ARI HOFFNUNG APPOINTED CEO OF VIREO HEALTH OF NEW YORK
For Immediate Release
December 18, 2015
Media Contact: Jill Montag – (518) 326-6400 and (518) 852-8188
ARI HOFFNUNG APPOINTED CEO OF VIREO HEALTH OF NEW YORK
Executive with Two Decades of Wall Street and City Hall Experience Joins Vireo’s Team
Albany, NY – Vireo Health announced today that Ari Hoffnung has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Vireo Health of New York. Hoffnung will lead the company, which has one manufacturing facility and four dispensaries throughout the state and will begin serving patients in January. He replaces Dr. Kyle Kingsley who will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board.
Hoffnung is no stranger to the world of medical cannabis. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Fiorello Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a medical cannabis company. Prior to that, Hoffnung served as New York City’s Deputy Comptroller for Budget & Public Affairs, where he oversaw the City’s $70 billion budget, managed a 100+ employee staff and served as the chief liaison to all levels of governments and to various labor unions. Before serving in New York City government, Hoffnung was a Managing Director at Bear Sterns, where he worked for more than a decade.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Ari’s caliber join our world-class leadership team of experienced physicians, scientists and business professionals,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, CEO of Vireo Health, the parent company of Vireo Health of New York and Minnesota Medical Solutions. “Ari shares our passion for producing and delivering the highest-quality, safest cannabis-based medications to patients who need it the most.”
“I am honored and humbled to have an opportunity to serve my fellow New Yorkers struggling with diseases like Cancer, ALS and epilepsy,” said Hoffnung. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues and leveraging the scientific advances that have already been made in Minnesota to the benefit of New York patients.”
As New York City Deputy Comptroller, Mr. Hoffnung led a research team composed of economists and policy experts that published two-dozen white papers, including two ground-breaking and widely-cited reports on the public-health and economic impacts of reforming cannabis policies: 100,000 Reasons: Medical Marijuana In The Big Apple and Regulating and Taxing Marijuana: The Fiscal Impact on NYC.
Hoffnung holds an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Queens College. He resides in the Riverdale section of the Bronx with his wife and three children.
Vireo Health, LLC is a physician-led company dedicated to providing best-in-class cannabis-based medications and top quality patient care. The company provides a wide array of pharmaceutical grade cannabis-based products formulated from the highest quality, organically grown, pesticide-free plants and utilizes its separation chemistry capabilities to create products with novel cannabinoid combinations. As the parent company of Vireo Health of New York, formerly Empire State Health Solutions, and Minnesota Medical Solutions, Vireo has national expertise in providing patients with the safest, most-effective cannabis-based medications for a variety of ailments. For more information, visit www.vireohealth.com.