NCIA Member Profile: The Giving Tree Wellness Center
This month, NCIA checks in with Lilach Power, Managing Director at The Giving Tree Wellness Center based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Giving Tree Wellness Center has been a member of NCIA since September 2013, taking an holistic approach in supporting their clients by offering a range of medical marijuana products along with alternative healing methods, including massage and acupuncture, to promote the best quality of life possible through both their North Phoenix and Mesa locations.
Cannabis Industry Sector:
Medical Cannabis Providers
NCIA Member Since:
2013
How do you uniquely serve the cannabis industry?
Lilach Power, Managing Director at The Giving Tree Wellness Center
When Gina and I started our business, we had a vision of creating a safe and inviting environment for patients, and I think we have succeeded. We have beautiful spa-like stores that are very inviting. We do not have the traditional pot shop that I think a lot of people think of when they envision a dispensary. There are no bars, bullet-proof glass or tiny bank windows. This is truly a place to get help and find quality medicine.
We understand that patients might be intimidated coming to a dispensary at first, so we like to make them as comfortable as possible. We have private consultation rooms where patients can really sit down and be comfortable discussing their medical issues and see what options we have for them. We encourage patients to schedule one-on-one consultations with our patient consultants or with our medical director (my business partner, Gina Berman, M.D.). We never up-sell or push patients to buy anything. Our goal is only to find the ideal medicine for each patient. We never rush patients – whether they are a first timer, or this is their hundredth visit.
Gina Berman, M.D. of The Giving Tree Wellness Center
The Giving Tree takes pride in its local community philanthropic endeavors. We participate in two big fundraising events annually. Our next one is on April 11th, the Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis walk. We match all donations and I am proud to say many vendors have been participating, so we are getting the industry involved in our community as well. Our other big annual event is the breast cancer Walk for the Cure in the Fall. In addition, we raise money and hold canned food drives during the holiday season to help local folks in need.
Realizing that there are patients for whom the cost of this medicine is a burden, we started our own program for discounted medicine for patients on SNAP or long-term disability. We also deliver for patients with physical hardship, with no delivery charge.
Why should patients looking for medical cannabis services go to The Giving Tree Wellness Center?
Service and quality: We have an elite team of patient consultants (PCs) and we are patient-focused. Our PCs are truly passionate and have a fund of knowledge – I am so proud every time I walk into the dispensary and see how much they really care. Our patients really do become part of The Giving Tree Family.
Our medicine: We grow a majority of the medicine we offer. We stress quality over quantity and grow strains based not on their yield but on the merits of their quality and variety. We do not use pesticides, and we always use an independent, third-party lab to test all our medicine. We definitely have learned a lot during this process and our goal is to make each harvest better than the last. We are proud each time we harvest and cure and see our medicine on the menu.
The Giving Tree Wellness Center – Arizona
Can you give us some insight into the medical cannabis community in Arizona, where it’s been and where it’s headed?
Arizona is a really unique cannabis community. There are not many medical marijuana dispensaries operating and there won’t ever be, per statute. That really takes the competition out of the equation for the most part and we can really just focus on creating and maintaining a well-regulated and upstanding industry where the focus is truly just on the patients.
Also, as time goes on and more and more Arizonans are helped by cannabis, our communities will hopefully embrace us as offering a much-needed service instead of being thought of as the criminal-laden underbelly of the cities. The regulated stores are dramatically different than any black market operation. I think this will become more apparent as time goes on as more people in the community are exposed to state-regulated dispensaries.
We see the need for an organization to bring us all together and represent us on the national stage. There is no other organization that does that. We see the importance in supporting it, becoming part of it, and hopefully being more involved in the future. It is the only way to move our industry forward.
If you are a member of NCIA and would like to contribute to the NCIA blog, please contact development officer Bethany Moore by emailing bethany@thecannabisindustry.org.
Guest Post: Managing Your Talent – Your Greatest Asset!
You’ve hired your team! Now, how do you manage that talent?
Most small business owners have demonstrated they are savvy enough to have launched an organization under the most demanding circumstances in business today. But I believe all small business owners go through a rude awakening when they realize the demands of being responsible for every aspect of that business – marketing, legal, accounting, IT, operations, and human resources. If HR isn’t one of your strongest skill sets, I hope to share insights that will build your HR competencies!
Your people are your greatest asset. Are you wondering how to maximize their value to you and your organization, and vice versa? Here are what I consider to be the top five steps to take to drive results and ensure success.
SET GOALS
What are your organization’s goals for the next year? Do you want to increase revenue by 20%? Increase production by 10%? Once you have one to five goals for the organization, set team goals that directly support the organization’s goals and individual goals that support the team goals. Then, everyone is aligned with your vision.
COMMUNICATE
You have to tell the teams and the individuals what those goals are so 1) they have purpose, and 2) you can hold them accountable. Remember, communication is the exchange of information. So collaborate with your teams and utilize their input and ideas. Make time to communicate with all the individuals that work for you – regularly and frequently.
REWARD YOUR PEOPLE
Competitive compensation and benefits are important, but most of us place more value on other forms of recognition. Have you witnessed the expression on an employee’s face when thanked for a stellar idea? Have you seen the flush of pride when an employee is publicly recognized for a job well done? The gesture costs nothing but your time and effort. There are many zero-to-low cost means of rewarding employees that one can consider.
DON’T AVOID CONFRONTATION
As a new manager, I found this to be the most difficult task to learn – to address poor behavior or performance immediately. Always discipline in private, present the issue for discussion, consider the employee’s side, and work together towards a solution. If the behavior or performance can’t be improved, then you need to get better talent. Often, the business suffers solely because we are avoiding confrontation.
BE A LEADER
Communicate your vision and compel employees to follow you by being collaborative, decisive, and respectful!
Carole Richter, CRichter ~ HR Consulting
Managing your talent can be one of the most difficult and rewarding aspects of being a business owner. The task is difficult because you are always dealing with variations on a theme! The people and the factors involved in each developmental opportunity are rarely the same. But, when your employee succeeds, you succeed.
Carole Richter, owner of CRichter ~ HR Consulting, has been a member of NCIA since May 2014. Carole consults with owners of small-to-medium-sized businesses to support, complement, or develop their skill set in talent management. She offers extensive experience in recruiting, training and facilitation, employee relations, negotiation and conflict resolution, talent management, leadership development, and succession planning.
For more on navigating the complex issues of human resources, register today for NCIA’s upcoming Educational Series event, Recruit, Retain, and Develop Your Talent, taking place on March 2at the History Colorado Center in Denver!
Recruit, Retain and Develop Your Talent — This panel of experts will help you build your human resources competencies! They will present the latest trends in talent acquisition and management. You will learn how to select the best person for the position and your organization, discover how to set and align your teams towards organizational goals, and drive and engage your best performers while managing others, up or out! Acquire the knowledge and tools you need to ensure your employees and your organization are successful.
Guest Post: Illinois Cannabis Businesses – Guidelines for Compliance with Illinois Employment Laws
By Jennifer Adams Murphy, Esq., and Ryan Helgeson, Esq., of Wessels Sherman
If you are successful in obtaining a dispensing or cultivation license under the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (“IMCA”), you have already made a substantial time and financial investment in your new business. You know that to be successful, you must have a dependable workforce. Continued success, however, will require employment policies which will minimize the substantial risks and costs of employment litigation and regulatory challenge. To that end, the following issues should be addressed before you begin to hire employees:
Hiring Considerations
Needless to say, your application process must be compliant with state and federal discrimination laws. Of specific relevance to your business will be federal and state laws pertaining to arrest and conviction records. The EEOC generally considers blanket rejection of applicants with conviction records illegal, and state and federal laws prohibit inquiries regarding arrest records. These laws require special attention in your business because the IMCA requires that all employees of a dispensing organization or cultivation center obtain an “agent identification card” which will not be issued under the (proposed) regulations when an applicant has been convicted of violent crimes and certain felonies. Without a card, an individual cannot commence employment under the IMCA. Because of the potential conflict between IMCA regulations and these employment laws, the safest practice is to advise applicants that their employment is contingent upon their receipt of an identification card from the state (rather than incorporating the conviction restriction into your application).
The IMCA requirements for issuance of an agent identification card, which appear to require an applicant to have a Social Security card, are in potential conflict with I-9 employment authorization requirements. Pursuant to I-9 regulations, an employer may not specify which documents an employee provides to demonstrate their employment authorization. An employee can provide any documents that satisfy the Form I-9 requirements; employers cannot insist upon a particular document such as a Social Security card. To avoid violation of federal law, your application process should clearly state that the required Social Security card and state identification card are to meet the agent identification requirements and not for employment authorization purposes.
A contract disclaimer should be included in your employment application to ensure the at-will status of any hired employees.
Employment Record Retention
The proposed IMCA regulations require that all employment-related documents be retained for five years. I-9 employment authorization forms must be completed and retained apart from employees’ personnel files.
Employee Classification
Employers who grow and transport cannabis may be able to take advantage of overtime exemptions under state and federal law. In certain situations, minimum wage exemptions may also be available. However, do not assume minimum wage or overtime exemptions apply — careful evaluation is required. Also, regardless of classification, hours worked must be recorded and retained.
Other Policy Considerations
An employment handbook should be considered. Handbooks should have contract disclaimers and must include anti-harassment policies. In addition, employment policies should address privacy issues, particularly given the regulatory requirements of video monitoring in this industry.
Required posters pertaining to employment laws must be posted.
Adoption of an employment dispute arbitration policy should be considered. A carefully drafted arbitration policy will provide for resolution of employee disputes through arbitration rather than in courts.
Voluntary compliance with the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act may be a wise choice. After a conditional offer of employment is made, cannabis cultivators may wish to require a drug screening. Thereafter, a program of reasonable suspicion or random drug testing could be implemented.
Employment laws are always challenging to navigate. The issues outlined above are examples of some of the issues which are easily overlooked or misunderstood. A thorough understanding of your responsibilities as an employer in this highly regulated area will diminish the risk of costly and disruptive claims.
For further information, please contact Jennifer Adams Murphy, Shareholder at Wessels Sherman Law Firm (630-377-1554 or jemurphy@wesselssherman.com) or Ryan Helgeson, Associate Attorney (312-629-9300 or ryhelgeson@wesselssherman.com).
Wessels Sherman is a law firm with offices in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa with a practice limited to management-side labor and employment law, and has been a member of NCIA since September 2014. Ms. Murphy has been practicing for over 27 years, counseling clients and litigating before agencies and state and federal courts. Mr. Helgeson counsels and represents clients in connection with immigration and other employment-related matters.
For more on navigating the complex issues 0f human resources, register today for NCIA’s upcoming Educational Series event, Recruit, Retain, and Develop Your Talent, taking place on March 2 at the History Colorado Center in Denver!
Recruit, Retain and Develop Your Talent — This panel of experts will help you build your human resources competencies! They will present the latest trends in talent acquisition and management. You will learn how to select the best person for the position and your organization, discover how to set and align your teams towards organizational goals, and drive and engage your best performers while managing others, up or out! Acquire the knowledge and tools you need to ensure your employees and your organization are successful. Featuring: Kara Bradford, Chief Talent Officer, Viridian Staffing — Carole Richter, Principal, CRichter ~ HR Consulting, LLC — Maureen McNamara, Cannabis Trainers.
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Competitive compensation and benefits are important, but most of us place more value on other forms of recognition. Have you witnessed the expression on an employee’s face when thanked for a stellar idea? Have you seen the flush of pride when an employee is publicly recognized for a job well done? The gesture costs nothing but your time and effort. There are many zero-to-low cost means of rewarding employees that one can consider.
Needless to say, your application process must be compliant with state and federal discrimination laws. Of specific relevance to your business will be federal and state laws pertaining to arrest and conviction records. The 
An employment handbook should be considered. Handbooks should have contract disclaimers and must include anti-harassment policies. In addition, employment policies should address privacy issues, particularly given the regulatory requirements of video monitoring in this industry.