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.

Cannabis Capital: How To Get Your Business Funded In The Cannabis Economy

Tune in to this episode to learn more about cannabis capital, and How To Get Your Business Funded In The Cannabis Economy with Ross O’Brien, Bonaventure Equity. Ross is the Founder & CEO of Bonaventure Equity, a cannabis venture capital fund, and runs the Cannabis Dealmakers Summit, a series of industry conferences and investment forums. Ross sits on the boards of the Green Ignition Ventures, Florida’s first cannabis accelerator, and CannaMexico and is author of Cannabis Capital the first book on cannabis venture capital for Entrepreneur Press.

In his book Cannabis Capital: How To Get Your Business Funded In The Cannabis Economy he states that: “Raising capital, like any other core business function, requires technical knowledge, a strategic plan, strong execution and an ability to handle a lot of rejection – the added challenges and popularity of the cannabis company means that you need to create a professional pitch that really sets you apart from your competitors.” Ross worked on Wall Street with a boutique N.Y. Investment banking firm was a Manager at Geller & Company and an Assistant Vice President at JP Morgan Chase. He holds an MBA from Fordham University and a BS in Business Marketing Management from Ferris State University. He also holds his Series 79 and 63 securities licenses.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: Natura Life + Science

Tune in to this episode to learn more about Natura Life + Science with development director and co-founder Manndie Tingler. Natura’s vertically integrated platform enables the company to bring cannabis products to the emerging California marketplace, while also creating trust in the industry through reliable service, supply-chain integrity, and quality assurance. Natura is committed to delivering quality, consistent, trusted cannabis products to consumers on a global scale by commercializing the industry in the most responsible manner. Natura believes in supporting the community and its employees through a set of core values every employee embodies. Manndie Tingler is a recognized sales and marketing executive with 13+ years of Business Development and Operations experience.

She currently serves as a Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Khemia Manufacturing, a women-owned and founded cannabis brand, and Business Development Director for Natura, a vertically integrated company that helps launch and scale cannabis brands in the most efficient way possible. She is also the owner of Silver Leaf, LLC, a cannabis business development consulting company. Manndie previously served as Director of Business Development at Papa & Barkley and played an integral role in helping to elevate the company to its success during its first 19 months of operation.

Branding Services For The Cannabis & CBD Industry

Tune in to this episode to learn more about branding services for the cannabis & CBD industry with Josefine Nowitz, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Cannabis Creative Group. Cannabis Creative is a full-service marketing agency providing web design & development, digital marketing, and branding services for the cannabis & CBD industry. Josefine is a strategic & creative leader immersed in cannabis culture and commerce. She is also a regular speaker, blogger, and social media commentator, committed to helping clients build their brand, connect with consumers and expand market share. Areas of expertise include brand identity, web design and development, digital marketing and print packaging design.

Clients include cultivators, dispensaries, service providers, edibles, CBD extractors, and distributors. The Cannabis Creative Group’s Boston-based team has decades of experience in web design & development, SEO, SEM, branding, social media marketing, and content strategy. They have boosted exposure for clients in diverse industries both locally and nationally, and they can help cannabis-based businesses of all stripes, from cultivators to dispensaries to ancillary service providers, reach a broader market and succeed in this ever-expanding field. As we know, cannabis is federally illegal and has many challenging regulations and compliance issues, including how to advertise. Restrictions are similar to tobacco and alcohol but unique on their own. In addition to traditional marketing, there’s the social media side of advertising and even NCIA has had its fair share of issues trying to get their ads approved for NCIA events. So we talk about challenges surrounding marketing cannabis products and services on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: The Global Soap Project – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

Tune in to this episode to learn more about The Global Soap Project with Derreck Kayongo. With his trademark panache, Derreck tells his courageous story of survival, social entrepreneurship, and humanitarianism, and the life lessons he learned along the way. From Ugandan refugee to successful entrepreneur, CEO, and renowned human rights activist, Derreck’s journey inspires audiences to dream big. Through personable and articulate storytelling, he shares his visionary ideas for harnessing the power of observation and creative problem solving, applicable to any organization or community.

It’s all about taking responsibility while looking for opportunities to improve. Derreck is the founder of the Global Soap Project: a humanitarian aid organization that collects discarded and unused soap from thousands of hotels worldwide, reprocesses it, then distributes it to in-need populations around the world. The project was born from his simple observation about how much soap is available in hotels, and how much is thrown away when hotel rooms are turned. This simple observation became an innovative idea that is now battling global health issues in 90 countries. Hygiene-related diseases, and the resulting deaths, have dissipated in many at-risk communities, thanks in part to Derreck’s creative problem-solving.

NCIA’s Cultivation Committee Featuring Stormy Simon

Tune in to this episode featuring NCIA’s Cultivation Committee with Stormy Simon. The NCIA Cultivation Committee has a mission to promote the voice of growers and to develop, promote, and distribute best growing principles and practices. Stormy Simon joined Overstock.com in the heady days of 2001 when the Internet was new to most consumers and the company had fewer than 100 employees. She went from temp to PR chief to branding VP – you may remember her appearance in those “It’s all about the O” commercials – and ultimately rose to become president in 2014.

Two years later, she left it all to embark upon a surprising new career: consulting for companies in the cannabis industry. Simon currently serves on the advisory board at CannaKids, which provides medicinal cannabis oil to pediatric and adult patients with illnesses like cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s. Simon explains why she pivoted from e-commerce to cannabis – despite her friends’ proclamation it was “career suicide” – and reveals the one question people should ask themselves before entering this burgeoning industry.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: New Ventures Consulting – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

New Ventures Consulting uses time-tested, proven business strategies to show purpose-driven entrepreneurs in leading-edge and trending businesses how to navigate risks inherent in growing and scaling so that the founders can see their vision come to life and positively impact people. Jack Palis is a risk advisor and insurance consultant specializing in, and committed to, bringing the traditional business function of risk management to new entrepreneurs in today’s leading-edge and trending businesses. Businesses in new and emerging Industries like blockchain/digital assets, high-tech applications of AI, drones, etc., cannabis, craft brewery/distillery and agritainment typically have a large percentage of first-time entrepreneurs and have challenges in readily accessing needed insurance.

Jack brings the strategies used by the big companies to these new business owners and shows them how to properly use of insurance in protecting their business. Since cryptocurrency hit his radar screen at the beginning of 2015, he has become a student and advocate of the practical applications of blockchain technology to business and societal problems and is committed to seeing this new industry thrive. From there, as a new entrepreneur himself, a passion emerged in helping other new entrepreneurs in other cutting edge and trending business ventures thrive. He observed that new entrepreneurs need skilled guidance to identify the unique risks to their business in these new and growing industries and to navigate the world of insurance where insurers are reluctant to cover new ventures in new fields. ln 2017, Jack completed a 37- year career has worked for several major international corporations.

CO2 vs H2O In Cannabis Cultivation

Tune in to this episode to learn more about CO2 vs H2O In cannabis cultivation with Melyssia Santiago from CO2Meter.com. Melyssia is the Vice President of Sales at CO2Meter, she has been a key force in helping CO2Meter drive sales and exceed industry expectations, since 2015. While driving the sales growth for the organization, Melyssia has also been committed to team mentoring, providing the ultimate customer experience, and exceeding sales expectations year over year. Her dedicated advocacy for CO2 safety in restaurant and beverage industries has expanded into the cannabis cultivation and extractions facilities worldwide have earned her a reputation as a leading professional and source for gas measurement solutions in the agriculture space. One thing we enjoy about the cannabis industry is there’s more and more science being integrated into our systems and infinitely more to learn.

Bethany has spoken with several NCIA members who are experts in cultivation and they talk about water a lot, H2O. Melyssia’s company’s focus is on how growers are using CO2 – Carbon Dioxide. Often identified as the “leading source” for gas detection, monitoring, and analytical solutions, CO2Meter continues to focus on the development of solutions for customers. Since its incorporation in 2006 CO2Meter works diligently to utilize the latest, proven gas sensing technologies to solve the urgent needs of its partners. By providing unique, high quality, sensors, and devices CO2Meter strives each day and in each customer, interaction to provide education about gas detection and monitoring, and to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public. CO2 Meter’s extensive array of business partnerships includes companies in restaurant, beverage, agriculture, indoor air quality, scientific, medical, research and academic markets. As one of the most trusted gas detection and monitoring manufacturers, CO2Meter designs and manufactures more than 350 different devices and technologies in use by customers in more than 150 countries around the world.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: Perpetual Harvest with Margeaux Bruner – The Northeast Cannabis Conference

Perpetual Harvest with Margeaux Bruner, live from the Northeast Cannabis Business Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. At Perpetual Harvest Sustainable Solutions they monitor and assess trends, external environment and internal practices; makes recommendations to develop/adjust strategy to meet the changing business and market conditions as registered lobbying agent and consultants. As former Political Director for the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, Bruner assuaged and liaised policy on behalf membership, comprised of licensees and ancillary business. Bruner currently serves on Attorney General Dana Nessel’s Marijuana Policy Workgroup, and held a previous appointment from former Governor Rick Snyder as a Commissioner on the Impaired Driving Safety Committee representing qualified and registered patients. During the 2018 Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol campaign, she served as a Designated Speaker and Strategist on behalf of the Marijuana Policy Project. NCIA State Regulations Committee, Minority Cannabis Business Association Policy Committee, a national speaker on diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership for National Expungement Week (NEW).

Counterfeiting, Diversion, And Gray Market Abuse In Cannabis

Tune in to learn more about counterfeiting, diversion and gray market abuse in cannabis with Terri Miller, Regional Sales Director at SignaKey. SignaKey provides encrypted track, trace & authentication technology (T, T & A). They protect products, brand identities, and brand values against counterfeiting, diversion and gray market abuses through the use of a proprietary symbology and a closed-loop process. Many listeners know about the USDA Hemp Regulations being rolled out, and anyone who’s in the hemp/CBD business with less than .3% THC has different regulations than the licensed, highly regulated cannabis industry. So anyone working with these products knows there are consequences if your plants are found to have THC levels beyond what’s allowed. We talk about the challenges for hemp cultivators related to those rules and regulations. This is a great example of using technology tools in our supply chain to support our goals. Bethany is constantly impressed with some of the booths she sees on their conference expo floors. We take a deep dive and explain the full life cycle of how this technology works regarding geotagging of plants, a chain of custody, and beyond. All this and more on today’s episode with Terri Miller of SignaKey.

In Studio at #NECannaBizCon: Asfalis Advisors And 4Front Ventures – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

Asfalis Advisors was created after Vanessa Mathews took a particular interest in crisis management when as a young woman, she found herself caught up in a natural disaster for which her hometown of Atlanta wasn’t prepared. Mathews is the Founder & Chief Resilience Officer of Asfalis Advisors, a Business Resilience Advisory Firm, is also a self-proclaimed foodie, travel enthusiast, pet-lover & avid fan of the hit TV show, The Profit. As the first woman in Georgia to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Savannah State University, including a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina; Mathews remains committed to helping clients at risk, or actively in crisis, to protect their employees, companies, and reputations.

Having founded 4Front Advisors in 2011, Kris Krane now serves as president of 4Front Ventures. Prior to forming 4Front, Kris served as director of client services for CannBe, a pioneer in developing best practices within the medical cannabis industry. Kris has dedicated his career to reforming the nation’s misguided drug policies, having previously served as associate director of NORML (2000-2005) and executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (2006-2009). He currently serves on the National Cannabis Industry Association board of directors and pens a column about the cannabis industry for Forbes. Kris’ pioneering roots in cannabis advocacy and policy provides a deep understanding of the evolving regulatory environment, which often provides 4Front a head start on seeing and evaluating opportunities.

Cannabis Cultivation Software With Brett Strauss

Learn more about Cannabis cultivation software Brett Strauss, President, and Co-Founder of FolioGrow. Brett is a serial entrepreneur with a 20-year background in creating, designing and selling software, primarily in the B2B space, working with companies like Oracle, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, Honeywell, and Intel. FolioGrow is a cannabis cultivation software that helps cultivators make the right decisions to increase yields and profits, providing KPI’s including Which strains are the most profitable. As well as Which employees are performing the best and If your cost-per-pound (CPP) as low as it could be.

We have heard of “Seed To Sale Software” but what is “Seed To Wholesale Software”? We talk about the differences, and where do the state compliance tracking systems end. For those in leadership and decision-making positions in these companies, decisions are made in lots of ways. These are instinct, experience, reporting, and spreadsheets, for example. So we talk about all the math involved in running cultivation grow and what the decision-makers in a grow should be looking at.

Education and Information For Medical Cannabis

Education when it comes to medical cannabis is a very important part of the growth of our industry and today we talk about that and much more with Chris Jackson of Indica Sticky. Chris was previously a candidate for Pontiac City Council and State Representative (29th District). Excited to explore entrepreneurial endeavors in a new & emerging market, Chris partners with the Sticky brand of operations (a cannabis operation) that is rapidly expanding in Michigan. He is the company’s leader of Government & Legislative Affairs, Social Equity, and serves as its Community Benefits Liaison and Social Equity Lead. His efforts were recognized recently when he was selected as a member of Oakland County’s 40 under 40.

Chris witnessed how cannabis prohibition directly impacted urban America and is dedicated to reversing the negative damage caused. He is a member of various state and local boards that contribute to economic power and initiatives to drive diversity and inclusion. Aside from being nominated for the Board of Directors, Chris serves on the State Regulations Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association and co-chairs its Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee. His knowledge spans the complex intertwining of governmental and business cannabis issues, while also remaining at the forefront of the pressing interstate commerce issues in cannabis. Sticky is a cannabis provisioning center arranging access to education and information regarding holistic healing and the wholesome use of marijuana for medical purposes. Sticky provides Michigan patients in need with safe access to high-quality medicine, wellness services, and educational resources.

Consistent Quality Flower With Increased Crop Yields

Tune into this episode to learn more about consistent quality flower with increased crop yields with Peter Dougherty, CEO of Orion Partners. Orion Partners Gro iQ platform helps cultivators increase crop yields and produce consistent quality flower. The Gro iQ analytics platform helps cultivators increase cultivation command and control measured in increased grams per sq foot and reduced cost per gram results. Data is KING as they say. And now that we’ve got a few years of state-legal programs under our belt, there is actually quite a bit of data to crunch.

We talk about Peter’s thoughts on the importance of analyzing user data in our industry for companies trying to not only survive but truly thrive. We also take a big picture look at the market as a whole. We’re not quite at a federal level yet but there are dozens of states with either medical or adult-use laws on the books and those markets are either established by now or emerging markets. We see what Peter thinks about these various markets and where they’re at today, and any advice or concerns he has about what we’re doing today.

Revolutionizing How Cannabis Producers Achieve Success

Tune in to learn more about revolutionizing how cannabis producers achieve success with David Vaillencourt. David is founder and president of The GMP Collective. David serves on NCIA’s Facilities Design Committee and is also a member of ASTM International’s D37 Cannabis Standards Committee where he developed and passed the first cannabis laboratory standard. The GMP Collective is revolutionizing how cannabis and hemp producers achieve success while meeting and exceeding the most stringent of current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) requirements.

GMP values transparency, integrity, and empowerment. With a collective of subject matter experts that have married their knowledge in highly regulated industries with their passion and knowledge for cannabis, the result is a robust team that will set your company up for long-standing success long after an auditor has left. The industry is getting more sophisticated so they talk about SOPs and compliance. The industry has many requirements including Seed To Sale tracking. They talk about some high-level advice David has for cannabis companies in implementing better processes and more.

Green Chemistry Water Treatment Technologies

Green Chemistry water treatment technologies with Kyle Lisabeth of Silver Bullet Water Treatment. With over 15 years’ experience, Kyle has been focused on improving water management programs across multiple industries, with a central focus on treating water for reuse applications.

Traditional water treatment methods frequently depend on harsh or hazardous chemicals for their respective processes. Using hazardous chemical-based water treatment methods can potentially have long-term, detrimental consequences for the environment, and can introduce health and safety liability risks related to the storage and handling of the toxic chemicals used in conventional water treatment methods. Silver Bullet treats water better through its commitment to developing and offering Green Chemistry water treatment technologies and services. Their oxidant-based water treatment technology does not employ hazardous chemicals and simply relies on the surrounding ambient air as the feedstock for their proprietary advanced oxidation process.

In today’s episode, we start with going deeper into explaining what water management is, and how water management in cannabis cultivation differs from how water usage works in other agricultural industry sectors. But not before diving into Kyle’s background before he started contributing his time to the cannabis industry.

Pushing Forward In The Arizona Cannabis Industry

Arizona Cannabis Industry with Ryan Hurley of Copperstate Farms. Ryan is General Counsel at Copperstate Farms, the largest medical cannabis grower in the Southwest. He has been working on AZ’s MMJ law even before it was passed, and he had significant input on the ultimate rules that AZDHS developed. Ryan was the attorney for the Arizona Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol a committee to legalize marijuana for adult-use in Arizona in 2016. A few years ago, this industry was comprised of a lot of small businesses, including mom-and-pop shops, and now there are some mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations happening.

Ryan is a frequent presenter at marijuana seminars and conferences throughout the country and is a tireless advocate for marijuana reform in myriad interviews and appearances on TV, print, and radio. He is also one of the founding members of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). With a strong interest in industrial hemp, Ryan has been working behind the scenes with Arizona farmers to bring industrial hemp as an alternative crop to Arizona’s large cotton industry.

Justice for Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about justice for Cannabis with Omar Figueroa, head of Law offices of Omar Figueroa, based in Sebastopol, CA. Omar has published a series of books documenting the legal evolution of California’s cannabis laws and is new board member at NCIA. Omar has his finger on the pulse of California regulations and even “wrote the book” on it, or several books as it were. But this landscape is ever-evolving, so we talk about his sense of what changes are to come for the cannabis industry in California.

Much like champagne, it is only champagne if it’s grown a specific way in a specific region of France. California has a similar legal framework of APPELLATIONS for California wines. We dive into how cannabis is moving into these legal designations as well.

Omar Figueroa has spent two decades at the vanguard of California cannabis law and is widely respected as an industry expert. Omar frequently appears in media coverage as a legal expert on cannabis. He also speaks at cannabis events around the world, such as Spannabis and The International Cannabis Business Conference in Barcelona, MJBizCon NEXT in New Orleans, The Emerald Cup in Sonoma County, and the State of Cannabis in Long Beach, to name a few. His interests are not limited to cannabis, and he has a profound, long-term interest in entheogen law and policy.

Compliance In Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about compliance in cannabis with Allison Kopf. Allison is the founder and CEO of Artemis Ag, a Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. In 2015, Allison won the highly coveted Disrupt Cup at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco with the seed that would become Artemis. Allison was named a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal’s 2019 “Women of Influence.” We talk about that same old song we all know: compliance. It’s necessary and a part of regulations, but sometimes these can be very burdensome for business owners trying to navigate running their businesses while keeping up with compliance.

Allison has some experience in the regular non-cannabis agricultural world, fruits and vegetables, produce, etc. We talk about her thoughts as far as comparing and contrasting these two industries, what works, what doesn’t work, and more. We’re at a stage where various companies are expanding beyond the state they originally started in, and now they’re expanding as multi-state operators. This is exciting for our industry to see, but it also means there are challenges around scaling up her business to meet those demands.

Science, Business, Cannabis, & Technology

Tune in to this episode to hear more about Science, Business, Cannabis, & Technology with Charles Warner, CEO at IPW and Editor-in-Chief Cannabis & Tech Today, the leading publication for all things Science, Business, Cannabis, & Technology. Innovative Properties Worldwide, a marketing agency and publishing company based out of Denver, Colorado. Charles is a powerhouse of experience and insight as well as a thoughtful storyteller who is focused on building audience engagement while inspiring and informing. During his time as a gun team leader in the U.S. Army, Charles learned the importance of communicating effectively. These skills helped him to establish himself as the CEO of Mainstream Media International, producing official championship publications for the NCAA, PGA, NASCAR, and even the Super Bowl and World Series.

Charles’ motivational style and engaging public speaking abilities have culminated in a series of event presentations from media roundtables at CES to various other conferences and black-tie events. Charles is now Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning publication Innovation & Tech Today. His passion for all things related to science, technology, and sustainability makes him a valuable asset to any speaking lineup. Additionally, his strong credentials in cross-platform branding and marketing communications have helped fuel the growth of Innovative Properties Worldwide and its partners.

Technologies For Human Diagnostics, Food Safety, And Agriculture

Learn more about technologies for human diagnostics, food safety, and agriculture in this episode with Jon Vaught, CEO and Co-Founder of Front Range Biosciences. Dr. Jonathan Vaught has more than 15 years of experience in developing and commercializing technologies for human diagnostics, food safety, and agriculture. He also operates a small farm at his residence in Colorado and founder of Mountain Flower Dairy, a non-profit focused on providing educational opportunities for locals to learn about where their food comes from.

Cultivation Best Practices Roundtable

Join NCIA’s Cannabis Cultivation Committee to learn more about Cultivation Best Practices in a roundtable discussion with Cody Hitchcock and James Cunningham. Cody Hitchcock is a horticulturist and grower for Smokey’s Cannabis Co who has researched and performed field trials with a variety of plants and organic growing techniques in an effort to create sustainable and economic solutions for producing high-quality crops. James Cunningham is a native of Santa Cruz and the founder and driving force behind Fog City Farms, and Vertical Air Solutions. Fog City Farms is a leading-edge vertical cannabis farm located in Watsonville, CA.

Streamlining The Integration Of Nanotechnologies

Tune in to this episode to learn more about streamlining the integration of our nanotechnologies with Andrew Wong of Axiomm. Andrew co-founded Axiomm Technologies in late 2017. Axiomm is a technology company whose team of technical experts combines academic and industrial expertise in the development and commercialization of novel manufacturing and consumption methods. As our industry becomes more sophisticated, it’s interesting how high-tech cannabis has become, specifically when it comes to the application of nanotechnology.

Designing The Cannabis Business Space

Tune in to this episode to learn more about designing the cannabis business space with Christina Casile of Design 710. Christina is a certified interior designer with over 20 years of experience. Her company Design 710 assists both new and experienced businesses in the medical and adult-use cannabis industry. We talk about designing the business space because she has designed for retail dispensary and cultivation companies in the cannabis space, but also non-cannabis companies. We discuss what the similarities and differences are when you approach space design for cannabis versus non-cannabis.

The dispensary environment is more customer-focused, whereas a cultivation environment is a bit more behind the scenes for just employees. We dive into the differences and similarities between those two verticals of the cannabis industry. So as the industry matures, and the companies years ago were smaller, the owners had to wear all the hats. Now those companies have grown, and have more revenue and resources. So we talk about the importance of hiring outside professionals such as HR, accounting, and other services. We also speak about the benefit of engaging a professional designer or architect and the benefits this has on the entire process.

Helping Cannabis Retailers Maximize Performance

Tune in to this episode to learn more about helping cannabis retailers maximize performance with Ben Curren, founder, and CEO of Green Bits. Green Bits provides smart management solutions that are helping cannabis retailers maximize performance and make better business decisions. The robust retail platform – with automated state-by-state compliance, inventory control, and personalized insights – enables owners, managers, and budtenders to run, protect, and grow their businesses with ease. The company serves more than 1,100 cannabis retailers across 13 states and processes more than $3.5B in cannabis sales annually. Founded in 2014, Green Bits helps legal cannabis retailers run compliant, operationally efficient and growing stores.

We start by talking about medical cannabis laws across various states, as well as those that have legalized 21 and older adult-use cannabis laws now, and what kind of changes and regulatory challenges are involved moving from a medical-only market into a larger, adult-use market. We dive into Ben’s thoughts around that and what challenges do companies have when facing that transition.

Another major challenge faced by both medical-only as well as adult-use market serving companies is, of course, consistent banking access. Not only getting and keeping a checking account, having the ability to pay your company’s bills and your employee’s payroll. But also loans are difficult to invest further in your own business. Of course, the SAFE Banking Act has passed out of the House, and now we await the Senate. So we talk about all that cash floating around the industry and how we as an industry have found ways to manage it over the years.

Developing And Improving Equipment For Safe Extraction

Learn more about developing and improving equipment for safe extraction with Ben Stephens, Founder and CTO at Delta Separations. Delta Separations, founded in 2015 is a hardware manufacturer based out of Santa Rosa, California. They are dedicated to developing and improving equipment for safe extraction of high-quality oil from plant-based biomass, primarily for the cannabis and hemp industries.

Ben is an expert on machinery and technology, and he’s really gotten his hands dirty building and even inventing new extraction machines. We talk about that journey to build the perfect machine for extractions. Ben explains some of the differences between extraction methods as there’s a debate about certain ways of extraction being “better” or “cleaner” than others.

We also take a deep dive into Ben’s thoughts around some of the challenges he’s seeing our industry dealing with currently. We know the obvious ones like federal prohibition, banking access, insufferable tax rates, etc. People are eager to be in this industry but may not realize some of the hoops they need to jump through. We cover this and much more in this episode.

Energy Efficiency In Cannabis Facilities

Tune in to this episode to learn more about energy efficiency in cannabis facilities with Andrew Myers, co-founder, and CEO of ProGrowTech. Andrew is among the nation’s leading, innovative LED lighting experts for horticulture and cannabis sectors, and Co-author, 2010 Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. He is also a Board Member and former Executive Director, Arizona Dispensaries Association and Co-founder, Arizona Medical Marijuana Association. In addition to establishing and executing the company’s overarching vision, he is instrumental in driving the implementation of operational, research and product development activities to help expand the company’s footprint nationwide.

Cannabis cultivators are subject to 280E of the IRS tax code and can’t take normal business deductions, so every penny counts. Every cultivator wants to do things better, faster, cheaper, keeping costs down. There’s been a lot of discussion about energy efficiency in facilities and the impact of our carbon footprint in order to grow cannabis – there’s a challenge for cultivators to balance their growing techniques and methods with being conscious of how much power is being used to do so. Andrew is someone who has watched the industry evolve over the years, starting with medical programs’ rules and regulations and then more sophisticated adult-use laws.

Why Professionals Want To Work In The Industry

Tune in to this week’s episode to learn more about why professionals want to work in the cannabis industry with guest John Comeau, Founding Partner of H2 Talent. John is recognized as one of the leading recruiters in the country. In 2017, C-Level Search was designated as a Top Search Firm in North America. LinkedIn named C-Level Search the 24th “Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agencies in North America” in a category with over 60,000 other staffing agencies. H2 Talent is creating new jobs where they haven’t existed and bringing the entrepreneurs, visionaries, problem solvers, and disruptors into the “next great American industry.”

Cannabinoid Science For Planetary Health And Well-Being

Tune in to this episode to learn more about cannabinoid science for planetary health and well-being with Steve Goldner of Pure Green. Pure Green creates pharmaceutical grade solutions for everyday ailments and chronic conditions. Stephen Goldner has served as FDA Advisor to the NIH, advising medical device and drug developers and grant awardees. Steve is a forensic toxicologist and to the laywoman, that means he has done medical examinations, autopsies, and has an intimate understanding of the disease.

As someone who is pro-cannabis, we talk about his concern with this epidemic we’re seeing with the vaping illnesses. There have been more than 30 deaths already, and it is very tragic and concerning. Despite this hiccough, we can still safely say that cannabis has provided real medical benefits to so many people for issues ranging from PTSD treatment to pain management and everything in between. Steve is passionate about and dedicated to bringing real science to cannabis. We discuss some of the clinical trials he is working on and anecdotes of people healing from cannabis.

The Fast Paced Growth And Expansion In Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about the fast paced growth and expansion in cannabis with Noah Miller, CEO of Black Dog LED. He’s been with the company since November 2011, bringing experience from both startups and large corporations. Black Dog LED provides LED grow lights for the cannabis industry and beyond. We discuss scaling Noah’s business, which has been around since medical-only programs, and at this point almost 6 years into adult legalization in some states including Colorado. He is keeping up with all that by scaling fast.