As CFO, Steve Podell is responsible for overseeing Grupo Flor’s financial planning, record keeping, and financial reporting. Steve draws extensively on his prior experience working in the wine industry, another highly regulated space. Steve’s 10 years of holding leading operational roles at E and J. Gallo Winery, the largest exporter of California wines, helps shape the commitment to compliance, processes, and transparency that define Grupo Flor’s finances. 

Steve also has fifteen (15) years of experience as an executive in the consumer durable industry, at companies such as Encompass Lighting Group and Hunter Fan, which generated more than $250 million in annual revenue. 

Steve also has an appreciation for the therapeutic potential of the cannabis plant. He began working in the cannabis industry in 2017 when he was asked to help manage Magnolia Wellness, a historic dispensary in Oakland, well-known for its emphasis on compassionate care. Steve developed a keen understanding of the needs of the dispensary’s large community of Proposition 215 medical patients and worked tirelessly to create a welcoming environment and robust product selection for them. These values are reflected at Grupo Flor, which Steve joined in 2018 following his time at Magnolia.