CRESCO YELTRAH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- COMMUNITY ADVISOR
- Program Coordinator for Northwest Human Services
Beth is currently a Program Coordinator for Northwest Human Services in Butler County where she oversees specialists to support NHS' Autism Program. Beth is a mentor for Connecting 2 Tomorrow (C2T) and the Future What Program as well as a partner of the Youth Leadership Initiative with Butler County Against Heroin. Beth has served on multiple boards within Butler County such as The Grapevine Drop in Center, The Butler County Prevention Council, the Butler County Problem Gambling Council and the Suicide Awareness Task Force. As a single parent of two children, Beth was a business owner and independent contractor with Butler County as a Youth Counselor for many years.
Job Titles:
- CO - FOUNDER
- CEO of Cresco Labs
Bachtell is the CEO of Cresco Labs, LLC. Bachtell is an attorney and brings with him deep legal expertise in both corporate governance and complex regulatory compliance. Bachtell helped Cresco secure each of the three licenses for which it applied and continues to work tirelessly to ensure that Cresco remains an industry leader, setting new standards for a progressive, transparent and reputable medical cannabis industry. Prior to Cresco Labs, Bachtell served for 8 years as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the nation's seventh largest mortgage bank - a leading attorney during the reform of the US mortgage industry, Bachtell established himself as one of the industry's foremost authorities on regulatory affairs and compliance in one of the nation's most heavily regulated industries.
Job Titles:
- Director of Orthopedic Surgery for Midwest Orthopedic Practice
- MEDICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Bush-Joseph is currently the Director of Orthopedic Surgery for Midwest Orthopedic Practice, a Professor at Rush University Medical Center, the Associate Director of the Rush Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program and the Head Team Physician for the Chicago Whitesox and the Chicago Bulls. Dr. Bush-Joseph is a respected educator of medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing orthopedic surgeons lecturing at numerous national educational meetings. He serves on the editorial board of several national orthopedic journals (Including the prestigious American Journal of Sports Medicine) and holds committee responsibilities with several national orthopedic societies including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Orthopedic Society Sports Medicine.
Job Titles:
- MEDICAL ADVISOR
- Medical Advisor for Cresco Labs Medical Board
Dr. Walega serves as a Medical Advisor for Cresco Labs Medical Board. He is currently the Medical Director of the Galter Pain Medicine Center at Northwestern, the Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology, the Ambulatory Medical Director, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and an Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Northwestern University. Dr. Walega is one of the foremost authorities on pain management in the country. He is a pain medicine specialist with a strong interest in developing and applying interventional procedures and minimally invasive techniques for the reduction or control of chronic pain syndromes. Dr. Walega has testified in front of the Illinois Department of Health Medical Cannabis Committee attesting to the ability of cannabinoids to serve as a valuable alternative or supplement to traditional opioids for the management of neuropathic pain.
Job Titles:
- LABORATORY SCIENCES ADVISOR
Jennifer is currently a Senior Analytical Forensic Toxicology Specialist with the Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory (AFTL) at the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Pharmacy. She has spent the past 10 years working in forensics as a toxicologist analyzing biological samples for compounds of interest and is currently helping to expand the testing capabilities of the AFTL. As an adjunct professor in science her passion for education has only continue to grow and she continues to believe in the importance of a strong scientific foundation for creating and developing good analytical laboratory procedures. Jennifer is currently working with the Illinois Department of Agriculture to help solidify the sampling and testing standards for that state's program.
Caltabiano brings more than a decade of finance experience to Cresco Labs as one of the top mortgage professionals in the country. He is also a leukemia survivor who is committed to supporting organizations and efforts that help patients in their fight against cancer. Caltabiano has significant expertise working in the highly regulated mortgage industry. He has closed more than $2 billion in loan volume over the years as senior vice president at one of the nation's largest mortgage banks and received numerous awards for mortgage production, client experience and community involvement.
John is a retired Police Officer and Veteran with over 30 years of experience in law enforcement in Pennsylvania. John has held positions with Pennsylvania Department of Defense and most recently was a Lead Police Officer with the Veterans Administration rotating from three locations across Pennsylvania. While working for the Pennsylvania Department of Veteran Affairs, John was certified as an NCIC/CLEAN operator and coordinated all communications with the FBI's National Crime Information Center, and to NLets, the International Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Network.
Tagmyer brings a wealth of experience working directly with families and youth for over fifteen (15) years with issues related to substance abuse and addiction. She has worked closely with clients addicted to opioids and other substances using a multivariable approach that implements extensive triage standard operating procedures, best practices, and protocols to ensure effectiveness of treatment. Working independently and in coordination with teams, Tagmyer has developed strategies for community treatment programs involving various methods of intervention, treatment, and counseling, including assisted treatments utilizing traditional pharmaceutical practices.
Job Titles:
- CO - FOUNDER
- Co - Founder of Cresco Labs
- KAYVAN KHALATBARI
Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari is co-founder of Cresco Labs, LLC and Denver Relief Consulting, as well as an additional dozen companies in the regulated cannabis market. A leading executive in the medical cannabis industry, Khalatbari co-founded and served as operations manager for Denver Relief, the longest-operating regulated cannabis business in Colorado. He is also co-founder and operations manager for Denver Relief Consulting, which has assisted clients in a dozen states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada with winning licenses in merit-based application processes, as well as expanding and improving existing operations. Khalatbari is also a founding partner in Silver Sage Wellness in Las Vegas, NV.
Kent Hartley has also lived in Pennsylvania since attending Butler High School and has followed in his father's footsteps of entrepreneurship and job creation. Kent also has a wealth of experience in the manufacturing world, which he acquired when the Hartley's purchased and began operating Standard Bent Glass as COO in 1993. This local business was started in 1936 and has two facilities in Butler. Under Kent's leadership they grew this company of 20 workers with under $3 million in annual sales to 140 employees and over $30 million in sales today. Kent has also served as COO for other family business Global Security Glazing and Hotlineglass USA.
Job Titles:
- PATIENT ADVISOR
- Real Estate Associate
Louann is a Real Estate Associate and Advocate born and raised in Pennsylvania. A single mother and grandmother, she is founder and ambassador for the grassroots organization Campaign for Compassion. Her middle daughter Diana started having seizures at 9 days of age. Now 21, she has been put on dozens of medications, none of which has been truly effective and many of which have had side effects such as insomnia, cognitive delay, and regression. In 2013, Louann started a petition for then-Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Corbett urging him to legalize Medical Marijuana for the sake of Diana. In early 2014, Campaign for Compassion was born, starting with 15 women and 2 men, all of whom either needed access to cannabis or had children who needed access. The group was honored with an ASA (Americans for Safe Access) Excellence Award at the 2015 National Unity Conference in Washington, D.C.
Louis is a highly-accomplished law enforcement veteran and academic with a long-standing commitment and entrepreneurial mission to raise the professional standards of investigation and make it more accessible to more organizations across the U.S. As the CEO and Founder of CSI Investigators, Gentile has extensive experience working in high-ranking law enforcement positions for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Gentile's career includes many accomplishments including 17 years with the Organized Crime Unit of the Pennsylvania State Police, recruited as the first Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Federal Western District of Pennsylvania, and serving as the Director of the Bureau of Narcotics and Drug Control for the office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Michael Hartley moved with his family to Butler in the late 1970's where he served as president of Zedmark Refractories. He later purchased Zedmark and grew this company from 20 to 120 employees before selling this profitable corporation to Pfizer in 1993. Michael has extensive experience in manufacturing efficiency and has created hundreds of jobs while serving as CEO of Hotwork-USA LLC, Refractory Machining Services, Coastal Glass Distributors, East Coast Steel Fab. In addition, Michael sat on the Business Advisory Board for the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, and was the Chairman of the Board of Butler County Community College Trustees from 1983-2005.
Job Titles:
- CO - FOUNDER
- President and COO of Cresco Labs
Sampson is the current President and COO of Cresco Labs, LLC. Sampson has overseen the construction of three 40,000 sq. ft. cannabis cultivation facilities. Sampson is also responsible for all facility operations and systems including the design and implementation of fertigation and irrigation systems, inventory control systems, compliance process procedures, audits, security, and IT. Prior to forming Cresco Labs, Sampson had more than 20 years of operating experience in large business, including 12 years in the heavily regulated mortgage industry, having served as Chief Operating Officer at Guaranteed Rate, the nation's 7th largest retail mortgage bank.
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator for the Only FDA
- PTSD ADVISOR
Dr. Sisley is an Arizona-based physician practicing Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. Sue serves as Site Principal Investigator for the only FDA-approved randomized controlled trial in the world examining safety/efficacy of whole plant marijuana in combat veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD. Dr. Sisley is on faculty at Colorado State University, recruited for core planning team to organize the CSU "Marijuana Center of Excellence" in Pueblo, Colorado. Dr. Sisley has been a Member of Nevada ILAC Medical Marijuana Commission for the past two years outlining regulations for laboratory testing including limits on pesticides, residual solvents and other guidelines that are currently being used as a model for other states medical marijuana laws.
Trent Hartley grew up in Butler County as well and has been involved in many of the family's businesses, including Standard Bent Glass and Coastal Glass Distributors. Trent helped to build this business in 2011, which now has 60 employees and over $18 million in annual sales. In addition, Trent helped to found Palmetto Synergistic Research, a CBD company that produces medicated oils, topicals and suppositories. This start-up was profitable after only 5 months and now has distribution to over 20 retail locations. Trent, like the rest of his family, has extensive experience in business development, but his passion for the healing powers of cannabis and this proposed project are very personal to him.