offered investment services to sophisticated institutions and individuals, focusing primarily on alternative investment strategies.

 

Prior to joining Tandem. Mr. Yellin spent the bulk of his career at Bankers Trust Company and was a Partner, Executive Vice President and General Counsel when it merged with Deutsche Bank. He had global responsibility for over 350 professionals and served on the Bank’s Risk Committee, New Business Committee and its Investment Banking Management Committee, which included the significant Venture Capital business.

 

Mr. Yellin was a member of the Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE) Board of Directors (Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees) as well as a director of numerous privately held companies and not-for-profits. Symbol was the world’s premier developer of bar code and RFID software and hardware. Symbol was later successfully sold to Motorola.

 

During his career, Mr. Yellin has acted as chairman, speaker and author for numerous business organization programs including those run by the Conference Board, the NACD, Columbia Business School (ODX) and the Wisconsin School of Business. Mr. Yellin served as the President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors and a member of the New York Clearing House GC Committee. He was selected for “Who’s Who in American Law,” The International “Who’s Who of Contemporary Achievement” and the “International Directory of Distinguished Leadership”. 

 

 

 

Investor Email Sign-Up