

Nirup Krishnamurthy has over 25 years of leadership experience at Fortune 500 companies, with a focus on technology innovation, restructuring and integration. While Chief Information Officer for United Airlines, he helped oversee one of the largest turnaround restructurings in corporate American history, spearheading vital initiatives to drive major cost reductions and revenue enhancement. Mr. Krishnamurthy also held C-level roles with Northern Trust Bank and former grocery retailer The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P). He earned a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a doctorate in Industrial Engineering from State University of New York, Buffalo.
Forrest Hoffmaster is responsible for the company’s finance functions including Accounting, Audit, Risk, Tax, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis, Investor Relations, and Capital Markets. In addition, oversees the company’s data analytics and information technology functions. Hoffmaster brings to Schwazze a 30-year career with broad C-suite experience in purpose-driven companies including Whole Foods, HEB Grocery, Advanced Micro Devices and, most recently, with New Seasons Market headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Prior to New Seasons Market, Hoffmaster spent 15 years with Whole Foods Market and, prior to that, he was with HEB Grocery and Advanced Micro Devices in finance management roles. Hoffmaster began his career as a CPA with Arthur Andersen focusing on SEC and GAAP compliance and reporting, graduating from the University of Houston Cum Laude with a BBA in Accounting.
Chris Jones has more than 25 years of experience as corporate counsel to several prominent companies, and an extensive background in providing tactical and strategic advice to executive management and Boards of Directors. Prior to Schwazze, Chris served as the SVP, Legal and Corporate Secretary of Long Play, Inc. and its affiliated companies for 7 years where she managed all of the company’s legal affairs, including regulatory compliance, securities, licensing, litigation, employment, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, risk management and intellectual property. Prior to joining Long Play, Chris delivered general counsel services to domestic and global companies of varying size. She also served as General Counsel of Jeppesen, which provides aeronautical navigational information, operations planning tools, flight planning products and software. Among her achievements at Jeppesen, Chris was instrumental in settling several high-profile product liability cases and selling the company to Boeing for $1.5 billion. Chris also served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel to TTech Holding and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Archstone-Smith where she managed both company’s litigation and employment. She received a BA from the University of Virginia in 1986 and a JD from Washington College of Law at American University in 1991.
Todd Williams is a seasoned veteran in business development consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and asset valuation. For more than 25 years, he has led company growth in a diverse array of sectors, including real estate and commodity trading. Previously, Mr. Williams was Vice President of Corporate Development at Albertsons, Inc., where he managed the acquisition of more than 1,600 operating grocery stores with more than $40 billion in sales and $10 billion in transaction value, as well as divesting 168 stores with over $3 billion in sales. He earned his bachelor’s from DePauw University, graduating with academic honors.
Dan is a seasoned Human Resources professional, with over 17 years of experience with the food & beverage and agriculture industries. During his career, he has provided leadership to successfully help guide his employers in the areas of Employee Engagement, Culture, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion and Safety. Previously, he led the Human Resources function for Coors Distributing Company where he focused on engagement and retention efforts, created and executed DEI strategy, and designed and led the safety program resulting in five consecutive years of injury reduction with a 75% reduction in overall recordables. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and his MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
Dan Pabon is a longtime attorney and former Colorado state representative (2011-2019) with a proven history of working with stakeholders in diverse industries to navigate regulations and governance. As chief legal expert for Schwazze, Mr. Pabon handles matters concerning compliance, intellectual property, public policy and corporate citizenship, among others. He previously held the role of Vice President at Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs, where he worked with clients on lobbying, government affairs, business development and community engagement. Mr. Pabon earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School.
10-yr retail professional, launched career at Albertsons Companies, where he supported M&A and Integration Functions as Senior Director of Corporate Development. During 6-yr span, team acquired over $30B in revenue (>1,500 locations) and realized over $800M in cost out synergies. Later, Collin supported the foundation and expansion of eCommerce, launching subscription services and last mile delivery, leading the negotiations and successful partnerships with Plated and Instacart. Collin is a competitive professional that excels with change management, and a skilled negotiator with successful track record of establishing mutually beneficial strategic structures. Collin received his MBA from Boise State University.
David is a seasoned manufacturing and P&L executive with extensive experience rapidly identifying and yielding multimillion-dollar improvements in operations and supply chain through LEAN manufacturing strategies. Previously responsible for global operations for a multi-national glass manufacturer, David was managing director with full P&L responsibility for its European business segment where he led a significant turnaround in operating performance and financial improvement. Prior to spending 20 years in the glass industry leading manufacturing and commercial teams in the automotive segment, David held engineering roles with Navistar International and Lafarge Holcim. He holds a distinguished certificate in general management from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, MBA from the University of St. Francis and BS in Chemistry from Purdue University.
Known for his leadership, strategy development and brand building expertise, Driessen has more than 20 years in sales and business development roles. Formerly chief executive officer of Front Range Biosciences, a biotechnology research firm based in Boulder, Colorado, Driessen brings over a decade of experience in the cannabis industry. Prior to his leadership role at Front Range Biosciences, he held roles as president and chief executive officer of Slang. During his time at Slang, Driessen built O.pen into one of the most widely distributed and recognized brands in cannabis. Before entering the cannabis industry, Driessen led teams for Fortune 500 companies including Starwood, Konica Minolta, Marriott, and Intercontinental Hotels Group.
Copyright @2023 | Schwazze | All Rights Reserved
Copyright @2022 | Schwazze | All Rights Reserved