C3 INDUSTRIES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- VP of Facility Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder and Board Member of Nickel City Pictures
Ankur Rungta is co-founder and chief executive officer of C3 Industries, Inc. Under his leadership, the company has raised over $100 million of capital and employs over 600 people. Ankur and his team have overseen the development of six award-winning cannabis production facilities and nineteen retail stores in Michigan, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
Ankur is also a co-founder and board member of Nickel City Pictures, a film and television production company based in Los Angeles and New York City that has produced such box office hits as "John Wick: Chapter 2," "The November Man," and "Mother's Day," among others. Before launching these companies, Ankur worked as an investment banker at Moelis & Company in New York and as a corporate attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, advising clients on capital markets and M&A transactions.
Ankur earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 2004. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law school in 2008 when he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif.
In 2014, he was nominated to the Detroit Opera Board of Directors. He has taken an active role in the arts organization, serving as Vice Chairman of the Board and leading the Nominating and Governance Committee, the youngest person to hold those roles.
Ankur is also a dedicated family man. He and his wife reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with their three children. He enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, playing basketball, watching college and professional sports, and keeping up with current events and politics. Ankur was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up in Buffalo, New York.
Job Titles:
- VP of Continuous Improvement
Ian Gross - Chief Legal Officer
Ian joined the C3I team as our General Counsel in July 2021 and works closely with leadership on all things legal, real estate, licensing, and compliance.
Before C3 Industries, Ian was a Partner at Joelson Rosenberg PLC, where he built and managed a practice focused on cannabis real estate and business law. His experience working with cannabis entrepreneurs ranges from local start-ups to established multi-state operators on a wide variety of real estate and commercial cannabis transactions since 2016. Before joining Joelson Rosenberg, Ian gained significant experience in complex real estate property litigation at a prominent firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Ian earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his J.D., cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis, where he attended on a full academic scholarship.
Jason Berkenstock is Vice President of Retail at C3 Industries, Inc. He joined the company in May 2022 and oversees the sales and operations of C3 Industries, Inc.'s retail dispensary portfolio of High Profile Cannabis Shops. Jason leads a retail team of over 200 employees and 19 store locations in Michigan, Missouri, and Massachusetts.
Before joining C3 Industries, he served as Vice President of Retail, Central of Ascend Wellness Holdings, managing 15 licensed dispensaries in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Jason began his career in the cannabis industry in May 2019 as Senior Vice President, Retail Operations of Cresco Labs. During his tenure as SVP of Retail Operations, he managed the expansion of the Sunnyside dispensary footprint from 7 to 15 licensed dispensaries across Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.
Jason spent twenty years in fragrance and fashion specialty retail before entering the cannabis space. Most of his tenure was with the Yankee Candle Company, serving as District Manager Mid-Atlantic and ultimately as Regional Sales Director, Northeast, Midwest, and Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Secondary Education from Elizabethtown College in 1999.
Born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania, Jason relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 2013 and quickly found his footing in the Midwest. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and enjoys running, cycling, reading, and streaming his favorite shows and movies. He is an avid dog lover and actively supports Chicago Paws, Alive Rescue, and the Humane Society of Huron Valley.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Sales
- VP of Sales
Jason Scherer is the Vice President, Sales of C3 Industries. He joined the company in September 2022 and leads the team responsible for C3 Industries' wholesale distribution in all active markets.
Before joining C3 Industries, he served as the National Director of Sales for Verano Brands. Jason began his career in the cannabis industry in 2016 as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Realize Therapeutics, an early-stage startup pursuing cannabinoid formulations and precision delivery devices.
Before 2016, Jason held multiple roles in sales and sales leadership for industrial and manufacturing companies with deep experience selling pharmaceutical and automotive manufacturing. He relocated from Peoria, IL, to Chicago while working for W.W. Grainger, Inc. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Bradley University.
Job Titles:
- VP of Manufactured Products
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Accounting
Lynn Martin is Vice President, Accounting of C3 Industries, Inc. overseeing a team of 8 professional staff. Lynn is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance. Lynn's experience includes working with small- to medium-sized for-profit and not-for-profit organizations with clearly defined missions and core values that contribute to supporting our community.
Before C3 Industries, Lynn was a Business Manager at Zingerman's Delicatessen for 14 years. While there, she participated in the $9.2 million Delicatessen and $1.2 million Greyline Event Space construction projects. She also had the opportunity to teach Open Book Management & Finance seminars through Zingerman's Training, Inc.
Lynn is a licensed CPA in the state of Michigan and earned her Master of Business Administration in Accounting and Business Management in 2009 from the University of Michigan - Dearborn, graduating cum laude. Her undergraduate Bachelor of Business Administration was earned at Eastern Michigan University, graduating magna cum laude.
Serving in the local community with organizations of personal importance has been a focus for Lynn. She has volunteered with the Ann Arbor Rotary Club STRIVE program and has been a member of the Board of Directors of Ozone House, Skyline Friends of the Arts, and the Wild Swan Theater.
Before joining C3 Industries, Scott served as Senior National Director of Retail Marketing for Curaleaf, leading a team of over 30 marketers and supporting 152+ locations over 19 states.
Prior to his time at Curaleaf, he served as Head of Brand Marketing for Terrascend, where he managed, developed, and launched award-winning products and brands, including; Kind Tree Cannabis, Prism Concentrates, Valhalla Confections and Apothecarium Dispensary.
Scott began his career in cannabis as Director of Marketing for Ilera Healthcare, a Pennsylvania-based early-stage vertical operator where he began as a department of one and was able to participate in everything from harvest and packing, to opening new dispensary locations, to establishing marketing systems from the ground up.
Before working in cannabis, Scott spent several years as a marketing leader for companies in the healthcare, technology, and consulting industries. He currently calls southeast Pennsylvania home, where he is a dedicated father of two. Outside of work he enjoys yoga, the outdoors and taking his old dog Max on walks around the neighborhood