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Industry Networking
Connect with Health + Beauty professionals within the cannabis business industry. CBD, Hemp and THC!
CBD-Intel
Market Analyst
Alejandra graduated as an economist at the Andr?s Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela and has a masters degree in marketing from the UPF Barcelona School of Management. She has worked as an analyst at Nielsen and also has experience as a sales analyst for Henkel and Volkswagen.
As a member of CBD-Intel’s market research team, Alejandra is involved analysing the CBD market for European and American countries.
Hybrid Pharm
President | Pharm.D., MBA
Graduating from MCPHS in 2009 Boston, Rahim pursued an MBA at Bryant University in RI. After returning to Ottawa, his father was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer and started him on cannabis oil. It was through this experience that he found his calling: to help patients improve their quality of life using a hybrid of traditional and non-traditional medicines. Since opening Canada’s first cannabis specialty compounding pharmacy, Rahim has helped over 1000 patients utilize cannabis safely and effectively. He has lectured at many cannabis industry events, teaching practitioners how to use cannabis in their clinical settings.
Greenlit Agency
Principal
Flip has spent his last decade helping top tier brands such as Bud Light, Caesars Entertainment, Pizza Hut, ESPN, and Amex target customers through digital advertising and creative content. He built Greenlit Agency to bring this experience to the growing cannabis industry. Greenlit is headquartered in Los Angeles and currently works with some of the largest cannabis and CBD brands in the nation.
DOPE CEO
Co-Founder | COO
A former & Big 4 accounting professional, Naomi has over 12 years of experience in both public accounting and industry accounting. She has managed large global teams responsible for planning, performing and managing audits of financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting. Naomi recognized a void in the cannabis industry and co-founded DOPE CFO in order to bring proper accounting and bookkeeping practices to cannabusinesses. DOPE CFO provides educational tools for accountants and financial professionals to enter into the cannabis industry for untapped professional potential. Naomi was featured in MJ Biz Magazines Jan 2019 issue in their “Women to Watch” section.
blyssful ALCHEMY
CEO|Product Specialist|Formulator
McCarthy is passionate about topicals and teaches people about the benefits of applying cannabis topically, as well as how to make their own topical medicines. She has been a guest speaker, advocating for cannabis and women’s health and sexuality at numerous international conferences and on podcasts.
In 2019, under the auspices of blyssful ALCHEMY, McCarthy produced over 190 cannabis DIY workshops, classes, high teas, yoga classes, infused dinners and speciality educational events.
Greene Acres Consulting Group, Inc
CEO
William Burch is a serial entrepreneur, consultant and legislative advocate. At Greene Acres Consulting Group where he serves as CEO. He has been working with legislators and the Illinois community stakeholders to ensure the Adult Use Cannabis legislation includes measurable equity inclusion for communities with a goal to encourage, empower, assist and sustain disadvantaged minority businesses and entrepreneurs looking to enter the adult use cannabis industry. With years of career success in project management and business development, Mr. Burch’s business agility stems from working in industries that are rapidly growing and evolving. Mr. Burch received a Bachelor of Science degree, with a concentration in Business Management from Robert Morris University. Known for applying proven business tactics to uncharted territory, Mr. Burch has created a diverse consulting network at Greene Acres Consulting Group with high-profile partners. Mr. Burch has received multiple recognition’s for his professional accomplishments.
Senate of Pennsylvania
PA State Senator (D-17)
State Senator Daylin Leach represents parts of Montgomery County and parts of Delaware County. Formerly an attorney and college professor, he is now the Pennsylvania legislature’s leading voice on progressive issues.
Medicine Man Technologies
Sr. Consultant/Business Development Manager
Marc Harvill holds degrees in Marketing and Spanish from PSU and an MBA from Washburn University. He started his career in retail pharmacy management and later worked for one of the largest privately owned pharmacy technology and robotic companies in the world. He had his start in the cannabis industry back in 2013 when he and his uncle, Brett Roper, assisted Andy Williams (owner of Medicine Man, a 45,000 square foot cultivation with processing and five dispensaries throughout Denver) with launching Medicine Man Technologies (Symbol MDCL), a cannabis consultancy in Denver. Today Marc is the Senior Consultant and Business Development Manager at MMT and is responsible for following emerging markets, managing client relationships, driving and developing business, and assisting shareholders and brokers. For the past six years Marc has been with MMT he, with his company, has assisted clients with state cannabis licensing, design, setup, training, and roll out and deployment in seventeen states including Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, South Africa, and Germany. The company has help clients win 26 licenses total in PA, OH, IA, CO, IL, NV, MD, PR, AR and HI.
Medicine Man Technologies
Business Development Associate
Stuart graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelors degree in Business Marketing. Stuart has been in the industry for 6.5 years having started as a grower for Medicine Man Denver. After 4 years at Medicine Man Stuart transferred to Medicine Man Technologies as a Business Development Associate. In Stuart’s role he manages all in-coming inquiries, coordinates private consults, drives sales and educates aspiring entrepreneurs about getting in the industry.
Sapphire Risk Advisory Group
Managing Partner
Tony Gallo is the Managing Partner for Sapphire Risk Advisory Group, LLC who was named one of the top security ancillary cannabis businesses in 2018. For the last 5 years, his company has been one of the leaders in designing cannabis security strategies in over 20 states and Canada. Tony has over 30 years & experience in Security, Audit, Safety, and Risk/Emergency Management fields. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University and is a licensed Security Consultant. Tony is a published author on cannabis security programs and has spoken at numerous cannabis business conferences across the United States. Tony is considered one of the leading authorities nationwide in cannabis and financial loan service security, armed robbery and burglary loss prevention.
Panacea Payroll
Sales Director
Teresa Kearney is the Sales Director of Panacea Payroll, located west of Philadelphia,PA. Panacea Payroll is solely focused on providing payroll, HR and timekeeping services to the cannabis and hemp industries in all 50 states.
Lit Yoga
Founder
Hannah Mason is a movement educator, plant medicine activist and the founder of Lit Yoga.
Hannah discovered yoga and cannabis while studying dance. She knew instantly that these practices would hold her through the often unpredictable and ecstatic journey of life. With a commitment to exploring the complexities of the body-mind-spirit connection for healing and transformation, Hannah pairs herbs with yoga practices to expand awareness and create balance.
Canopy Rivers
President | CEO
Narbe leads business development, strategy and the day-to-day operations. Prior joining Canopy Rivers, Narbe was a senior associate at OMERS Ventures, one of the most prominent technology venture capital funds in Canada- working on deals such as Shopify and Hootsuite). Narbe has introduced a highly thesis driven approach to investment (a silicon valley venture capital model employed in the tech industry) at Canopy Rivers – looking at gaps in the industry and how/by whom those will be filled. Canopy Rivers has identified 13 verticals within the cannabis value chain, and further broken that down into another 97 sub-verticals within which to deploy capital mainly playing in the space between early seed and pre-public operations. As a result, Narbe has quickly become an expert on emerging trends in the cannabis industry. Narbe would tell you we are in the “picks and shovels stage with ancillary businesses powering the industry. But that tide is quickly turning – what is emerging as the next big wave is brands (with big pharma and mass market not far behind).
Fundanna
Chief Operating Officer
A graduate of the John Marshall Law School, Florence has been a successful business consultant for over 13 years. She has a Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship from DePaul University and received a Bachelors in Business Administration from Howard University. She worked for the City of Chicago, DePaul University, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and had her own law practice before becoming the Chief Executive Officer for truCrowd Illinois, the only intrastate equity crowdfunding platform in Illinois and Chief Operating Officer of Fundanna, the only marijuana based crowdfunding platform. Additionally, Florence is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she teaches classes in Business Ethics. Florence has lived and studied in Chicago, Illinois, Washington, DC and Berlin, Germany.
Cova Software
CEO
Gary Cohen is the CEO of Cova Software, an award-winning, seed-to-sale compliant POS and Inventory Management solution designed to streamline cannabis retail. Cohens focus has been driving the company’s overall strategy including its go-to-market plans, vision, and strategic development. Since joining the cannabis industry in 2016 and launching Cova commercially in 4q17, Cohen has led Cova to dominate the enterprise sector for dispensary Point of Sale, while forging client relationships with hundreds of single store retailers across North America. Today, Cohen leads seminars and delivers speeches on topics including compliance, retail technology, sophisticated business operations, cannabis banking laws and more at some of the industry’s largest conferences and events, including the NCIA Seed to Sale Show and MJBizCon. While Cova has become the predominate thought leader for cannabis retailing, Cohen is a leading voice for educating new cannabis entrepreneurs to build their own successful brands.
EcoGen Laboratories . Chief Growth Officer
Derek is the Chief Growth Officer at EcoGen Laboratories. The company started in 2016 with a team of 8 and $800,000 in sales. In 2016, EcoGen did $36 million in revenue with never taking outside funds and growing 100% off earnings. Previously, Derek was CEO and Co-Founder at Healing Ventures, where he successfully brought several leading brands in the CBD space to market. EcoGn has manufactured products on the shelves as Sephora, CVS, etc. One of the brands we brought to market recently was acquired for $1 billion. Derek is a brand management professional who leverages all elements of an integrated marketing plan, through concept, development, and building iconic brands by orchestrating successful campaign deployment on a global and regional scale. Derek is responsible for the viral launches of multiple apps via strategic partnerships, experiential events and celebrity endorsements. After graduating from UCLA, Derek was an Actor/Writer/Producer and Stunt Performer. Derek has played opposite Michael C. Hall and Julia Stiles (Dexter), Esai Morales & Raymond Cruz (Los Americans), Bruce Willis (Mauraders), and Robert DeNiro (Heist).
Higher Level Healthcare
Physician|Founder
Dr. Troy Alexander-EL was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of American University of Antigua Medical School. She trained in Internal Medicine in a combined primary care program at John H. Stroger Hospital and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Alexander-EL has been practicing for the last several years as a Primary Care Physician for various underserved populations on throughout Chicago and the South Suburbs. Most recently as medical director and primary physician in several nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Chicagoland area. She established Higher Level Healthcare in response to the lack of opportunities for minorities, specifically people of color, to obtain Medical Cannabis without the stigma created because of the war on drugs.
Pistil + Stigma
Director of Strategy
Shoshanna’s background in cannabis began on the civil liberties side, lobbying for groups such as the ACLU and providing analysis for the state on issues such as arrests in schools and prisoner re-entry. She has sat on a Juvenile Review Board employing a Balanced & Restorative Approach to Justice, legislative bodies such as sentencing task forces, commissions & oversight committees charged with implementing criminal justice reform measures. Shoshanna’s direct service experience draws on years spent providing home hospice care and teaching self-care to at-risk youth and professionals in human services. Shoshanna has twice been a guest lecturer for the New Paradigms in Law class offered at the Touro Law Center in Central Islip, NY, has lectured for Pepperdine University’s Department of Public Policy and for Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, NJ. She was a contributing author to Lawyers as Changemakers: The Global Integrative Law Movement, published by the ABA in 2016, she pens a monthly column in the cannabis magazine Elevate NV, and is a regular contributor to Conscious Company Media on the subject of conscious” cannabis from a law.
Merrco Payments
Executive Vice President
Keith Olson is Executive Vice President, U.S. Business Development and Sales Lead for Merrco Payments. Keith has operated within the payments ecosystem for over 20 years. Throughout his career Keith has directly participated in nearly every aspect of U.S. acquiring and brings dynamic knowledge and marketplace intimacy. Prior to joining Merrco, Keith was an Executive Director with J.P. Morgan Chase where he built and led sales teams to launch and scale innovative solutions, including ChaseNet and the complimentary Chase Pay product, along with the complete array of traditional merchant services. Additionally, he drove 3rd party Partnerships and the assimilation of JPMC’s WePay acquisition. Previous roles include Director of U.S. Financial Institutions and N.A. eCommece with Moneris, Senior Vice President of Vanitv (now Worldpay), National Relationship Management lead for SCAN/eFunds, General Manager for Harris Bank’s merchant reseller channel and front-line distribution experience as Branch President of a community bank in the city of Chicago, Mid Town Bank, now part of the PNC enterprise.
Fish Stewarding Group
Brand Messaging Strategist
Loren Weisman is a brand messaging strategist with a focus on the authenticity, authority, optics, psychology and perceptions of a brand, persona or product.
From speaking and counseling on brand messaging to brand discovery, analyzing the two sides of artistic vision while igniting the investor confidence, as well as brand protection and amplifications approaches for marketing, sales and retention, Weisman helps across the array of the story and the messaging experience.
Panacea Payroll
Sales Director
Teresa is the Sales Director for Panacea Payroll. She earned a B.S. in Educ. at Indiana Univ. of PA and completed graduate study in EdPsych at Texas A&M. While living in multiple states, she has worked in a range of fields, such as, education, mental health, TV transmitter sales, pharma research product sales, to name a few, before landing in the payroll industry. Teresa was in the payroll field for 8 years before applying her well-rounded skill set to the cannabis industry for the past 3 years.
Jayn Green Beauty
CEO of Jayn Green Beauty
Tangy Daniel is a Veteran, Advocate and Business Owner. Tangy is the CEO of Jayn Green and Jayn Green Beauty, a natural skincare line for men and women. Jayn Green is passionate about providing best-in-class service to clients across agricultural, medical, institutional and corporate verticals. And provides investment strategy coaching for the cannabis curious so they, too, can cultivate new relationships in the industry. Tangy is Chairwoman of the Board for The Georgia Cannabis Coalition..
Tress Capital
Co-Founder & President
A two time cancer survivor, David was introduced to the vast benefits of medical cannabis while undergoing cancer treatments in 2001 and again in 2003. David has since dedicated himself to furthering research, awareness, impact and business opportunities in the expanding cannabis industry.
IMS Corp.
Coaching & Consulting, President
Mr. Romano had started his coaching and marketing agency in 1998. He has worked with well known marketing gurus and agencies, setting up turn key marketing systems and in-house digital marketing divisions.
He has co-authored numerous books on marketing, been a contributing editor on marketing for niche publications, developed online marketing courses and started a CBD company.
Ron has given numerous live and online presentations and is a regular speaker at the USA CBD Expos.
JohnsByrne Company
Partner|Executive Vice President
Pate Gustafson serves as the Executive Vice President at JohnsByrne. JohnsByrne Company, a custom packaging and print solutions provider, has been a leader in the print and packaging industry since 1959 and partners with major brands in health & beauty, food and beverage, and consumer products. With a culture built around innovation, quality, design and speed, their offerings span value added folding cartons, specialty packaging and high impact direct mail.
AZENTIVE
Chief Technology Officer|Co-CEO
Sundarajan Mutialu (aka SUN) is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-CEO of AZENTIVE, a wellness and sustainability company supporting the profitable delivery of the purest, organic cannabis. AZENTIVE’s flagship plasma lighting technology, The Sun On- Demand, produces true sunlight and empowers cultivation of sungrown quality organic cannabis in any controlled environment. Sundarajan specializes in advanced materials, plasma physics, materials processing, and surface modification. He is passionate about producing the highest quality cannabis to serve the most patients possible. AZENTIVE’s approach to achieving this is to honor the plant first, and then to apply biomimicry to wrap sustainable technology solutions into the cultivation of the plant.
Umbrella Technologies
COO
Thomas Carnevale is an internationally recognized security entrepreneur, author, and active speaker. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Umbrella Technologies a security consulting company dedicated to physical security technologies being enterprise video surveillance, access control, mass notifications, and business intelligence. With a background in the telecommunications industry, Thomas took his technical insights into the security industry and began his first entrepreneurial start-up JCS Digital Security which premiere focus was to integrate the best in breed surveillance technologies for all of their commercial and governmental clients. Next and for over 14 years he founded a technology company that invented the Industries 1st single-sensor open-platform immersive panoramic camera technology which was used to secure fortune 500 companies, major cities, and some of the largest mass transit agencies in the world. Honored by the Security Industry Association, ASIS & Multiple Security Publications over the years for his value in security innovation- Thomas has taken his experience in training system integration firms direct to the End-User with Umbrella Technologies.
Canna Advisors
Retail Operations Expert
Tyler’s knowledge of the medical and recreational cannabis industry started in 2011 after serving four years in the U.S. Army as an Infantry SGT in The Old Guard. He began by working in his family’s dispensary and cultivation operation — one of the first operations in Colorado — and has managed cultivation and served as Dispensary Director. Tyler later expanded his knowledge and experience through technical and operational consulting at a leading industry software company. Tyler has gained experience in the field, working in nearly every cannabis market in the U.S. and internationally. He has trained and started up over 300 cannabis businesses and opened the very first dispensaries in 6 states. Tyler serves on the NCIA’s newly-formed Retail Committee, which focuses on best practices for operating a retail storefront in the cannabis industry. He enjoys educating audiences at high-profile cannabis events and conferences across the country.
Canna Advisors
Project Manager
Josh Zuke has been a Project Manager for dozens of cannabis licensing applications across the United States and in several countries internationally, including all elements of the supply chain, and has created hemp- and cannabis-specific financial models and business plans. Josh has won a license for his clients in nearly every competitive application process that he has participated in. He is skilled at process improvement and operations scalability, and helps our clients on their path to success by solving problems before they arise.</p> <p>Josh brings a deep understanding of fundamental business and economic principles that lead to successful projects across a variety of industries. He was invited to Washington, D.C. to present to a panel of leading economists regarding the factors that influence market prices for oil and oil derivatives. He enjoys educating audiences and leading discussions that facilitate ongoing improvements for the new and ever-evolving cannabis industry.
Third Wave Farms
Chief of Staff
A relentless entrepreneur, Lisa’s entrepreneurial spirit was inherited from her father and came to life in her first business as a boutique owner, adding to over 20 years experience in fashion, retail, merchandising, and business development. Lisa hung up her fashion hat and launched Trademoms, a marketplace empowering mothers to capitalize on their skills. Lisa also developed a line of small batch skin care, Anaya Lily, a passion project that led her to Vertosa and the cannabis industry.
CBD Marketing
SVP, Public Relations, Social Media and Content Marketing
Bob has 20+ years’ experience in all phases of public relations, including managing social media and content marketing engagements. At CBD Marketing, he works with national and global clients in manufacturing, financial services, education and food ingredients that are aligning with the cannabis business space. Prior to CBD Marketing, he worked at KSA Public Relations and is also expert in government relations, working to communicate with local and state lawmakers on behalf of various businesses and institutions. Bob has also worked at large news organizations, is an award-winning journalist and a speaker at national conferences.
Spectra Cosmetics
Founder & CEO
A wife of a third generation cannabis farmer who sought to shake up the beauty industry with CBD infused liquid foundation. Through the tough times of local legalization and recreational use, Kristen was able to build two brands, Generation Farms Humboldt and Spectra Cosmetics, while being a wife, mother, PhD student and cannabis farmer. Kristen believes so much in the power of CBD, cannabis as a whole, and in being highly educated in all she does.
MMLG
CEO
Aaron Lachant has been at the forefront of the cannabis industry since 2009. He is the CEO of the consultancy MMLG, LLC and a partner in the health care law firm Nelson Hardiman, LLP. He has obtained for his clients over 120 licenses, permits, and authorizations to engage in cannabis activity. He has worked on projects in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Missouri, and other states. Aaron recently worked on a competitive licensing project in which MMLG’s client scored 3rd out of 128 dispensary applicants.
Aaron’s work has grown with the maturing of the industry. He has worked on many sophisticated corporate transactions, advising clients on M&A deals, partnership disputes, and litigation involving regulatory violations. Aaron’s practice is devoted to keeping marijuana businesses open and consults with regulators in various jurisdictions to keep laws favorable. In 2016, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors appointed him to serve on the county working group for cannabis regulations. In 2018, he drafted Measure G which legalized adult use cannabis retailers in Malibu.
Aaron was listed as one of the California Daily Journal’s Top 40 under 40 lawyers for his in-depth knowledge and expertise of the ever-changing cannabis industry. He was also recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as a 2018 and 2019 Southern California Rising Star.
Lelehnia DuBois
Founder
After a lifetime around cannabis in 2005, Lelehnia started growing her own medicine and became a provider for a local dispensary. By 2020, she had sponsored a cannabis education spot that aired on national networks, co-developed a 4-permit manufacturing project in Humboldt County, develop a 5 step beauty system, launched a magazine in the Emerald Triangle, and became the advisor and a co-founder of and became the advisor and a co-founder of an Artificial Intelligence cannabis dosing project.
Collateral Base, the commercial division of HRF
Cannabis Industry Lawyer
Thomas E. Howard is a tech savvy attorney that concentrates his practice in cannabis, commercial banking, bankruptcy, and business litigation, loan workouts, and real estate. He is admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the United States District Court for all Illinois districts, the United State Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United State District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is a member of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Immigration Law, and Commercial Collections, Banking and Bankruptcy. He earned his B.A. degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and his J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School. After completing law school he earned his Series 766 securities licenses and briefly worked as a stockbroker before using his law degree to work through the mortgage foreclosure crisis from the market crash of 2008. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Howard has helped found a charity, Build Peoria, and has a digital consulting company, Stumari, LLC, that helps lawyers with SEO and digital marketing strategies to get more client leads.
LivWell Solutions
Speaker, Coach, & Wellness Consultant
Shannon Rollins is the founder, Performance Coach, and NLP practitioner of LivWell Solutions located in Orlando, FL. Shannon has eight years of experience helping men and women improve their mental health and emotional resiliency through one-on-one coaching, group wellness programs, and courses. Her passion is helping business professionals and athletes thrive in their career.
Sports 1 Marketing
Co-Founder
David Meltzer is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing, former CEO of the Leigh Steinberg sports agency, a best-selling author, and host of the top Entrepreneur podcast The Playbook. Throughout his career, David has been a leader in multiple industries including sports, tech, and business. Now, David seeks to achieve his lifelong goal of making one billion people happy through the consistent, persistent, pursuit of their potential.
Sports 1 Marketing
Co-Founder
David Meltzer is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing, former CEO of the Leigh Steinberg sports agency, a best-selling author, and host of the top Entrepreneur podcast The Playbook. Throughout his career, David has been a leader in multiple industries including sports, tech, and business. Now, David seeks to achieve his lifelong goal of making one billion people happy through the consistent, persistent, pursuit of their potential.
Shapiro & Associates Law
Founder
The firm’s founder, Dan Shapiro, has 30 years of experience in the areas of land use, zoning, governmental relations, municipal law, and civil litigation. He has represented a wide variety of clients including: developers, businesses as well as governmental entities and closely advises his clients on complex matters including, securing zoning entitlements before plan commissions, zoning boards, village, towns and critics. In litigation matters, Mr. Shapiro has also represented his clients at all judicial levels in Illinois and Federal courts Mr. Shapiro has been a frequent lecturer on issues such as of land use, public/private partnerships, zoning, and local government relations. He is currently a Village Trustee for the Village of Deerfield, Illinois and has served as an adjunct professor at Chicago Kent College of Law where he taught land use to 2nd and 3rd year law students.
Ascend Wellness Holdings
Chief Retail Officer
Kim is an innovative, results-focused national strategic retail executive with an extensive record of success driving operational excellence to grow organizational footprint and transform underachieving regions into the nations’ top producers. Recognized for creating and implementing aggressive, comprehensive business and sales plans and a collaborative, hands-on approach to leadership, Kim motivates and inspires highly dedicated, accountable teams who consistently over deliver short- and long-term goals. Led growth of Converse stores from 62 to 117, including 55 new openings and 4 new districts. Turned around Bath & Body Works’ bottom ranked region to #1 in the nation within a year.