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Cannabis Facilities In COVID-19 with Andy Poticha

Tune in to this episode to learn more about cannabis facilities during COVID-19 with Andy Poticha. Andy is a Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction, a national, full-service cannabis facility design-build industry leader.

Since 2015, the company has renovated more than 30 cultivation facilities, processing centers, and dispensary projects in nine states across the country. Andy has been on the show once before about a year ago, so we’ve heard a bit about him and his background already and how he got into the cannabis industry.

In this episde, we cover what’s been happening in the last year since he was on the show. We’re only halfway into the year 2020 and already the landscape of the cannabis industry has shifted in many ways. The most important of which to us is that cannabis was deemed an “ESSENTIAL” business during the coronavirus shutdowns. We dive into how cannabis companies can continue to expand facilities during COVID-19, and what they can expect from their contractors as it relates to compliance with social distancing rules and keeping on track for deadlines, etc. The reality of it is that “the show must go on.” So we talk about what’s happening in Andy’s world, and HOW it’s happening.

NCIA Leading During COVID-19

Tune in to this episode to hear more about the day-to day-work at NCIA during COVID-19 with Aaron Smith, NCIA’s CEO and co-founder.

We chat about what’s fresh and new at NCIA that we rolled out this year. First of all, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (DEIC) is one of their 13 member-driven committees, and NCIA’s Membership Manager – Tahir Johnson – based in D.C. is simultaneously overseeing the EQUITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. During this super strange year of COVID-19, events are postponed, but cannabis is essential in most states where it’s legal. The cannabis industry is also stepping up to do things like donate PPE equipment or actually manufacture and produce hand sanitizer. We dive into what the cannabis industry is doing during this time and what the new day to day operations are from NCIA and other companies like it.

Prior to launching NCIA in 2010, Aaron distinguished himself as a public advocate for marijuana policy reform — first under the auspices of a California-based medical cannabis advocacy group, Safe Access Now, and more recently as the California state policy director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. Aaron has successfully built coalitions with elected officials on both sides of the aisle in order to advance marijuana law reform legislation in the state capitol and among the voting public. Aaron’s opinion pieces have appeared in major newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, and he has been a frequent commentator on national television news networks. Aaron is currently based in Denver, Colorado.

The Hurdles For A Cannabis Startup

Tune in to learn more about the hurdles for a cannabis startup with Ryan Douglas of Ryan Douglas Cultivation. As Master Grower from 2013 to 2016, he directed cultivation for Tweed Inc., Canada’s largest licensed producer of medical cannabis and the flagship subsidiary of Canopy Growth Corporation. As one of the company’s first employees, he helped drive the organization’s early success by designing the production facility, selecting the genetics, and hiring and training staff to produce 70,000 plants and process 6 tons of dry cannabis annually. His work at Tweed has been featured in Vice, New York Times, Bloomberg News, and on National Public Radio.

The cannabis industry in its current form is relatively new and fresh and still quite entrepreneurial. A lot of “start-ups” being formed and launched, especially with every year, new states legalizing for medical or adult-use cannabis. There’s a lot of people listening to this show right now who might be launching cannabis businesses in their states soon. We discuss what advice Ryan has as someone who has worked directly with start-ups in the cannabis space. Also, some common challenges or hurdles that start-up operators might not think about.

 

The Georgia Medical Cannabis Legislative Roll Out

Tune in to learn more about the Georgia medical cannabis legislative roll out with Taylor English Duma LLP’s Reggie Snyder. Taylor English Duma LLP is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but boasts a full-service firm with 175 attorneys including a geographic scope of remote lawyers situated across the country, doing business also in California, Florida, D.C. New York, Tennessee, Texas, and so on, serving over 15 industries, Reggie is an experienced trial lawyer whose litigation practice primarily focuses on contract, construction, and real estate disputes, products liability, and personal injury.

We talk about what’s happening on the ground in Georgia where Reggie is based, where medical cannabis was just recently approved. It’s really exciting to see some Southern states moving in this direction, so we discuss what’s going on with the Georgia medical cannabis legislative roll out and what Georgia’s Cannabis Commission is up to.

Government Funding For The Cannabis Business

Tune in to this episode to learn more about Government Funding For The Cannabis Business with Shane Pennington of Yetter Coleman. Yetter Coleman is a litigation boutique specializing in high-stakes business and technology litigation around the country. Shane is recognized as a “Texas Rising Star” in Appellate by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers. He was also a panelist on a recent NCIA webinar “Just Say No – Keep the DEA Out of Cannabis Research,” with NCIA’s Policy Council.

We dive into a lawsuit Shane’s firm is spearheading against the Small Business Administration because cannabis companies, who were otherwise deemed essential in many states during the COVID-19 shutdowns, are not eligible to receive these benefits. We break that down for our listeners and explain what that is, as well as why there’s a lawsuit being spearheaded in the first place.

Parallels Between The Wine And Cannabis Industry

Tune in to this episode to learn more about parallels between the wine and cannabis industry with COO of Fumé, Elissa Hambrecht. Founded in 2017, Fumé Brands is a vertically integrated cannabis company, operating four businesses from cultivation through retail. With active cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution channels, Fumé Brands recently launched its first consumer brand LAKEGRADE, and plans to launch other thoughtfully crafted cannabis products and experiences in the future. Nestled in the side of the mountains, Fumé’s plants are grown by a master cannabis cultivator with three decades of experience. The land has active hot springs on-site that we’re all jealous they get to soak in after a long day on the farm.

Elissa was previously in the wine industry which a lot of folks say shares a lot of parallels to the cannabis industry. Especially with her being located in the Napa Valley which is very much known for great wine, we discuss what wisdom Elissa brings from the wine industry that can be applied to the cannabis industry, as well the similarities between those industries and how they work. The science behind cannabis over the years has been great as we unravel the facts of cannabinoids and terpenes and how they impact us. We like to envision a world where we can reverse engineer exactly what we want. We want to relax but don’t want to fall asleep, we want anti-inflammatory properties but don’t want the munchies, for example. We talk about Elissa’s thoughts on that being the future of cannabis innovation and more.

Full Integration While Expanding Your Product Line

Learn more about full integration while expanding your product line with Michael Bostarr, Director of Strategy and Implementation of SPARC. Michael is a passionate organizer who produced Blunt Talks San Francisco, and helped bring to life Meadow’s first-ever camping retreat – Meadowlands. He is former Chief of Staff at Kin Slips and Michael is now the Director of Strategy and Implementation at SPARC. He is a vocal advocate for cannabis and can often be seen at local city council meetings. SPARC, whose roots began back as early as 1998 when CA Prop 215 was passed, opened its first retail facility in 2010 on Mission Street in San Francisco.

SPARC also happens to be NCIA’s first official founding member, and their executive director Erich Pearson spent many years serving on NCIA’s board of directors. SPARC is one of the oldest dispensaries in the Bay Area and has been serving medical and now adults since 2008. Starting with just that single location until expanding to 5 locations over the last few years, now they’re looking to expand even more, which is the dream and ideal for most dispensary owners who start with a single location. We talk about what that process is looking like in California which already has plenty of regulatory headaches, plus other hurdles they are coming up against. Being vertically or fully integrated, meaning they produce or grow some of what they also sell to the customers, there are other models that allow a dispensary to sell products from another separate licensee to grow or process. But full integration while expanding your product line sounds like a lot to handle so we dive into advice Michael has for vertically integrated cannabis companies like SPARC.

 

Cannabis and Taxes: The Future of Compliance

Learn more about cannabis and taxes: the future of compliance with Calvin Shannon from Bridge West CPAs and Nick Miller from Greenspoon Marder. Bridge West CPAs, where Calvin Shannon is principal, is one of the first accounting firms in the world to focus solely on the cannabis and hemp industries. Since 2009, the practice has expanded to more than 400 cannabis and hemp clients nationwide. Greenspoon Marder is a national full-service business law firm with over 200 attorneys and 26 locations across the United States. Nick Richards is a Partner in the Tax practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. He represents individuals and businesses in tax audits & trials, M&A, in managing tax debt, and he advises cannabis companies, owners, and investors regarding tax and regulatory compliance matters.

We start by talking about the burden of taxes in our industry, 280E in the IRS Tax Code. Cannabis businesses are paying 70-80% effective tax rates because cannabis is a Schedule 1 substance. But both our guests recently co-authored a blog about some other interesting nuances in the tax code that they’re taking a closer look at right now. We hear what a business owner should do from here to find out if they can potentially benefit from new tax provisions.

Shifts In Cannabis Stigma During COVID-19

Learn more about shifts in cannabis stigma during COVID-19 with Autumn Shelton, Chief Financial Officer of Autumn Brands. Autumn is a partner as well as CFO of Autumn Brands, a 50% woman-owned cannabis business located in sunny coastal Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, California. In her position as CFO, Autumn is a strategic decision-maker for the family farm, which started in Holland more than 100 years ago. Along with overseeing the company’s financials, she is in charge of legal compliance on the local and state levels. Autumn champions the health and wellness benefits of cannabis and is committed to cultivation free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

We start by talking about current affairs, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world. The silver lining is that cannabis was deemed essential in most states where it was legal during massive shutdowns. This implies that the public, and governments, see the value of cannabis. We talk about what shifts in the stigma have happened around cannabis since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Having gone through the process of launching a brand, and now Autumn is rockin’ and rollin’ and in business, we talk about the advice Autumn has for individuals who are starting this process, as well as any obstacles Autumn has come across that she can advise others on especially if you’re a woman business owner.

Advanced Transpiration Solutions

Learn more about advanced transpiration solutions with Adrian Giovenco from InSpire. Adrian is a passionate engineer with over a decade of experience designing, selling, and commissioning HVAC and process systems throughout North America. Recognizing that there is a knowledge gap around fully understanding plant transpiration rates and how they impact controlled environments, he founded InSpire to focus on Advanced Transpiration Solutions, which allow for precise environmental control throughout the growing cycle and into dry/cure and process manufacturing. Adrian currently serves on the NCIA Facilities Design Committee.

 

We start by talking about healthy plants, how we grow, and nurture healthy plants that will make it to the dispensary and ultimately into the happy customer’s hand. This is part of a healthy supply chain, so we dive into the controls needed in that cultivation room to make sure no little pests, bugs, COVIDS, or any other unwanted things get on that plant. As a leader who’s seen a few projects come and go. Ranging from successes and failures and lots of money being spent on investments, Adrian talks about big picture advice on choosing your project teams and how to assess who is legit, as well as who is a right or wrong fit, and who is a snake oil salesman.

Cannabis Jobs During COVID-19

Learn more about Cannabis Jobs During COVID-19 with Meadow CEO and Co-Founder, David Hua. Meadow is a software company built from the ground up for California cannabis, and Y-Combinator’s first start-up to operate in the cannabis space. Meadow’s all-in-one platform allows dispensaries to sell products, manage menus and inventory, reward customers, dispatch delivery and pick-up orders, and create exceptional in-store experiences for customers. Meadow has been Headquartered in San Francisco since 2014. Hua has also collaborated with California’s cannabis community and California regulators to draft, implement, and provide stakeholder feedback of medical and Adult-Use regulations. Hua sits on the boards of the California Cannabis Industry Association, the Cannabis Distribution Association, as well as the NCIA Retail Committee.

The cannabis industry in California has had some ups and downs in the transition to adult-use laws from Prop 64, and the COVID-19 crisis is no exception. In Colorado, as in California, they almost had legal cannabis shut down alongside bars and restaurants. The announcement was reversed in about 3 hours after everyone rushed the dispensaries. We talk to David about what it looked like in California and how they as cannabis software providers reacted. Cannabis is essential but federally illegal, so they didn’t initially get access to SBA COVID-19 financial relief. Perlmutter and Blumenauer introduced a bill specifically to include cannabis. We did get SAFE Banking Language in the 2nd coronavirus relief package approved out of the House of Reps, even tho some of the senates complained about seeing the word ‘cannabis’ in the bill. David explains his thoughts on this reaction even tho the industry has been an unbelievable job creator.

The Future of Colorado Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about the future of Colorado cannabis with Jonathan Singer. Jonathan is the State Representative for District 11 in Colorado and has been based in the city of Boulder since 2012. There he serves as the Chair of Public Healthcare and Human Services Committee. He has a background in social work, including work as a peer educator at the Boulder County Safehouse, counseling, and advocacy for abused and neglected children, and has been a champion of cannabis reform here in the state of Colorado.

We start by talking about the evolution of the cannabis industry and movement in Colorado, which had a strong medical program before legalizing for adults which rolled out in 2014. Johnathan explains if he was immediately a supporter of cannabis or did he have to come around on this issue. As we look back on the last few years, Colorado was one of the first two states to legalize cannabis for adults, Jonathan rates how the state did with cannabis implementation. As well as where they succeeded, and where they fell short. We also touch what issues are next for our industry as we continue to evolve and so much more.

Cannabis Industry Talent Acquisition

Tune in to this episode to learn more about cannabis industry talent acquisition with Bryan Passman. Bryan is the founder of the cannabis industry talent acquisition firm Hunter + Esquire and has more than 18 years of experience in executive search and recruitment. Founded in 2017, the experienced team is dedicated to providing a full-service, white-glove approach to every one of our clients. We are happy that “Cannabis Is Essential” during these tough times and we’re hopefully coming out of the tight restrictions here slowly and safely.

We talk about if Bryan is seeing impacts from COVID-19 on the hiring world as some companies perhaps had to scale down to save their budgets. Looking at the pace of how quickly our industry has moved in just the last few years as laws change so rapidly and licenses roll out, companies have been established, grown, and scaled up so incredibly fast on time. With that sort of growth, it means they perhaps had to hire handfuls or dozens of people in a short amount of time. Bryan explains how one carefully hires a team so rapidly while still getting the right people.

The Future Of Tradeshow Marketing

Learn more about the future of tradeshow marketing with Rhiannon Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer at Steelhead Productions. Rhiannon has served as the CMO and Co-Owner at Steelhead Productions, who specialize in custom rental exhibits for some of the most exciting brands in the country and has been awarded Exhibitor Magazine’s Top 40 Providers in the event industry. Rhiannon oversees all of Steelhead’s business development, as well as internal and external communications.

In that role, she has guided the company through the greatest recession of our time and gone on to help grow the business by over 630%, while becoming one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest-Growing Companies in America. Rhiannon’s company’s role in the cannabis industry is helping cannabis brands in an exhibitor setting like at trade shows. We’ve all seen the gigantic expo floor at NCIA’s national conferences, but social distancing means that’s going to look different whenever those restrictions relax. We talk about the future of tradeshow marketing and event marketing, as well as what Rhiannon is seeing or predicting when it comes to this subject.

Environmental Assistance For Small Businesses

Tune in to learn more about environmental assistance for small businesses with Kaitlin Urso. Kaitlin is from the CO Dept of Public Health where she serves as Environmental Consultant/ Project Manager/ Small Business Assistance Program Specialist. In her role, she protects Colorado’s air, land, and water quality by enabling small business owners/operators to achieve, maintain, and go beyond compliance with federal and state environmental regulations through technical assistance, education, and communication.

Kaitlin has a passion for working in the environmental protection field and holds a degree in mechanical engineering. She specializes in consulting for the commercial cannabis and craft brewing industries to reduce their environmental impacts. Kaitlin focuses on environmental assistance for small businesses through the CO Dept of Public Health. We dive into her role and her day-to-day, as well as what’s going on this year at the department.

Actionable Analytics In Seed-To-Sale

Learn more about actionable analytics in seed-to-sale with Colton Griffin, CEO of Flourish Software. Some operators in our industry see seed-to-sale tracking as a necessary burden and most legal states have mandatory or required systems, such as METRC. While operators have the option to use add-on supplementary software, Colton breaks that down for us about states like Oklahoma, Florida, Nevada, and Colorado. Flourish is a software platform that not only tracks the product from seed to sale, but also enables automation at each link in the supply chain, tracking inventory, recording and directing activity, and enabling operators to run their business cost-effectively, and providing actionable analytics. Colton’s career background and expertise are at the intersection of supply chain operations, enterprise software, and analytics.

By virtue of using Flourish, clients create and capture rich sets of data, which we present as actionable analytics to help drive decision making. Flourish sits at the center of the canna-tech ecosystem, and we have a robust external API to support integrations. The platform is comprised of modules such as cultivation, manufacturing, and inventory, and also has a mobile app that pairs with our web app. They envision a world in which Flourish drives core business processes and decisions, freeing their clients to focus on tasks that software can not automate. Flourish believes that they will be at the center of the industry’s ecosystem, linking companies together digitally and capturing rich data sets to support intelligent decision making.

Energy Usage Issues In Cannabis Facilities

Energy Usage Issues In Cannabis Facilities with Brian Anderson. Brian is a founding partner of architecture and design firm Anderson Porter Design. He also serves on NCIA’s Facilities Design Committee and has over 26 years of experience in the field of architecture, and over six years of concentration in architecture for the cannabis industry. Brian also brings design experience with a specialization in energy-efficient design and sustainability. When it comes to facility design, retail fronts are probably easier and more fun, but cultivation centers are an entirely different animal.Energy Usage

That’s where this energy usage we were just talking about comes into play, so we talk about how Brian works with growers to design facilities that meet their needs and address energy usage issues. We’re also seeing larger multi-state operators which means there’s going to be a desire to streamline each and every facility so they each are performing similarly. Brian details his insight into the thinking around design changes in those massive upgrade projects and more.

A Homegrown Legal And Business Advisory Firm Dedicated To Cannabis In Massachusetts

A homegrown legal and business advisory firm dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts with Blake Mensing, Founder and Chief Counsel, of The Mensing Group and Counsel to Hoban Law Group. and brings a no-nonsense approach to cannabis law in Massachusetts. The Mensing Group is first, and only, homegrown legal and business advisory firm solely dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts. In his capacity as associate town counsel for seven towns throughout the Commonwealth, Blake has written and edited zoning and general bylaws, advised boards of selectmen on medical marijuana dispensary regulation by the Department of Public Health, worked with planning boards and zoning boards of appeal, and represented municipalities before the Massachusetts courts and administrative regulatory agencies.

We can’t avoid talking about the COVID-19 pandemic and we dive into what’s happening in Blake’s home state of Massachusetts where the industry and consumers were disappointed to learn that the Governor did NOT deem adult-use cannabis businesses as “essential. Unlike so many other states like California and Colorado who did, so we talk about that and so much more.

The Mensing Group LLC is the first, and only, homegrown legal and business advisory firm solely dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts. They are proud to limit their practice to the exclusive service of Massachusetts cannabis business clients and they bring that singular focus to bear on the important issues facing Their clients. As the green rush changes the landscape of business opportunity in Massachusetts, they’d like to help you enter the marketplace as quickly and painlessly as possible. They will work to accommodate you at every level—they’ll even come to your home or office so you can focus on your goals, not traffic.

Beyond Seed To Sale

Go beyond Seed To Sale with Strimo CEO, Helkin Berg. Strimo is a business-performance platform that helps cannabis operators go beyond seed to sale, offering solutions to improve data collection, streamline efficiencies, and manage growth. Developed by industry leaders and pioneers, Strimo integrates cultivation, manufacturing, accounting, and dispensary management for the legal cannabis and hemp industry. Designed from experiences of operators and pioneers in the legal cannabis industry, the software bridges critical gaps between key operations for legal cannabis operators. The innovative comprehensive suite allows cannabis companies to run their entire business on one secure platform, managing the entire workflow by organic data collection, eliminating the need for excessive spreadsheets.

In this episode, we discuss the cannabis industry’s supply chain beyond the retail dispensary storefront, and how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting that supply chain and how businesses operate. We also talk about ways cannabis operators can recession-proof their businesses, and not only survive but thrive during the pandemic.

The Future Of Cannabis As An Essential Business – #CannabisIsEssential

Tune in to this new episode to learn more about The Future Of Cannabis As An Essential Business with Nina Simosko. Nina serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Akerna, a global regulatory compliance technology company in the cannabis space. Akerna’s companies and investments also include MJ Freeway, Ample Organics, Last Call Analytics, Leaf Data Systems, solo sciences, and ZolTrain. Nina brings more than 20 years of technology industry experience to her role. We talk about current events, and the good news during all this is that cannabis businesses have been deemed “essential.”

But there are some differences in how we’re operating. There’s delivery and curbside pickup, for example, so we walk through that customer-to-sale process now and how it’s different. Looking even further into the future, we ask if she is anticipating any further changes than what we’ve already seen, as well as how dispensaries will reach their customers and what will be new and different in how we’re operating in this new normal. Nina is extremely well suited to her current role with Akerna. She oversees all of the company’s revenue generation streams, builds strategies to drive revenue growth, and plays a pivotal role in aligning revenue generation processes across the entire organization.

Customer Loyalty Platform For The Cannabis Industry

Tune in to this episode to learn more about customer loyalty platforms for the cannabis industry with Jeffrey Harris, CEO, and Founder of Springbig. Today, we learn about an innovator in loyalty marketing technology, who serves 18 million users, establishing the company as one of the fastest-growing cannatech companies in the cannabis industry. Springbig has partnerships with some of the leading POS providers in the cannabis space, including Flowhub, Cova, MJ Freeway, Treez, and Greenbits. They have worked alongside retailers to send over 50,000 campaigns by way of over 90,000,000 text messages and have seen close to 600,000 rewards redeemed in return.

Springbig’s dedication and expertise have allowed retailers to see immediate and significant ROIs on their marketing initiatives. Billions of dollars in revenues have been created in more than half of the states in the country that now allow the medical or recreational use of the product. Growers, dispensaries, distributors, and a whole host of other indirect companies have benefited from the legal marijuana trend. Springbig uses SMS, loyalty marketing, and other tools to encourage repeat business for cannabis retailers. Prior to Spingbig, Harris founded a loyalty marketing company (Inte Q) that focused on developing and managing data-driven programs for large retail and financial services firms.

From Soil To Oil

From soil to oil with Brian Chaplin, founder of Medicine Box. The company provides Cannabis-infused herbal wellness solutions based in Nevada County, California. They produce a signature tincture, holistically crafted from a delicate ensemble of soothing herbs, superfoods, and mindfully cultivated cannabis. Long before the initial announcement of Medicine Box’s formation on April 20, 2016, its founders spent an entire lifetime of blood, sweat, and soil into preparing for the adventure to follow. Chief Brand Officer Brian Chaplin spent nearly a full decade in the cannabis underground honing his cultivation skills and learning valuable lessons in entrepreneurialism through his work in Lake Tahoe’s service industry. With his embrace of sobriety and entry into the 12-step community in 2012, Brian began considering his options at the peak of his cultivation career.

During a long winter convalescence from a ski injury in 2016, Brian researched the thriving examples of consciously-minded, community-oriented businesses, from Vital Farms to Blue Bottle Coffee, that were emerging throughout the country. Assembling the initial prototype of this business during a trip to Oahu, he envisioned a future where all the pharmaceuticals and drugs in an average person’s medicine cabinet would be replaced by cannabis and plant-based health and wellness products. This vision of a 21st-century “medicine box” served as the starting point of our “exploratory adventure” into the worldwide wellness movement. We take a deep dive talking about Chaplin’s product. This product is unique in that it is a tincture that not only contains what we would expect, cannabis, but also a whole host of other healing herbs. We talk about why Brian decided to take this approach when creating his product and much more.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: ELEVATE – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

Listen to this special episode of NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice brought to you from the podcast studio on the showfloor of the Northeast Cannabis Business Conference and Expo held February 19-20, 2020, in Boston, MA, with your host, Bethany Moore!

ELEVATE Northeast Events and Education exists because of the creativity, dedication, and passion of a group of activists and professionals with a shared mission to educate and empower a diverse and inclusive cannabis workforce and to work together to end the stigma against cannabis and the people who use and work with it. Cara Crabb-Burnham has been involved with the cannabis community and policy reform since 2009 at Emerson College SSDP. She volunteered on the board of MassCann for several years and was the Dean for the first cannabis vocational training school in New England for three years.

Cara is currently developing a class for Fremont College in California called Cannabis Business and Budtending, designed for people to become more familiar with the cannabis industry and help them devise their future in the space. She became involved with cannabis after she lost her job during the recession in 2008. It has been a personal priority that she supports this industry and prepares people for positions that they wouldn’t have experience with and has been able to do this through workforce training.

Crisis Communications Strategy

Tune in to this episode to learn more about crisis communications strategy with Jeanine Moss, founder of Outfront Solutions. Jeanine is also the Chair of NCIA’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. Jeanine is a product and brand development specialist and entrepreneur who has shepherded numerous organizations and brands through worldwide crises, acting as Chief Communications Officer for The September 11th Fund after the terrorist attacks and has supported crisis operations for international non-profits like the American Red Cross. Recently Jeanine appeared on an NCIA webinar about crisis communications during the time of COVID-19.

Jeanine’s background in crisis management and she also spearheaded a publication from NCIA’s Marketing and Advertising Committee about Crisis Communication. We talk about that in general, plus how and why companies need to integrate plans surrounding an unwanted crisis. Jeanine works closely with start-ups, innovators, and agencies and advises Fortune 500 corporations like Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Hewlett Packard on launch strategy, brand positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategies. In her role as a product development strategist, she conceived of and tested new products for CPG companies like Kraft Heinz Company and Seven-Up. Outfront Solutions provides crisis communications strategy, plans, and implementation services that help business leaders gain control over chaos and lead.

The Importance of Clean Cannabis

Clean Cannabis is one of the biggest concerns for today’s guest, the president of ProKure Solutions, Alex Cushman. ProKure’s goal is bringing the benefits of ProKure products to a wider market in the growing cultivation space, with the transparency of product as a core differentiator, and a mission. ProKure offers a safe, cost-effective, hospital-grade solution for disinfecting and deodorizing all surfaces. He’s been with the company since 2017 and prior to his role at ProKure, he launched an energy drink from the ground up.

As we know, every state has its own set of regulations and compliance requirements, and at NCIA we are wrapping our arms around the federal policy and future of that. As it pertains to clean cannabis and ensuring the consumer is receiving the safe products, we dive into what is Alex is seeing as far as regulations that set good standards for this goal. We also mention the urgency around this issue of consumer safety. We already faced the lung illnesses and deaths from bad, unclean vaping products in the market from illicit players, and unrelated to cannabis, the coronavirus is a respiratory pandemic, so as cannabis is primarily ingested through smoke or vapor into the lungs of human beings, cleanliness of what we’re putting into our bodies is crucial.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: Quality Control Analytics – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

Listen to this special episode of NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice brought to you from the podcast studio on the showfloor of the Northeast Cannabis Business Conference and Expo held February 19-20, 2020, in Boston, MA, with your host, Bethany Moore!

Quality Control Analytics was founded with the belief that education is the key to success and quality. They believe that educated employees perform reliably and consistently. The heart of Quality Control Analytics is quality. Quality and education go hand in hand. The quality product is achieved with quality education and training. QCA believes that there are three key components to help increase quality; education, continuous proactive training, and morale in the workplace.

QCA believes by maintaining these three vital components with training, on-boarding programs, and continuing education courses provided by Quality Control Analytics. QCA strives to bring exceptional education to all cannabis professionals performing any duty in your facility. In the cannabis industry, Ashley worked as a manufacturing manager during the beginning stages of the establishment. Previous to the cannabis industry, she was a Medical Laboratory Scientist.

 

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