22nd Century Appoints Larry Firestone As Chairman, CEO

(RTTNews) - Agricultural biotechnology company 22nd Century Group, Inc. (XXII) announcedWednesday the appointment of Lawrence (Larry) Firestone as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Firestone most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Oakland Manager, a privately-held purveyor of cannabis, and as Chairman of FirePower Technology, a privately held manufacturer of ATX power supplies for the IT and instrumentation markets.

He holds over 40 years of enterprise, operations, and financial management experience in both public and private companies, including tenures as CEO, CFO and COO across multiple industry sectors.

Firestone has served as CEO of Eastside Distilling, Inc. (EAST), CEO of Qualstar Corp. (QBAK), CFO of Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), and CFO of Applied Films Corp. (AFCO), among others.

Firestone said, "I am excited to lead 22nd Century Group as we refocus our current strategic plans built around innovative plant technologies for tobacco harm reduction and new consumer focused health and wellness products. The team at 22nd Century has created one of the industry's most innovative integrated tobacco platforms, from plant genetics to fully commercialized disruptive consumer products. I am confident we can build upon the success the Company has had to date while developing strategies..."