Launching A New Brand: NCIA’s Marketing and Advertising Committee

Tune in to this episode to hear from NCIA’s Marketing and Advertising Committee with Jeanine Moss of Outfront Solutions, Kary Radestock of Hippo Premium Packaging, and Josefine Nowitz of Cannabis Creative Group. They all serve on NCIA’s Marketing and Advertising Committee – developing best practices in cannabis industry marketing; opening dialogues with major media outlets that ban most or all cannabis-related advertising; holding in-person or virtual educational events for NCIA members; and developing educational content that supports the industry.

We dive into how they each contributed their own areas of expertise and collaborated toward the launch of a new brand, and how all those pieces came together. This all happened during a global pandemic so this was done mostly remotely. Our guests describe what challenges came about during this discovery, design, decision-making, and ultimately the launch phase. Of course, we talk about what it really takes to launch a new brand from start to finish.

Leo Bridgewater – Minorities for Medical Marijuana

Leo Bridgewater Sr. currently serves as Director of Veteran’s Outreach for Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Chief Innovation Officer for CWCBExpo. Born and raised in Trenton NJ, he attended Trenton Central High School graduating in 1994. In 2001 Leo enlisted into the United States Army in response to the September 11 attacks in New York City and Washington DC and served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Specialist. Leo’s advocacy has seen him testify in NJ Senate Committee to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) added to the NJ Medical Marijuana Program. In September of 2016 NJ Gov. Chris Christie signed bill S-2345 adding PTSD to the NJMMP. He is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice over the unconstitutional classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance. Harmony, the medical cannabis dispensary in Secaucus, honored Leo Bridgewater in time for Memorial Day by naming a cannabis strain after him, Bridge H2O. The strain was developed in consultation with Bridgewater to alleviate PTSD and anxiety, among other conditions, many veterans and others experience. To learn more about Leo Bridgewater visit www.nj.com/leobridgewater

NCIA’s Social Equity Scholarship Program

Tune in to this episode to learn more about NCIA’s Social Equity Scholarship Program with Tahir Johnson, NCIA Membership Manager, DEI Manager. We start by talking about the committee itself. NCIA has 13 different industry sector committees like Marketing and Advertising, Cultivation, and so on, and we have an active Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as well. We dive into who is serving on the committee and what are they focused on right now.

The Social Equity Scholarship Program is another aspect of our overall DEI Program, and we’ve already given over 100 annual NCIA memberships to equity operators in various states. Tahir has had several of our scholarship recipients on his podcast, The Cannabis Diversity Report, so if you’re interested, that’s a great place to go hear their stories.

He is responsible for driving membership and expanding the organization’s presence on the East Coast. Prior to joining NCIA, Tahir spent most of his career in Wealth Management and had clients that included corporate executives, entertainers, business owners, and other high-net-worth individuals. He began his career with Morgan Stanley where he served on the Diversity Council. Passionate about cannabis he left his career as a financial advisor and began working as a patient counselor and social media director at a local dispensary. Having started several ancillary businesses, along with his experience as part of a team that has applied for cultivation and processing licenses, he has a unique insight into the needs and challenges of business owners in the industry. Tahir was born in Trenton, NJ, and has resided in the Washington, D.C. area since attending Howard University, where he majored in Marketing.

Data-Driven Cannabis Supply Chain

In this episode, learn more about data-driven cannabis supply chain with Camille Roistacher. Camille is the Founder and CEO of Voyage Distribution, a data-driven cannabis supply chain company, and Wyllow, an inclusive cannabis flower brand for the conscious connoisseur.

Roistacher is a fearless woman of color from Pasadena who began dipping her toes in the leadership pool by becoming Pasadena’s Rose Queen in 2006 when the media dubbed her as a “natural leader” who was “destined for royalty.” After working her way up through several management roles in the tech field at Fortune 500 companies, Camille brought her expertise to the cannabis space in 2018 by launching Voyage Distribution and quickly began serving some of the top cannabis brands in California.

It’s interesting to see the ways the industry is expanding and becoming more sophisticated and streamlined, and one thing we’ve seen is the wholesale distribution model which can house multiple brands and products, rather than the vertical integration models we’ve traditionally seen where a single licensee must grow, produce, sell, the whole she-bang. This wholesale model is different, so Camille explains how that works and so much more.

Rico Lamitte – Canivision

Rico Lamitte is the founder and CEO of Canivision. In 2016 a cancer scare led Lamitte to abruptly leave a nearly 10-year career in corporate finance into the cannabis industry. Rico’s been able to successfully navigate the industry’s notoriously difficult California business climate; building brands and forging lasting relationships throughout the state. He is also a TedX speaker and was the market leader for Los Angeles and Orange County chapters of Cannagather and was a co-founder of the National Diversity and Inclusion Cannabis Alliance (NDICA). To learn more about Canivision visit Canivision.com

The 2020 Election And Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to hear more about the 2020 election and cannabis with NCIA’s Director of Public Policy, Andrew Kline, and NCIA’s CEO and Co-founder, Aaron Smith. The NCIA team has had just a few days to digest and process the results of the 2020 U.S. election, including five new states who passed cannabis reform laws for medical or adult-use which is really exciting for our movement and industry.

We think it’s safe to say that we are clear on who the next President and Vice President will be on January 20th, 2021. While we didn’t see any real federal action one way or another relating to cannabis these last four years, we talk about what we can gather about the impact of a Biden-Harris White House administration might be on cannabis policy reform. As far as good news goes, we’re obviously super excited about five new states voting to pass medical or adult-use marijuana laws last week. Cannabis was a big winner yet again this year in South Dakota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and Arizona, so we discuss with Aaron and Andrew what this means for our industry going forward.

Landon Dais – Plant Inspired Future

Landon Dais is the Chief Strategy Officer at Plant Inspired Future, a minority owned cannabis business with cannabis and hemp licenses in Michigan and New York. He specializes in policy, employment, and construction litigation and is admitted in the 1st department of New York. In 2015, Dais was named pro-bono attorney of the year by Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center for his work handling drug convictions and arrests. Prior to joining PIF, Landon was the National Director of Partnerships for Medmen, one of the largest MJ companies in the US. He also previously served as the Political Director for the MJ Policy Project of New York (“MPP of NY”). Recently, Dais was given the prestigious NAACP Roy Wilkins Award in recognition of his work in policy, law and advocacy. In addition to his professional accolades Landon starred in the popular early reality show, Harlem Heights on BET.

To learn more about Plant Inspired future visit https://www.livepif.com/

Office Space To Virtual Space

Tune into this episode to learn more about the transition from office space to virtual space with Lynn Saladini, of Ath Power Consulting. Lynn is a passionate believer that trust creates strong relationships between people, resulting in an optimal, collaborative environment. Lynn is a driver of an effective strategy for measured growth and client success and has served Ath Power Consulting’s clients since the firm launched in 1997. For more than ten years she has navigated the shift from office space to virtual space, expertise in demand now more than ever before.

Ath Power Consulting is a premier provider of research and customer experience solutions, offering survey and mystery shop research, competitive intelligence, compliance auditing, market analyses, employee training, and strategic consulting. For over two decades, we have helped our clients improve customer retention, build brand loyalty and advocacy, deepen employee engagement, measure compliance, maximize performance, and increase profitability – distinguishing them from their competition and giving them a commanding edge in the marketplace.

The cannabis industry has been around long enough now that we can actually study the industry, study customers, study business processes, and even compliance and policies, and can gain some insights and conclusions from that research. We see more opportunities almost every year as new states pass legislation or ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis for medical or adult-use, thus creating a new industry for that state. Each individual state is its own animal, California looks different from Colorado, which looks different from Florida. We talk insights about some of these state-specific research studies she’s done and much more.

CJ Wallace and Willie Mack – Think BIG

CJ Wallace and Willie Mack founded the cannabis company, Think BIG to honor the legacy of CJ’s late father The Notorious B.I.G. who is recognized as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Think Big is a champion for social and criminal justice reform, including the fights against mass incarceration unjust marijuana laws and environmental policies that disproportionately target people of color. To learn more about Think BIG visit www.comethinkbig.com/

Safe Vaping And Inhalation Ingredient Regulations

Tune in to this podcast’s 200th episode to learn more about safe vaping and inhalation ingredient regulations with Dr. Jeffrey Raber, The WERC Shop. Dr. Raber received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Southern California with an emphasis on developing new synthetic methodologies useful in pharmaceutical drug discovery and manufacturing efforts. Dr. Raber was named to the USA Today 1997 All-USA College Academic Team for his research accomplishments. Dr. Raber entered cannabis in 2010 and has published 5 peer-reviewed articles on cannabis topics.

The Werc Shop was founded in 2010 as a sustainable chemistry company first focused on cannabis. Initial services began by offering analytical testing to the California medicinal market. The company evolved its service offering to begin providing private label contract manufacturing services at the end of 2013 and subsequently expanded its presence to additional states, mostly on the West Coast.

NCIA published a policy paper last year about safe vaping after the public disaster of the vaping crisis. Everyone is alarmed and the ingredients we are putting into our lungs are indeed super important. So we talk more about safe vaping, and the inhalation ingredient regulations that are needed. We also dive into the specific states and what they’re doing at the state level on establishing new regulations.

Caroline Phillips – National Cannabis Festival

Caroline Phillips is the founder and Executive Producer of the National Cannabis Festival and principal of The High Street, a marketing and events company based in Washington, D.C. Caroline focuses her work on conceptualizing, strategizing and executing live event and marketing experiences that leverage business and advocacy to champion social good. Caroline founded National Cannabis Festival to celebrate progress on cannabis legalization through music, art, education, and exhibitions. Now in its third year, NCF is the largest ticketed cannabis-themed event on the east coast. Caroline lives in Washington, D.C. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University, completed post-graduate studies at Howard University and received her Master’s degree from Georgetown University. You can learn more about National Cannabis Festival at https://nationalcannabisfestival.com/

Premium Cannabis Packaging

Tune in to learn more about Premium Cannabis Packaging with Kary Radestock, CEO of Hippo Premium Packaging. Kary launched Hippo Premium Packaging in March 2016, offering an array of services to the cannabis market, including Marketing Strategy, Brand Development, Social Media, Public Relations, Graphic and Web Design, and of course, Printing and Packaging.

Radestock brings over 20 years of award-winning print and packaging expertise and leads a team of the nation’s top brand builders, marketers, and print production experts. Kary’s company has been serving the cannabis industry with packaging needs for years, so she has seen a lot of new players entering the market. People come into the cannabis industry from other mainstream industries where one might expect the best practices in their industry to be the same for the cannabis industry, but they quickly find that it’s different. We talk a good bit about best practices, good management practices, as well as how proper planning can go a long way towards the success of your business.

The cannabis industry seems to operate at its own speed sometimes. We like to call it “dog years” so one year for a cannabis company seems to feel like three, or seven. We dive into how this plays out when planning a brand launch or specific product launch and much more.

Jessica F Gonzalez – M4MM

Jessica F. Gonzalez currently serves as a Cannabis and Intellectual Property attorney at Bressler Amery & Ross, a multidisciplinary law firm with over 175 attorneys and offices in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama and Washington, DC. Jessica also services as outside General Counsel for the national organization Minorities for Medical Marijuana and sits on the Policy Committee for the Minority Cannabis Business Association. Jessica also sits on the board of advisors for QA Canna, a quality assurance company based in NJ. Prior to joining Bressler, Jessica was the co-founding partner at MGA Law PC, a boutique business law firm with a special focus on cannabis. As a cannabis attorney, Jessica Gonzalez helps clients navigate the legal cannabis and hemp industry in the tristate area. She has counseled start up and medium sized cannabis/CBD companies on various matters, including corporate entity set-up, state and local compliance, private offering documents and applications for state cannabis licenses. Jessica also counsels corporate and individual clients on intellectual property procurement, prosecution, protection, and enforcement for domestic and international trademarks. As a cannabis advocate, Jessica has presented on both the municipal and state level on topics such as social justice/social equity, IP protection, cannabis legislation, state and federal banking and state cannabis licensing.

DEA Hemp Comments and the Rulemaking Process in Cannabis

The rulemaking process in cannabis with Liz Mason and Tiffany Coleman.

Liz is the Director of Operations at Aurum Labs, one of the first fully certified cannabis testing labs in Colorado. Liz and her husband, Luke, started Aurum Labs back in 2014, both of their backgrounds and degrees are in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology. In her time at Aurum she has helped to grow the business substantially, expanding it into the nationwide hemp market and helping to increase the testing services offered by the lab. Liz is the current co-chair for the NCIA Hemp Committee and Founder of Aurum Services, the Hemp Division of Aurum Labs that caters testing services specifically to the hemp industry.

Tiffany Coleman studied Chemistry at the University of Missouri Kansas City and has over 15 years of experience with best practices in pharmaceuticals. She came to cannabis to help keep patients and consumers safe by using those best practices and work towards standardized sampling and testing in the industry. She serves as chair of the NCIA Scientific Advisory Committee and founder of Cassin Consulting to help cannabis companies establish quality systems using Six Sigma and Good Manufacturing Practices.

There’s an important call to action for our listeners to get involved in the rulemaking process. Of course, NCIA files amicus briefs and submits comments to various government agencies as needed on the topic of cannabis and sometimes this gets really specific. Our guests explain more about what we’re doing in this case regarding the DEA and hemp, as well as break down the problem and the solution.

SUBMIT COMMENTS TO THE DEA NOW

Modernizing the Business Landscape of Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about modernizing the business landscape of cannabis with Sean Dawson. Sean is the Director of IT Solutions at Office1.

Office1’s mission is to innovate and progressively modernize the inefficient business landscape by providing a proactive, personalized, and eco-friendly office technology solution from planning to implementation and optimization. One solution from one company – Office1.

Sean seeks to understand the heart of a challenge and then focuses on creating practical and timely solutions. He is an avid DIYer, gardener, and master house re-doer who loves spending his free time with his wife, four children, and six chickens.

We start by talking about our emerging industry, and how we’re just starting to scale out of the “start-up, entrepreneurial” stage of business and becoming more sophisticated. This means more technology and automation, including our favorite Seed To Sale Software. We talk about what else companies should be thinking about when it comes to their technology solutions at this stage of the game when they’re starting to scale up. Typically a business owner hires an IT company to help them solve problems and scale their businesses up, and let’s say they’re experts at growing cannabis or extracting cannabis oil, but not so much on the technology side. Sean discusses with us a few examples of a company that came to him without any solid technology systems in place and how he helped them.

Nina Parks and Ramon Garcia – Original Equity Group

Nina Parks is the creator of cannabis brand, Gift of Doja and currently serves as Madame Chair of The San Fransisco Cannabis Oversight Committee.

Ramone Garcia is the owner of two family run cannabis businesses, cannabis delivery/distribution service, Padre Mu and Sanctuary Farms.

They are two of the co-founders of The Original Equity Group. OEG’s objective is to ensure that the Equity Program thrives in San Francisco by providing the foundation and framework needed for success. This includes ensuring our equity applicants have access to business training, good jobs, safe funding, and strategic partnerships, as well as making sure that equity incubator businesses are connected to the community through various outreach programs. OEG organizes and executes on workshops, events, and educational resources. They also recently launched the Equity Trade Certification.

To learn more about OEG visit http://www.equitysessions.com/p/who-is-sfcewg.html

Tauhid Chappell – Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists

Tauhid Chappell is an Executive Board member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, the first and oldest association of black journalists in the U.S. Recently he worked as a social media producer at The Washington Post before joining the Philadelphia Inquirer as an engagement editor, where he analyzes reader behavior on search, social and digital platforms.

In 2008 Tauhid was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, an autoimmune deficiency disorder. Using cannabis helps manage his condition and his triggers. He also spent time working part-time as a cannabis patient advisor for the medical marijuana dispensary.

In April 2019, he founded the Color of Cannabis Conference, Philadelphia’s first cannabis conference that was led by a media nonprofit which educated media professionals and community members on all aspects of cannabis – from its history to current industry trends.

You can learn more about The CannAtlantic Conference at https://www.cannatlantic.co/

Margeaux Bruner – Minority Cannabis Business Association

Tune in to this episode to learn more about Margeaux Bruner, an experienced cannabis leader and speaker who specializes in compliance, operations, government affairs, policy, social equity, and issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is the Director of Compliance & Diversity Inclusion across all business entities for Mid-American Growers/Red White & Bloom, where she supports the legal, compliance, and government affairs team by assisting with onsite cannabis operational compliance.

Bruner has been tirelessly devoted to government and public policy, while standing up for social justice. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Minority Cannabis Business Association, and the National Cannabis Industry Association’s State Regulations Committee.

As the former Political Director for the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, Bruner assuaged and liaised policy on behalf of the membership that was comprised of cannabis licensees and ancillary business. The Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, selected her to serve on its Marijuana Policy Workgroup, which worked to ensure that the laws were clarified and improved when necessary for implementing marijuana law in Michigan fairly, equally, and appropriately. She previously held an 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, Bruner served as a Designated Speaker and Strategist on behalf of the Marijuana Policy Project.

The Do’s and Don’ts Of Hiring Your Team

Tune in to this episode to learn more about the do’s and don’t’s of hiring your team with Viridian Staffing‘s Kara Bradford, and Joanna Monroe. Today we talk to two powerful women in the cannabis space. We dive into the background of the company, Viridian Staffing, as well as how they are handling COVID-19. We also discuss their advice for the hiring process and how they have been going about it during these unprecedented times.

Kara Bradford is the CEO of Viridian Staffing – which was founded in 2013 to provide not only HR consulting but also direct placements, consultants, and specialized temporary staffing solutions in the cannabis industry, and was the cannabis industry’s first staffing/HR-related company to become a member of NCIA in 2014. Known as the godmother of cannabis industry recruiting, Kara has been an HR professional for over 20 years. Her career has spanned multiple Fortune 100 companies and start-ups in a wide range of industries. Kara also sits on NCIA’s Human Resources Committee currently as chair emeritus.

Joanna Monroe is a senior executive, C-Suite adviser, and board director with a proven track record of helping companies transform and grow profits while reducing risk. With close to 25 years in staffing, she is an expert on human capital management, human resources, and employment law and is highly regarded for implementing large scale operational, compliance, and legal initiatives that contribute to high-performance business results and improve the bottom line.

Adapting During COVID-19

Tune in to learn more about Adapting During COVID-19 with Dave Roberson, Kukuza, and Javier Hernandez of Humbleroot. Dave Roberson was on the show in June 2019, and a lot has changed since then.

Dave Roberson is the CEO of Kukuza Associates, a business advisory firm that solely focuses on the finance and accounting needs of cannabis companies. Its rapid assessment evaluates cannabis companies’ finance readiness and agility; and recently, the online tool helped launch one mobile dispensary’s revenue growth which doubled during the pandemic. Kukuza means “growth” and “potential” in Swahili, capturing how the firm propels clients ahead and guides them to greatness.

Also on the show is Javier Hernandez from Humbleroot, which offers same-day cannabis delivery throughout the greater Sacramento area and beyond. The company was established in 2015 to break the stereotypes of the marijuana industry. They believed medication could be delivered in a responsible and respectful fashion that could be recognized, locally, and nationwide, and laid the foundation and generated a pathway for future delivery services, by co-creating the California Cannabis Courier Association and advocating legislation.

We talk about some of the challenges they’ve seen their clients facing these last few months during COVID-19 restrictions. We’ve heard about some of the changes being made like curbside pickup, an increase in online pre-orders for dispensary customers, etc. So we dive into what else they have been seeing as well as changes to methods in how they do business.

Improving Product Safety And Distribution

Tune in to learn more about Improving Product Safety And Distribution with Tyler Williams, CSQ. Tyler is the founder and Chief Technical Officer of Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ). Over the years, Tyler has diligently worked with various industry stakeholders and conducted sample audits on several cannabis cultivators and manufacturers to create the first global cannabis safety & quality Certification Scheme. Tyler currently sits on the Policy Council and the Cannabis Manufacturing Committee for the NCIA, in addition to serving as a member of the National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC) and the Safe Quality Food Institute’s (SQFI) Cannabis Working Group.

In 2019, Tyler started a non-profit organization called Show Me Food Safety. This organization provides resources to small food manufacturers and growers with help in improving their food safety practices, getting on the shelves of local grocery stores, and improve the overall health of consumers.

Even with a detailed roadmap and double and triple-checking everything, we live in a world of uncertainty and chaos, so something is bound to fall through the cracks or go wrong, no matter how carefully you prepare. Tyler stated that there are some things that cannot be prevented by following basic cGMPs. We dive into where cGMPs may miss the mark and more.

Tyler recently contributed a blog to NCIA’s website about getting a third-party audit, which is essentially asking experts OUTSIDE of one’s company, not within, to look around, “check under the hood, check the fluid levels,” etc. Tyler tells us some of the benefits of getting a third-party audit, as well as why a cannabis company should do this.

Chris Jackson – Sticky

Chris Jackson 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. Chris co-founded a social equity company that contributes to building ordinances, national licensee applications, while directly working with state legislators on cannabis industry policy. His expertise surrounds understanding community benefits and needs. Chris’s deep understanding of the intersection of social equity and community benefits serves to propel the movement of these two separate foundational philosophies and purposes. To learn more about Sticky visit https://www.stickyypsi.com/

Black Dog LED With Kevin Frender

Tune in to this episode to learn more about Black Dog LED with Kevin Frender who serves as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Science Officer. Kevin has been growing indoors under artificial lights in Colorado for over 25 years, using every commercially-available lighting technology available along the way. Over the years, he has grown thousands of different kinds of plants, from lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes to mangoes, orchids, and water lilies – all without the sun. Over four years ago Kevin turned his hobby into a full-time job when he joined Black Dog LED.

We know Kevin is in the business of lighting, which the cannabis industry uses HEAVILY. Particularly because many facilities grow in controlled indoor environments. For those of us who don’t work in the grow, we just know that you turn the lights on and off when you need them, but we talk more about how the light spectrum is used and what other ways it helps plants grow healthy. The lighting certainly gives off heat which is an important component of growing cannabis, temperature management, and regulation, so the plants get too hot perhaps. Then you have to cool things down with an HVAC system. We dive into how we can use lights while still keeping that energy conservation issue in mind as we continue to talk about sustainability in our industry.

Black Dog LED was founded in early 2010 when the founder spent over a year looking for legitimate LED grow lights to fill his and his friends’ growing needs. Black Dog LED is indoor gardening enthusiasts, and their passion for their work comes from the desire to create a quality product they want to use in their own gardens and their friends want to use in theirs. To accomplish this, they are pushing the limits of what is currently known about using artificial light to grow plants. Some of the research they are doing in BDL Labs, their research and development department, is being conducted for the first time ever. BDL is creating lights that, because of their combination of spectrum and power, are better for growing plants than anything produced before.

Chris Ball – Ball Family Farms

Chris Ball is the Founder of Ball Family Farms, Inc., the first vertically integrated, minority-owned, Social Equity commercial cannabis facility in Los Angeles. Mr. Ball is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovative cultivator. Chris is committed to creating dynamic opportunities in the cannabis space for those who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

Ball Family Farms flower is hand-crafted from the finest raw and organic nutrients. Cultivated with meticulous attention to detail, each component of their genetics are pheno-hunted, developed, and produced in-house to the most precise standards. Ball Family Farms currently offers three premium indoor strains — Daniel LaRusso (hybrid), Bonzai (sativa) and Miyagi-Do (indica).

Ball Family Farms and Viola have partnered to raise awareness to social inequity and drive social justice efforts for communities of color throughout the country. Both companies have a passion for activism and are committed to creating generational wealth for people of color who have historically been limited to such opportunities.

To learn more about Ball Family Farms visit https://www.ballfamilyfarms.com/

David Hua – Meadow

David Hua is the CEO and Co-Founder of Meadow, 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 powerful point-of-sale and e-commerce software powers retail and delivery businesses across the state. Hua has dedicated the last 5+ years to bridging the divide between cannabis and technology. He has partnered with dispensaries and delivery services of all sizes across California, utilizing technology to scale with demand from legalization, maintain compliance with local and state regulations, and create operational efficiencies to thrive in the regulated industry. He 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. To learn more about Meadow visit https://getmeadow.com/

Community And Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to hear more about Community And Cannabis with Debby Goldsberry, CEO of Magnolia Wellness. Debby has nearly 30 years of experience as a leader in the medical and adult-use marijuana industry. Magnolia Wellness is an award-winning dispensary in Oakland, CA, and Debby also co-founded the Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) medical cannabis collective in 1999, directing its growth for over 10 years, from 1999 – 2010. Goldsberry is the author of Starting and Running a Marijuana Business (Idiot’s Guide), a well-known industry guide and was also a top-rated mentor at Gateway Incubator in Oakland, CA, and is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed. She is a former board member at California NORML and the Marijuana Policy Project and is a Professor Emeritus at Oaksterdam University.

We brought Debby on the show, partially, because her dispensary is one of several stories we heard about being impacted by civil unrest and protests. We wanted to check-in and see how everyone is doing and what they have been doing to recover as well as deal with damage to her dispensary. Typically Oakland is a very competitive spot for dispensaries, even though hers has been around a very long time. New adult-use laws in California means lots of new spots have popped up in the neighborhood who were also impacted by property damage in recent months. Outside of what she’s doing with her specific business, she’s also very involved in the community in general. We talk about what she and her team are doing as far as conversations with the city and law enforcement.

Justinian Mason – MG Island Group

Justinian Mason is a career coach and business consultant. He spent over 2 years at Vangst, one of the cannabis industry’s leading recruiting agencies and now has gone out on his own to start his own company MG Island Group. You can learn more about MG Island Group at https://www.mgislandsgrp.com/

NCIA’s Equity Scholarship Program

Tune in to this episode to learn more about NCIA’s Equity Scholarship Program with Tahir Johnson, Membership Manager and DEI Coordinator for NCIA. He is responsible for driving membership and expanding the organization’s presence on the East Coast. Tahir was born in Trenton, NJ, and has resided in the Washington, D.C. area since attending Howard University, where he majored in Marketing. First, we cover the basics of NCIA’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which is one of NCIA’s 13 member-driven committees. Tahir is working closely with the DEI committee, so we get an update on what’s been going on so far this year and what’s around the corner and in the works.

Next, taking it the next step to NCIA’s brand new Equity Scholarship Program which Tahir is also heading up, and we’re all very excited about this program here at the organization. Tahir talks more about that program, why we’re doing it, and how people can find out more. Also of course NCIA has stepped up our digital game even more during the pandemic and time of social distancing, and that includes educational webinars. One of these upcoming webinars on September 1st is one that Tahir is also leading and coordinating. There are some amazing experts joining him on this one. Tahir tells us more about what he’ll be covering and who will be joining him

Khadijah Adams

Khadijah Adams is the founder of Girl Get That Money, a business empowerment coaching and consultancy movement. An Entrepreneur and Investor. Khadijah’s goal is to empower women in business by providing them with the resources and tools needed to help them become successful. Whether you’re in the startup phase of your business, or you’re ready to take your business to the next level, Khadijah’s your girl! She believes that no two women are alike and that one size does not fit all. Khadijah offers a variety of empowerment coaching packages, business tools, and other services that are customized based on the needs of her clients. Her mission is to help women design and execute a plan of action that helps them gain clarity, set new goals, get focused on their vision, and define their mission.

You can learn more about Khadijah Adams here. https://www.khadijahadams.com/

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.