Jeremy Zachary Chief Executive Officer
Jeremy has the unique ability to see the unseen potential and opportunities when others can’t—in business and in life. That gift has led him to passion; a passion that drives him to relentlessly follow market analytics, to hone his business and branding instincts into a well-oiled machine with no “off-button.” His charismatic personality and social skills are an asset in every business venture, but his rigorous work ethic and passion for innovation have been the most significant drivers of his success. Jeremy began his career in marketing and media, where he developed a keen sense for events and entertainment / experiential marketing. In the 90s, he worked for a decade at OC Weekly as Calendar Director, where he led the department to exceed seven-figure revenue goals. This early success propelled him to launch his own publication, Inland Empire Weekly, the first of its kind serving the area. However, it was in 2009—inspired by his father’s battle with cancer—that Jeremy became interested in the medicinal value of cannabis and saw an opportunity to use his publishing experience to educate the public. He launched Culture Magazine which quickly became recognized as the planet’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine, publishing over 250,000 copies monthly and read by over 2.1 million readers worldwide. Since then, Jeremy has gone on to found multiple highly-regarded brands in the cannabis sector including Zen Cannabis, Kush Vape and Cannology. In his limited free time Jeremy enjoys travelling the world in search of ancient castles with his wife and daughter.
BRIAN HANHART CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Brian’s commitment to excellence is central to his approach to work and life. His motto? “Jump higher, go faster, and hang it all on the line for glory.” He built the foundation of his work ethic in the U.S. Marine Corps where he learned supply chain management. After his time in the military, he launched his career at Home Depot where he started as a cashier and was quickly identified as a leader who rose to Assistant Manager where he was responsible for designing department product layouts and store flow. Brian was responsible for four new Home Depot build outs in Southern California. His passion for action sports led him to seize an opportunity to work in skateboard manufacturing. With his team, he designed and set up new skateboard factories in China and Mexico, with a focus of streamlining and automating the labor-intensive process of building skateboards. In recognition of his skill set, Brian was offered a position as Director of Hardgoods at Element Skateboards where he developed product lines, conceived new product categories and personally designed products for each category. This diversity of experience makes Brian a critical component at Zen Brands where his experience in design, planning, streamlining, execution, manufacturing and systems integration drive the company forward. His passion for establishing repeatable procedures to ensure product consistency is central to Zen Brands’ commitment to superior quality.
MICHAEL NAGAMI CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
As CFO, Michael’s financial acumen is key to Zen Brand’s well being. While earning his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from California State University Northridge, Michael’s talents were recognized by the executive leadership of Southland Publishing, where he was brought on as an intern and rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Finance. Under his oversight, the firm launched and acquired fifteen additional multi-media organizations, which were subsequently managed by Michael and his team. Adding to his extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions and start-ups, Michael has worked with Los Angeles residential real estate firms Keller Williams and PLG Estates, for investments in multi-family real estate, rehabs and single-family housing. Michael sits on the board and assists in financial oversite of numerous HOAs. His real estate expertise and passion for all thing nautical led him to transition his focus to the acquisition, development and management of waterfront real estate investments including marinas, boat yards, fuel docks and mega-yacht facilities. But his thirst for the entrepreneurial spirit remained unquenched and drew him into the burgeoning cannabis industry where he saw tremendous opportunity to put his skills to use and facilitate the growth of Zen Brands. When Mike isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll likely find him following his second passion, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
JON BOOKATZ DIRECTOR OF SALES
Jon’s record speaks for itself – he is a sales powerhouse who consistently shatters even the most aggressive sales goals. What sets him apart is his ability to create a personal connection with clients. This “business friendship” approach translates to genuine trust and sincere concern for client needs. His passion for his work with Zen Brands cannot be understated as he is rewarded every day with the knowledge that he is making a difference for both customers and business owners. After graduating from Cal State Northridge, Jon cut his teeth in the sales world in the highly competitive music industry where he was quickly identified as a rising star. He continued his exceptional record transitioning to advertising sales at renowned publications LA Weekly and LA CityBeat. Finally, Jon was offered a Sales Manager position with the cannabis industry publication, Culture Magazine, still in its infancy at the time. With Jon’s acute attention to detail and strong relationship building, he helped establish Culture Magazine as a prominent global cannabis lifestyle publication. From there, licensed cannabis distribution was a natural transition for Jon and he’s now racked up over 15 years of experience in the industry. Born, raised and currently residing in Southern California, Jon is a natural Dodgers fan. When he’s not pounding the pavement he enjoys pursuing fitness, sports, music and loves to travel.
DIRK VOSS DIRECTOR OF COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Dirk’s extensive background in government affairs makes him a highly regarded expert in cannabis regulatory compliance, processing of development/business applications and navigating the political and business processes of government agencies. His career has spanned over two decades of municipal government experience working with the cities of Long Beach, Palm Springs, Oxnard and Banning. In 1992, at age 26, at that time he was the youngest person to hold an elected office in the county of Orange, CA. More recently, Dirk has recently served as chairman on the City of Desert Hot Springs Planning Commission as well as the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. He was directly involved in implementing the city of Desert Hot Springs’ cannabis regulations, one of the first southern California cities to adopt recreational cannabis regulation. His wealth of experience, attention to detail and ability to see the big picture allow him to deftly navigate through political and governmental obstacles on any project. When not lending his services to his community, Dirk enjoys riding his Harley, keeping fit, attending church, concerts, and spending quality time with his two dogs.
EVAN SENN SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Evan is a writer, editor and professor who splits her time between Southern California and North Carolina. She has most recently taught Art History at Laguna College of Art and Design, California State University, Fullerton and was the most recent Curator for Golden West College Art Gallery. She has worked in the Media & Communications department for Laguna Creative Ventures, and has worked as an independent PR consultant and publicist for artists. She is the former Editor-In-Chief of Culture Magazine and Inland Empire Weekly, and was the Assistant Editor for YAY! LA Mag, Publisher’s Assistant for Artillery Magazine, and in 2010 she co-founded the independent arts journal, Rogue Arts. Her Master’s Thesis and first published book, Cement Sanctuary: Contemporary Street Art in Los Angeles (2012) has helped establish her as an expert in contemporary street art and alternative and underground art movements. Evan has contributed to a number of books on art, including TMRWLND: The Secret Stays Unknown – The Art of Dereck Seltzer & Tina St. Claire (2016), Seeing the Invisible (2015), Yarn Bombing 18th Street, and many art catalogues. In 2013, Evan was an Artist-in-Residence at Grand Central Art Center, during which she produced a documentary called Life of a [Female] Artist with Ingrid Reeve. She has contributed as an arts writer for KCET Artbound, OC Art Blog, ArtVoices, OC Register, OCR Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Art and Cake, Artillery Magazine, Local Arts, Beauty & Wellness Magazine, Laika, Unite4:Good, and E-VOLVED Magazine. Past publications also include ArtScene, Juxtapoz, and Art Ltd.
LISA SWIFT SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
When a project gets stuck, Lisa is the oil that gets things moving again. Her exceptional organization and communication skills allow her to quickly identify and resolve obstructions to achieve the end result. Over the course of her career she has been single-handedly responsible for hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in cost-savings for her employers and clients due to her unrelenting pursuit of favorable outcomes. Lisa started her career as a Project Manager at a boutique marketing agency where her ability to organize heavy workloads quickly saw her managing teams of over 80 people in 18 domestic and international markets. Her talents were quickly recognized by one of her clients, the sports network ESPN, who recruited her to become the Marketing Coordinator for their flagship action sports event, X Games. During her 9-year tenure with the company, she rapidly rose the ranks with promotions to Marketing Manager, Senior Marketing Manager and finally Senior Event Manager. After the birth of her first child she transitioned to freelancing for X Games and took on additional clients including Zen Brands. Over the years, Lisa has spearheaded numerous projects for Zen including packaging sourcing and development, recruiting, copywriting, vendor and equipment sourcing and more. A mother to two young boys, in her limited free-time she pushes herself in early-morning Crossfit, enjoys the outdoors through snowboarding and SCUBA diving, and tries to see as much of the world as possible through travel.
IRIS NORSWORTHY HR DIRECTOR
Iris began her career with an impressive tenure of 18 years at Kaiser Permanente, California’s largest HMO. During her time there she was recognized for her exceptional skills in organization, multitasking, problem solving and attention to detail. She was sought out by several departments and developed a wide breadth of experience in administration. She culminated her tenure with the company as Acting Manager, overseeing deployment of employee benefit programs. In 2009, Iris’ talent was recognized by the management of the leading cannabis industry publication, Culture Magazine, where she was brought on as General Manager to oversee day-to-day operation of the publication’s nine outlets. She worked closely with cannabis leaders, owners and marketing teams providing guidance to develop digital and print advertising initiatives as well as coaching internal staff on best-practices. This experience in the cannabis space made her a great fit as Zen Brands HR Director. In her current role with Zen, she oversees all aspects of Human Resources, including benefits, recruitment and hiring, training, conflict resolution, payroll administration and more. She prides herself on her ability to create meaningful connections between an organization and its employees.
LIZ MABERY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISOR
Liz Mabery is our seasoned Administrative Supervisor at Zen Brands. As a cannabis industry veteran, Liz is known for her practical leadership style and extensive experience in both administrative management and the cannabis sector. With a solid foundation of five years in administrative roles and a remarkable fifteen- year tenure in various aspects of the cannabis industry, including cultivation, retail, distribution, and manufacturing, Liz brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to her work. In her role as Administrative Supervisor, Liz oversees daily operations, ensuring efficiency and maintaining high standards of organization. She excels in creating streamlined processes and implementing best practices to optimize workflow and productivity. Outside of work, Liz is a dedicated mother of two who enjoys music, movies, and cooking. She’s also passionate about continuous learning, currently pursuing a BA in Accounting with an expected graduation in 2025. Liz’s journey into administrative work was prompted by her need for flexibility after starting a family, but she discovered a genuine talent and passion for it along the way. Her commitment to excellence, coupled with her deep industry knowledge, makes her a valuable asset to Zen Brands.
STEVEN MYRDAHL ART DIRECTOR
Steven is the creative force that brings the vision for Zen’s packaging and branding to life. He is passionate about the transformation of ideas into reality and incredibly rewarded to see his work come to fruition in the form of tangible products and marketing. After earning his BA in Multimedia Design Technology, Steven landed his first job as a graphic designer at Inland Empire Weekly, but within the first year was promoted to Art Director in recognition of his talents. In 2009, the publisher tapped Steven to spearhead the creative for the launch of a new publication, the renowned Culture Magazine. Steven’s creative vision was a major factor in catapulting the magazine to its status as the premier cannabis lifestyle publication and for a decade it flourished under his direction. Fast forward to 2018, when Steven became the Creative Director for High Times Magazine, on top of his many other reputable accomplishments. In 2019, he was recruited to become Art Director for Zen Brands. Eager to take the next step in his career, Steven joined the team, creating all packaging, marketing, collateral and website designs for the company. When he’s not at his computer, Steven likes to work with his hands. He recently completed renovation projects on a house and cabin (both over 100 years old). He also loves sports, music and coaching two soccer teams (one for each of his sons).
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