Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 22, 2016) - True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. (CSE: MJ) (FRANKFURT: TLA) (True Leaf" or the "Corporation") has signed a consulting services agreement (the "Agreement") with the consulting firm Pet Industry Experts LLC (PIE), headed by the founder of pet industry giant PetSmart ®.
The purpose of this relationship is to bring additional expertise to True Leaf as it prepares to launch it hemp-based pet product line in the US this spring.
Co-Founders of PIE, Jim Dougherty and Phil Cooper, are well-known pioneers in the industry who have seen it triple in size over the past 20 years. Other senior members of the PIE team include: co-founding partner Trevor Jensen, a pet product entrepreneur with significant success in commercial real estate; marketing partner Erin Terjesen, who was awarded Pet Age's Forty under 40 in 2014 and was named Woman of Influence in 2015 for the pet industry; Jeff Smith, an Online Marketing Expert with strong ties to the investment community, and Lee Willingham, a plastic injection molding expert.
Jim Dougherty was the founder of PetSmart® in 1989, which has grown into an industry giant with over 1160 stores in North America. "I have always been a risk taker — a key factor in surviving as an entrepreneur," said Jim. "I've also had the privilege of working with some of the most talented individuals in the pet industry and I'm pleased to be working with the talented team at True Leaf," he said.
Jim's co-founder Phil Cooper also cut his teeth in pet retail then moved on to manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution with his own companies and multinationals worldwide. 'I love to build teams and divisions," said Phil, "and I look forward to working with True Leaf as they move forward with their innovative new product entry —exciting stuff!"
With more than 120 years of combined sales, marketing, distributing and manufacturing experience in the pet industry, PIE is in a strong position to help maintain a robust industry and successfully usher in the next generation of innovation and concepts.
True Leaf CEO Darcy Bomford said he has always admired Jim Dougherty and the game-changer he created with PetSmart. "He's brilliant! And everyone knows Phil Cooper as a legend in the pet industry," he said. "Having Jim, Phil and the resources of the PIE team working with us is fantastic — we couldn't ask for a better group with more knowledge of our industry to help us realize our potential."
All fees paid to PIE will be in accordance with industry standards.
About True Leaf International Ltd:
True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. is entering the $60 billion pet industry with a line of hemp-focused pet chews and supplements marketed through natural pet health and veterinary channels in Canada and the US. The company has also filed an application under Health Canada's Marihuana for Medicinal Purposes Regulations (MMPR) to become a Canadian licensed producer. It has passed through the preliminary and enhanced screening process of Health Canada's review and is currently awaiting security clearance.
NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks various risk factors discussed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time.
Contact:
Paul Sullivan
BreakThrough Communications
O: 604-685-4742 M: 604-603-7358
p.sullivan@breakthroughpr.com
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