Mr. Kovler, founded Green Thumb in 2014. He has been Chairman of Green Thumb since 2014 and Chief Executive Officer of Green Thumb from 2014 through year-end 2017 and since August 2018. Mr. Kovler is frequently featured as a cannabis industry thought leader in media outlets such as Bloomberg, Barron’s, Business Insider, CNBC and Forbes. He previously served on the boards of directors of Springbig, Inc., a cannabis marketing platform from January 2018 until December 2022, and The Cann + Botl Company, a privately held cannabis-infused beverage company, from December 2020 to December 2022. He is also co-founder of Invest For Kids, a not-for-profit organization that hosts an annual investment ideas conference to benefit underserved young people in Chicago. Founded in 2009, Invest For Kids has raised nearly $18 million, 100% of which has supported over 75 organizations dedicated to improving the lives of Chicago’s youth. Mr. Kovler brings his extensive experience managing complex operating companies and deep commitment to philanthropy. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics from Pomona College and a Master of Business Administration in accounting and finance from The University of Chicago.

Mr. Kessler serves as Chief Science Officer. Mr. Kessler has 20+ years of cannabis cultivation experience including 10 years of CEA (closed environmental agriculture) indoor farm design. Mr. Kessler’s focus on the application of technology to optimize process & workflow while reducing operational costs are a common theme throughout his prolific industry publications having written for such companies as Sunlight Supply, Maximum Yield Magazine, Botanicare, and Hawthorne Gardening Company. Mr. Kessler also regularly lectures at many cannabis industry events including MJBizCon Las Vegas, Cannabis Science Conference Baltimore, and Michigan’s Cannabis-Aid. Mr. Kessler appears regularly on industry podcasts such as The GanjaPrenuer, Growcast, Urbanvine, Cannabinoid Connect and CAnnainsider.

Mr. Kessler has worked as a consultant to Universities and the Hollywood film industry; Working on several blockbuster Hollywood films including: The Hunger Games, The Divergent film franchise, and Marvel’s Black Panther.

Mr. Kessler’s decades of experience with horticultural lighting have allowed him the opportunity to be a product tester for companies such as Sharp Electronics and the Horticultural Lighting Group. He has worked with independent 3rd party laboratories to provide unbiased testing data comparing product performance from a multitude of horticultural lighting manufacturers.

Additionally, Mr. Kessler is the proprietor of Willowbrook Orchids; an orchid nursery specializing in Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums. He is an accredited American Orchid Society (AOS) judge and has earned over 45 AOS awards for merit and culture as well as the 2008 recipient of the AOS special annual W.W. Wilson Award recognizing the best slipper orchid of the year.