NEW YORK – Viridian Capital Advisors is pleased to announce that it is launching its Cannabis & Hemp industry restructuring practice and is bringing on Mr. Frank Knuettel II to manage the new business line. As CFO and CEO of public and private companies in and out of the cannabis industry, Mr. Knuettel has executed dozens of corporate restructurings, asset sales, debt/equity swaps, corporate write-downs, work-outs, and reorganizations.
The restructuring practice will address the increasing need in the cannabis and hemp sectors for restructuring services that arose with the downturn in company valuations and capital avaialability beginning in early 2019, and accelerated with the COVID pandemic. Viridian’s restructuring practice will encompass specific services geared to assist public and private companies as they downsize, recapitalize and restructure – in order to reposition for capital and growth or maximize merger valuation. These services include financial valuations and impairment analysis, financial restructuring, liability negotiations and execution of workouts. The restructuring practice is tightly integrated with Viridian’s existing capital raising and M&A advisory services that support asset dispositions, corporate M&A, recapitalizations and financings.
Mr. Knuettel brings extensive experience in the cannabis sector to Viridian. Most recently he was the Chief Financial Officer for One Cannabis Group (“OCG”), a leading cannabis dispensary franchisor, with over thirty cannabis dispensaries sold across seven states. As CFO, he was responsible for all finance and accounting management and was integral in the agreement to sell OCG to Item 9 Labs, an OTC-listed cannabis operator in Arizona. Prior to OCG, Mr. Knuettel served as CFO for MJardin, a Denver-based cannabis cultivation and dispensary management company, where he led the company’s IPO on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Following the IPO, he managed the merger with GrowForce, a Toronto-based cannabis cultivator, after which he moved over to the Chief Strategy Role. In his role as CSO, he managed the acquisition of several private companies before recommending and executing the consolidation of management and other operations to Toronto and the closure of the executive office in Denver.
Mr. Knuettel graduated cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. degree in Economics and from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with an M.B.A. in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management.
Mr. Knuettel commented, “Launching the cannabis restructuring practice on the Viridian Capital platform is a perfect opportunity to marry my restructuring and operating experience with Viridian’s capital and M&A practice, and I’m delighted to be part of the team.”
Scott Greiper, founder and President of Viridian Capital, stated, “The cannabis & hemp industries are continuing to evolve, part of which is the inevitable shakeout that occurs in the early stages of a very high growth industry. Frank’s experience as the CFO in high growth companies, and for the last several years in the cannabis sector, is a great blend of skills which will help drive real value for our clients. We’re thrilled to welcome him aboard.”
About Viridian Capital Advisors, LLC
Viridian Capital Advisors is a leading cannabis and hemp-focused advisory firm that executes investment banking transactions through its broker-dealer, Bradley Woods & Co. Ltd. (Member FINRA/SIPC). We are a data- and market intelligence-driven firm that provides investment, M&A, corporate development, and investor relations services to emerging growth companies and qualified investors in the cannabis and hemp sectors. Our banking practice, through broker-dealer Bradley Woods & Co. Ltd. (Member FINRA/SIPC), provides capital and M&A to fund the growth of our clients, while our advisory practice helps to position and build their businesses. Our team’s decades of high level operating and transactional experience on Wall Street in a variety of emerging sectors, allows Viridian to provide comprehensive strategic and financial solutions that assist cannabis enterprises in realizing their full potential.