Executive Team

Darren Lampert has been our CEO, a Director, and the Chairperson of the Board since our inception in 2014. Mr. Lampert began his career in 1986 as a founding member of the law firm of Lampert and Lampert (1986-1999), where he concentrated on securities litigation, NASD (now FINRA) compliance, and arbitration and corporate finance matters. Mr. Lampert has represented clients in actions and investigations brought before government agencies and self-regulatory bodies. From 1999 to 2014, Mr. Lampert worked as a portfolio manager and proprietary trader at a number of broker-dealer firms. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Lampert was a private investor. Mr. Lampert graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Ithaca College. Mr. Lampert received a J.D. from Bridgeport University School of Law in 1985. Mr. Lampert was admitted to practice law in New York in 1986 and is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Mr. Lampert has extensive experience in our industry and knows our operations from top to bottom, having led the Company for 10 years as its CEO and Chairperson of the Board. In addition, his experience in the finance and legal fields make him an excellent asset for GrowGeneration as a rapidly-growing public company, navigating the capital markets, making acquisitions, and leading the Company through other critical business matters and initiatives.

Michael Salaman has been our President and a Director since our inception in 2014. Mr. Salaman began his business career as Vice President of Business Development for National Media Corp., an infomercial marketing company in the United States, from 1985 to 1993. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Salaman worked as a consultant. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Salaman started a digital media company called American Interactive Media, Inc., a developer of Web TV set-top boxes and ISP services. In 2002, Mr. Salaman became the principal officer of that entity, directing its operations as a marketing and distribution company, and in 2005 focused its efforts in the enhanced water business. Mr. Salaman served as the Chairperson of Skinny Nutritional Corp. from 2002 to 2014 and as Chief Executive Officer and President of Skinny Nutritional Corp. from 2010 to 2014. Mr. Salaman received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in business from Temple University in 1986.

Mr. Salaman has been with the Company for 10 years as its President and a Director, providing him with deep knowledge of our business, people, and industry. In addition, his experience as an innovator and leader in sales and marketing is particularly beneficial to GrowGeneration as a company with thousands of products, including both established and new proprietary brands, which are sold through multiple channels, including retail, e-commerce, and distribution.

Mr. Sanders has served as Vice President and Corporate Controller at GrowGen for nearly five years. He came to GrowGen with prior public company experience, having served in various accounting positions for Enterprise Holdings and Arrow Electronics. He also led the Finance and Accounting Department, as well as Administrative and Human Resources functions, for Machol & Johannes LLC. Mr. Sanders holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Minnesota.

Mr. Nardelli has been a Senior Strategic Advisor to GrowGeneration since 2019. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of XLR-8 LLC, an investment and consulting company, which he formed in 2012. He is also a Senior Operating Partner to Core Industrial Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Mr. Nardelli was a Senior Advisor, CEO of Cerberus Operations & Advisory Company, LLC from 2007 to 2015. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Managers of Chrysler, LLC, 2007 to 2009. From 2000 to 2007, Mr. Nardelli served as Chairman, President and CEO of The Home Depot. He began his career at GE in 1971 and held several executive positions throughout his tenure. Currently, Mr. Nardelli serves as a Board Director of BWXT Technologies, Inc and Fathom Digital Manufacturing; he also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Brooks is a seasoned Merchandising and Procurement Executive with 14 years of experience in the hydroponics industry, specializing in brand building, category management, product portfolio optimization, and strategic sourcing. Since joining GrowGen in February 2023, he has advanced through multiple roles to become SVP, where he oversees procurement and product strategies, including product assortment, pricing, promotion, and placement. Growth-focused and data-driven, Brooks aligns merchandising strategy with GrowGen’s goals, leveraging insights to drive a forward-thinking, customer-centric approach that enhances market growth and operational efficiency. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a Finance focus from Oregon State University.

Laura Beane is an Operations Executive with over a decade of experience in enterprise performance improvement and strategy development in the retail grocery and cannabis industries. Laura joined GrowGen as the VP, Supply Chain in April 2024, and is responsible for all warehouse and distribution operations. With a focus on growth and process, Laura has a proven track record of integrating people, processes, and technology to drive business forward that she is leveraging to lead GrowGen’s Supply Chain Transformation. Laura holds an MBA from Portland State University.

David joined Grow Generation in August 2024 as Vice President of eCommerce.  David has been in Digital Marketing roles for 20 years, with the majority of that time spent working for WPP and Omnicom, two global marketing and communication powerhouses. David has a successful track record growing market leading brands online across CPG, Communication, Logistics, Retail, Cannabis and B2B. His clients have included Starbucks, Prologis, P&G, Unilever, Molson Coors and Royal Mail to name a few. David has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing & Advertising and Business Information Systems, was a Board Member at Proximity London, Fractional CMO and Board Advisor for as successful startup and was part of the Leadership team and Digital Department Head at The Integer Group.