Founder | Cannabis Systems Architect | Global Strategy & Market Expansion Executive
Jeff Johnston is a cannabis industry founder, entrepreneur, and senior executive with over 20 years of experience designing, scaling, and commercializing businesses in highly regulated and franchise-driven markets. He is the Founder of PlantGenX Agriculture Technologies, Owner of the North of 28 premium cannabis retail brand, and a Founder and CEO of Fast Leaf Inc., the world’s first cannabis grow-operation franchise and micro-cooperative model.
As a founding architect of Fast Leaf Inc., Jeff pioneered the cannabis grow-op franchise and micro-coop structure, introducing standardized operations, shared infrastructure, and scalable ownership models to a regulated industry that had never seen such a framework. This innovation established a new category for cannabis production and influenced the evolution of modern micro-cultivation and shared-facility models globally.
Jeff is also the owner of North of 28, a premium cannabis retail brand operating across seven provinces in Canada. Through this platform, he has led multi-province retail expansion, provincial wholesale relationships, brand development, and consumer-facing sales execution. His experience spans retail, wholesale, branding, and sales, with direct cannabis market exposure in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Through PlantGenX Agriculture Technologies, Jeff is deploying a next-generation cultivation platform built on standardized systems, modular design, and regulatory-ready methodologies. Structured as a technology and licensing platform, PlantGenX reflects his broader strategy of building scalable, repeatable operating systems across jurisdictions, including the United States.
Prior to cannabis, Jeff built his career in franchising, multi-unit development, and brand scaling. He held senior leadership roles with major international franchise organizations, including Yogen Früz, where he led international and domestic expansion across brands such as Pinkberry, Jamba Juice, Yogurty’s, Swensen’s Ice Cream, and Presotea. He also held development and marketing roles with Recipe Unlimited Corporation, Papa John’s International, and earlier senior marketing positions with Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Pizza Limited, where he helped drive national campaigns, franchise growth, and multi-market brand expansion.
He has held executive roles with budgetary responsibility exceeding $60 million, leading sales channel development, revenue growth, and new market entry strategies. Jeff brings deep experience in franchise and licensing law, commercial structuring, and regulatory governance, with hands-on work alongside Health Canada, CRA, and U.S. state regulators.
He is recognized for building durable, scalable, and systemized business models, and for translating complex regulatory environments into repeatable, high-growth operating platforms across the global cannabis sector.
Construction Executive | Regulated Facility Operator | Project Delivery Leader
Matthew Della Valle is a seasoned construction and operations professional with over 20 years of experience delivering complex projects with precision, discipline, and consistency. He has successfully managed projects ranging from $500K to $60M, ensuring they are completed on time, on budget, and to a high standard.
As Chief Operating Officer at FastLeaf.ca, Matthew oversaw the development and operations of a 200,000 sq. ft. regulated cannabis facility valued at approximately $40M. In this role, he coordinated multidisciplinary teams, streamlined complex processes, and maintained strict regulatory, construction, and quality standards.
Matthew brings a practical, organized, and results-driven approach to every project. Formerly with Newman Bros Inc., his experience spans municipal infrastructure, environmental facilities, institutional builds, regulated facilities, and franchise rollouts. He is recognized for building strong teams, maintaining disciplined project environments, and consistently delivering reliable outcomes.
Cannabis Operations Leader | Cultivation Specialist | Facility Execution Manager
Donovan Brown is a senior cannabis operations and cultivation professional with extensive hands-on experience scaling licensed indoor facilities. He has managed more than 500 harvests, overseen 35+ grow rooms simultaneously, and led large teams in compliance-driven environments.
His expertise spans the full cultivation lifecycle, from propagation through post-harvest, with deep knowledge of environmental controls, crop steering, IPM, SOP execution, and operational troubleshooting. Donovan combines data-driven decision-making with practical, on-the-ground leadership to deliver consistent quality, stable yields, and reliable facility performance.
In addition to cultivation, Donovan has played a key role in facility build-outs, system commissioning, and regulatory readiness, including direct oversight of HVAC, irrigation, lighting, QA workflows, and Health Canada-aligned standards. For the 251 Massey project, his focus on risk management, schedule certainty, and repeatable performance provides lenders and investors with confidence in long-term asset stability.