LANSING and BAY CITY, Mich. — Viridis Laboratories, the leading provider of cannabis safety testing in Michigan, has promoted four employees at its Bay City and Lansing locations.

Jorge Lerma was promoted from field operations supervisor to the newly created role of horticulture scientist and sales consultant. Lerma, who has been with the company since 2019, is now in charge of the new customer relations and horticultural science arm at Viridis.

Three field technicians also have been promoted. In Lansing, Josh Moore will serve as field technician supervisor and Jarrod Knauff is field tech team lead. Lawrence Royster is the new field tech team lead in Bay City.

“We’re proud of our highly trained field operation leaders who have earned these welldeserved promotions that allow us to continue expanding to better serve the growing cannabis industry,” said Viridis COO Todd Welch. “Working as a team on the field collection side ensures the integrity of the product from collection to testing so cannabis manufacturers can have the confidence that they are providing the safest and highest quality products to their patients and adult-use consumers.”

Following COVID-19 safety protocols, field technicians work directly with cannabis manufacturers and processors to ensure samples are collected properly. This helps prevent cross-contamination issues and maintains the highest potency profile prior to samples arriving at the lab for a variety of testing, including pesticides, heavy metals, microbials and terpene analyses.

“We’ve established a state-of-the-art field collection process by building on our extensive forensic science experience at the Michigan State Police,” said Dr. Michele Glinn, chief science officer at Viridis. “Viridis is accredited in field sampling as well as chemical and biological testing. We’ve earned the highest level of accreditation among cannabis testing facilities in the state, which demonstrates our commitment to the health and safety of Michigan cannabis consumers.”

Viridis employs 40 highly trained technicians, scientists and support staff members at its Bay City and Lansing labs.