Former FedEx executive leading CBD startup in Tennessee

A former executive from FedEx and Hilton Worldwide, Bill Margaritis, will lead a new Tennessee CBD startup, called Hemp2Lab.

Hemp2Lab’s 10,000-square-foot production facility in Rossville is about five to six weeks from opening, according to the Daily Memphian. The CBD oil the company makes with Oregon grower Big Top Farms will be sold in products with the lifestyle brand Easyriders, under a new licensing agreement among the companies that lasts through 2025.

Easyriders announced the partnership this week.

Before being president and CEO of Hemp2Lab, Margaritis, 59, was senior vice president of global communications and investor relations at FedEx when he took a voluntary buyout in late 2012. He was with FedEx for 16 years. Afterward, he was executive vice president at Hilton Worldwide for about a year.

For the initial launch, the products Easyriders will sell include CBD creams, oils, and tinctures, but the companies plan to expand their portfolio, Margaritis said.