Leadership Team
Michael Esshaki – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
As an active participant in the traditional market for cannabis, Michael had gained immense knowledge and respect on the product and market throughout his life experiences. Recently, Michael has worked in the cannabis space in Oregon and Washington. This included working with the largest oil producer in Oregon and advising companies on their grow methods to boost productivity. As the "boots on the ground" for developing the concept of Delta 1, Michael is well known as the industry's "dealmaker" and has managed an impressive number and scale of projects since the Delta 1's inception. He is no stranger to partners, and values what can be accomplished in a team setting. The legalization of marijuana in Michigan presented itself as a tremendous opportunity to Michael.
Michael Esshaki's entrepreneurial ventures have never been limited to one industry. His passion for creation and innovation, paired with his strong work ethic and marketing expertise, have allowed him to turn multiple visions into reality. Michael's most famous brand is "The Original Zip Sauce." He reinvented a steak sauce that was commonly found in restaurants and brought it into people’s homes by bottling it and perfecting the taste. This product is now sold in 4,500 retail stores and over 250 restaurants.
Mr. Esshaki has experience-based knowledge; he has always been a self-motivator and accomplished every goal he set out to pursue throughout his career. His focus now is on building a successful cannabis production, processing, and distribution business, where he has years of hands-on experience.
David Curtis – Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
David has been working as an executive in the marijuana industry for five years. In that capacity, he has been overseeing integrated operations of growers, processors, and dispensaries. Previously David worked with security and compliance specialists, processors, and growers in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, as well as working in Michigan with several companies to consult on security and compliance concerns with their medical marijuana facilities.
Before that, David retired as a narcotics detective after 29 years of service with the Oakland County Sheriff’s office, experience that is highly relevant for his COO role with Delta 1.
David spent the last ten years of his career working undercover with the Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Tactical Field Officer, where he handled hundreds of narcotics investigations.
David is a highly motivated individual who has been preparing and researching this venture for several years before moving into the operational phase. His strategic planning and execution make him well-suited to serve as the Delta 1’s COO.
Harold Fried – Co-Founder and General Counsel
Known as one of the legal community's best and most respected attorneys in Michigan, Harold Fried is onboard with our team at Delta 1. Harold brings over 40 years of experience and unmatched business, government, and personal relationships to the table.
Harold represents all areas of business and is a well-connected dealmaker in not only the state of Michigan but throughout the United States. In addition to his clientele, Harold was a strong advocate for the state on Proposal 1 in 2018 and helped campaign order to support the Legalization of Recreational Marihuana for the state of Michigan.
Steve Lemberg – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
While new to the cannabis industry, Steve has a strong track record as Chief Executive Officer, COO, and CFO of numerous companies. He is skilled in leading all aspects of a business enterprise and developing a cohesive management team. Recently as CEO, he led Entertainment Publications to a successful restructuring and sale after the company had gone into Chapter 7 bankruptcy under the prior ownership group.
Steve is very experienced in working in regulated industries like the cannabis industry. For a number of years, he was an executive and board member of a multi-state gaming company with operations in Nevada, Indiana, Colorado, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania. He was also a member of the company’s gaming compliance committee.
Steve has fifteen years of Big 4 public accounting firm experience, extensive experience serving as CFO of numerous private and publicly traded businesses, and extensive merger and acquisition experience both while in industry and in public accounting. He is licensed as an attorney and as a CPA.
Scott Cabaniss – Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Beyond his role as VP of Sales and Marketing, Scott has been deeply involved with the operations of Delta 1’s operations in Marshall, Michigan. He has served as the Facility Manager with overall responsibility for a grow and processing facility generating close to $10 million of revenue in 2021.
Scott was the primary person behind the development of the Marshall processing facility. Besides the physical set-up, Scott developed a staff of 100 people that is producing gummies, pre-rolls, and other products.
On the marketing side, Scott launched the Cheef brand and developed the Cheef gummy and pre-roll joint line and was responsible for creating several million dollars of sales in the brand’s inaugural year.
Prior to working with Delta 1, Scott has 20 years’ experience launching new businesses. Past projects include selling sponsorships and premium seating for the New York Yankees in the new stadium, designing and opening a swimming pool nightlife sponsor venue at the Miami Marlins Ballpark, hosting a Fortnite online league and in-person tournament for MLB players, and raising capital for a professional Esports team.
Scott will be instrumental in leveraging his experienced with the Marshall facility and his decades of sales and marketing experience to create and build up revenue streams for the Chesaning facility.
Doug Stewart – Vice President of Security and Compliance
Doug joined the Delta 1 team in 2018 following his successful career in law enforcement. With Delta 1, Doug has multiple roles. With regard to security, he trains and manages the security personnel and systems at all of our facilities.
With regard to compliance, Doug has been leading all licensing and regulatory matters for the Company. This includes pre-approvals, applications, inspections. city and local communications, and communications with the Michigan Regulatory Agency.
Doug has also taken on the responsibility of managing our construction teams. He actively manages the in-house construction personnel during the build-outs of Delta 1’s facilities.
Prior to joining Delta 1, Doug retired as a narcotics Sergeant Detective from the Oakland County Sheriff Office after 23 years of service, including the last 15 years working undercover with the Narcotics Enforcement Team and the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as an undercover detective and Command Officer. He handled hundreds of narcotics investigations, as well as overseeing a team of narcotics detectives.
Doug’s background with the Oakland County Sheriff Office and the DEA is immensely valuable to Delta 1.
Emily Kennedy – Director of Accounting
Emily joined the Delta 1 team in December of 2020 as the Director of Accounting. In this role, Emily has led bookkeeping, budgeting, financial modeling, and human resources. Prior to that, she spent two years working at Ernst & Young in the auditing and assurance practice, auditing both public and private companies. Her audit clients spanned multiple industries, including manufacturing, casinos, automotive, and financial services. At Ernst & Young, Emily was involved in the implementation of internal controls for a newly public manufacturing company.
Emily graduated from Michigan State University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Accounting at the Eli Broad College of Business. She then attended Wayne State University and earned a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), while also becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).