John Mazarakis co-founded Chicago Atlantic Group in April 2019 and has served as our Executive Chairman since our inception. Mr. Mazarakis is the Co-Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vireo Growth Inc., a Canada-based cannabis company whose mission is to provide safe access, quality products and value to its customers while supporting its local communities through active participation and restorative justice programs, since December 2024. As a proven entrepreneur and operator with successful ventures in real estate, retail, and hospitality, Mr. Mazarakis brings over 20 years of entrepreneurial, operational, and managerial experience. He has built a 30+ restaurant chain with more than 1,200 employees, established a real estate portfolio of over 30 properties, developed over 1 million square feet of commercial real estate, and completed multiple real estate financing transactions, at a cumulative annual growth rate exceeding 25%. He has invested in and served as an advisor to multiple successful startups. Mr. Mazarakis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Delaware and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Our Board of Directors has concluded that Mr. Mazarakis s management experience and understanding of the real estate industry, and as a founder of Chicago Atlantic Group, L.P. ("Chicago Atlantic Group"), make him an ideal choice to act as our Executive Chairman of the Board, and that therefore he is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors, including as Chairman.