Full Name
George Archos
Job Title
Chairman & CEO
Company
Verano
Speaker Bio
In an industry often led by lawyers and financiers, George Archos stands out as a different kind of cannabis company executive. The son of Greek immigrants, Archos founded Verano Holdings (Cboe CA: VRNO; OTCQX: VRNOF) in 2014 after watching a close relative suffering from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis find relief through the medical benefits of cannabis. As Verano’s chairman and chief executive officer, Archos has built the company into one of America’s largest multi-state operators by tapping into an entrepreneurial spirit that has not only fueled his continuing success as a celebrated restaurateur, but also solidified him as one of Chicago’s most notable leaders in business.
In the decade since Archos became the first medical marijuana license holder in his home state of Illinois, Verano has grown to encompass more than 150 dispensaries and 15 cultivation and production facilities operating across 13 states under the company’s flagship Zen Leaf™ and MÜV™ retail banners.
Verano’s growth, in part, can be traced back to Archos’s success as founder and owner of five highly rated Chicago-area restaurants, including the popular Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe chain and The Evie on Chicago’s historic Michigan Avenue. Leveraging his expertise in logistics, customer service orientation and knack for efficiencies, Archos imbues his hard-earned entrepreneurial, hospitality and operational mindset across Verano. With a knack for cultivating talent, he invited many of his original restaurant employees to join Verano, providing an opportunity for diverse individuals – including former cooks and front-of-house restaurant staffers – to leverage their experience and advance their careers across the company’s cultivation, processing, retail, and corporate operations.
“When we started, we had five people working at a 50,000-foot facility hustling 18 hours a day doing what we had to do, and now we're 4,000 people 10 years later, providing all these great products. That's the American dream,” Archos recently shared during an extensive video interview featured in Entrepreneur magazine. “That's why my father came here – to be able to create that for me – and now I get to create that for people every single day.”
After going public in February 2021, Verano experienced meteoric growth, including the successful completion of 15 acquisitions in that year alone to form one of the industry’s most enviable footprints. The company’s focus on entering limited-license states that are primed for adult use transition has proven successful: New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Ohio have all launched recreational cannabis programs since 2022 alone. And looking ahead, Verano has nearly 100 dispensaries in three key swing states with pending or potential medical to adult use transitions, including Pennsylvania and Virginia (on the horizon in 2025-‘26).
Archos frequently serves as a keynote speaker at major industry events and is a highly sought after cannabis industry expert who frequently shares his perspective with mainstream media including Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Forbes, and more. He is based in the company’s Chicago headquarters office.
In the decade since Archos became the first medical marijuana license holder in his home state of Illinois, Verano has grown to encompass more than 150 dispensaries and 15 cultivation and production facilities operating across 13 states under the company’s flagship Zen Leaf™ and MÜV™ retail banners.
Verano’s growth, in part, can be traced back to Archos’s success as founder and owner of five highly rated Chicago-area restaurants, including the popular Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe chain and The Evie on Chicago’s historic Michigan Avenue. Leveraging his expertise in logistics, customer service orientation and knack for efficiencies, Archos imbues his hard-earned entrepreneurial, hospitality and operational mindset across Verano. With a knack for cultivating talent, he invited many of his original restaurant employees to join Verano, providing an opportunity for diverse individuals – including former cooks and front-of-house restaurant staffers – to leverage their experience and advance their careers across the company’s cultivation, processing, retail, and corporate operations.
“When we started, we had five people working at a 50,000-foot facility hustling 18 hours a day doing what we had to do, and now we're 4,000 people 10 years later, providing all these great products. That's the American dream,” Archos recently shared during an extensive video interview featured in Entrepreneur magazine. “That's why my father came here – to be able to create that for me – and now I get to create that for people every single day.”
After going public in February 2021, Verano experienced meteoric growth, including the successful completion of 15 acquisitions in that year alone to form one of the industry’s most enviable footprints. The company’s focus on entering limited-license states that are primed for adult use transition has proven successful: New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Ohio have all launched recreational cannabis programs since 2022 alone. And looking ahead, Verano has nearly 100 dispensaries in three key swing states with pending or potential medical to adult use transitions, including Pennsylvania and Virginia (on the horizon in 2025-‘26).
Archos frequently serves as a keynote speaker at major industry events and is a highly sought after cannabis industry expert who frequently shares his perspective with mainstream media including Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Forbes, and more. He is based in the company’s Chicago headquarters office.
Speaking At
