Elevate Your Grind

In this episode, we sit down with Juliana Whitney, President of Cann Strategy. We talk about her early days in the cannabis space, how she decided to hand her own shingle and start her own business consulting in the cannabis space, and ultimately what made her move that business across the country from Las Vegas to Florida.

In this episode, we welcome back Mike McDonald, President of Dablicator. If you don't know what the dablicator is, you're missing out. Sure there are plenty of dab tools and hot knives for when you want to traditionally dab concentrates. But what about those of us who like to roll hash holes, or just put oil on other things without getting all sticky and maybe staining your favorite gym shorts. Check out this episode to hear how dablicator is revolutionizing the way people use concentrates.

In this episode, we sit down with Paul Weiss, CEO of Paper Planes Extracts. The discussions include everything from the current financial state of the industry, what is happening specifically in the CA market, and how a perfect balance of corporate and culture can help a cannabis company strive in the current industry climate.

In this episode, we sit down with Darrin Potter - Director of Market Development at Terra Vera & Vice President at Cultivation Structures and Equipment. We discuss how Darrin's deep history of cultivating cannabis in Florida, issues most cannabis cultivations are facing, what remediation issues are best.....and which ones are a little scary to think about.

In this episode, we sit down with David Polley - Founder & CEO of Preferred Gardens out of Sacramento, CA. We visit David down at the Flowery cultivation facility and talk about his early life and how it ultimately led him to cannabis cultivation, building his business brick by brick, and his partnership with the Flowery to bring quality cannabis to the Florida medical market.

In this episode, we sit down the WIllie McKenzie, Founder & CEO of Left Coast Holdings, a vertically integrated Cannabis company located in Michigan. We talk about everything from Willie's legacy background, how struggle with addiction, and how turning his life around led him to build a vertically integrated cannabis business in Michigan 

In this episode, Todd sits down with Andrew Thut, Chief Financial Officer of 4Front Ventures, s a publicly-traded, vertically integrated MSO in markets including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington. They have built a strong reputation for their high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. Andrew and Todd discuss the difficulties cannabis companies face trying to operate like any normal business with things such as banking, borrowing money, and taxes. We also touch on a lesser spoken-about topic, how those employed by cannabis companies face the same issues when trying to apply for mortgages and other loans.

In this episode, we sit down with Joe Lustberg, Managing Partner for UpWise Capital. UpWise isn't your traditional broker, they've created a massive network of lending partners to give you the best chances of being approved. Joe talks about the current state of the industry, and what they look for when doing a lending deal.

In this episode, we welcome back friend of the show and Bills Mafia member Karson Humiston, Founder & CEO of Vangst. We talk about the current state of the cannabis industry, what led us here, what we think will happen throughout the remainder of the year, and if Josh Allen will lead the Buffalo Bills to the Super Bowl this year.

This episode was filmed live from The Flowery's North Miami dispensary. We were invited to The Flowery's "Retail Reset" tour as they built out more room for some of the latest brand partnerships, including Sherbinskis, Doja, and Wizard Trees. We learn about how The Flowery approaches the Florida market and what's important to them when bringing in a brand from another state.

In this episode, we sit down with Ted Lidie, Founder & CEO of Alien Labs & Brand Director at Connected Cannabis. Ted grew up in a small town and had cultivation in his blood. We discuss Ted's journey into the recreational market and how he's been able to build Alien Labs into the icon it is today.https://officialalienlabs.com/https://www.twentysixtynine.com/

Marco, CEO of Bienstar Wellness, is considered a pioneer in the development of the medical cannabis industry in Uruguay. Together with the Universidad de la República and the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, he promoted scientific research in preclinical models. He also collaborated with clinical research at the Maciel Hospital. In 2017, Marco was the co-founder of the association for research and development of medical cannabis in Brazil, Cannab. That same year, he was the mentor of the first hemp project accelerator in the region, SmartHemp, from the Sinergia Tech Hardware Accelerator. Marco also founded the Cannapur company, which was successfully sold to Khiron Life Sciences (OTC: KHRNF), a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Marco was one of the founders of the Uruguayan Chamber of Medicinal Cannabis Companies and was elected as its first president. Bienstar currently offers psychedelics-assisted addiction recovery treatment under the Clinicas Beneva brand.

s a kid, Randy Lanier dreamed of achieving four-wheel glory at the Indianapolis 500, but knew he'd never be able to afford the most expensive sport on earth. That all changed when he bought a speedboat and began smuggling pot from the Bahamas. Fueled by what would become a historically massive smuggling operation, he started racing cars and became an overnight sensation. For Randy and his teammates, money was no object, and bigger hauls meant faster cars. At every event they attended, they were behind the wheel of the best machinery, flaunting their secret in front of huge crowds and live television cameras. But no matter how fast they drove, they couldn't outrun the law. As Randy came ever closer to reaching his dream of high-speed glory, one of the biggest drug scandals ever to hit the professional sports world was about to unfold. Today Randy is one of the biggest cannabis advocates in the country and is the Vice President of Freedom Grow, a non-profit organization that assists the lives of non-violent cannabis offenders. In this episode, we talk about how Randy balanced life as a professional race car driver and prolific smuggler and how being incarcerated allowed him to find his true life passion, being of service to others. Check it out. Freedom Grow - www.freedomgrow.org Survival of the Fastest - https://a.co/d/8oJTmZh

In today's episode we sit down with Holly Bell, who just recently gave up one of the coolest title's you can have in a government role, Director of Cannabis. Holly shares her deep entrepreneurial background with us, her journey that led her to help design the hemp and medical marijuana programs in Florida, and how she's taking that knowledge across the globe in her new role with Flora Growth. www.joinclab.comwww.youtube.com/@thecannabislabhttps://www.floragrowth.com/

Brothers Broadleaf was dreamed up in 2019 by two brothers in Tampa, Florida. Paxton and Dawson are 4th generation cigar makers, and know the inner workings of the industry. They were able to use this experience to create the premium blunt wrap we have all been waiting for. Fed up with the lack of quality leaves available to blunt smokers, the Brothers knew the only way to achieve perfection was to go back to the basics and forego the mass producing cigar machines.

In this episode Todd sits down with Jeffrey Finkle, CEO of the Arcview Group, an institution in the legal cannabis industry founded by Troy Dayton and Steve DeAngelo. They talk about the upcoming Arcview event at the Loews Hotel in Coral Gables from Dec 7-9, the history of Arcview, it's space in the cannabis industry, and the current state of capital in the cannabis industry. 

Elevate Your Grind - Delta Oil CoIn this episode we sit down with the entire crew of Delta Oil co. and their good friend and advisor Christopher F. Rux, CPA Rux. Dallas and Mike tell us the backstory of Delta Oil Co., why they chose Oklahoma to prove their concept, and how they plan on breaking into the Florida Cannabis Market

In 2020 Tina Ulman and Dani Baranowski co-founded the Chamber of Cannabis, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit and Nevada's largest cannabis business trade organization composed of over 400 industry leaders and 65 businesses looking to build a more inclusive industry and community, restore justice, and move cannabis commerce forward. The Chamber successfully took a major role in passing AB 341 – the Cannabis Consumption Lounge Bill, as well as AB 400 for Cannabis DUI reform. The Chamber was recently awarded, “Nonprofit of the Year” and for their advocacy and work, Dani and Tina received recognition for “Women Inspiring Nevada” from Las Vegas Weekly, as well as a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from the United States Senate. We encourage anyone looking to take part in the emerging consumption lounge opportunities in Nevada, or otherwise expand Nevada cannabis to reach out to us on instagram @chamberofcannabis or via our website thechamberofcannabis.org or email us directly chamberofcannabis@gmail.com.

John McLeod Co-Founder and Head of New Markets at Cloud Cannabis Company, a vertically licensed medical and recreational cannabis operator in Michigan. John sits down with Todd to talk about how his journey lead him to understand the benefit of cannabis and his efforts to grow his business up North.

In another in-studio conversation, Todd sits down with Doug Kulig, Senior Sales Executive at Boveda, Inc. Doug has been working in the cannabis industry since 2018 and now works throughout the Southeast with the industry leader in two way humidity control.

Daniel Firtel is the President of TRP Co, the holding company for legacy brands Cookies, Dr. Greenthumb's, and Insane. Prior to joining TRP Co, Daniel led top real estate investment and leasing firms in California for over 15 years and has been involved in over $3 Billion in shopping center sales and lease transactions. He is also a serial entrepreneur, starting and expanding several successful businesses during his career including a chain of fast casual restaurants.

Kendra Stocking is the Vice President of Sales at Cherry World, a modern lifestyle brand with a focus on cannabis, fashion + lifestyle, skateboarding and culture. Kendra is a collaborative cannabis sales leader with over 14 years experience in sales in the cannabis, action sports and real estate industries. She was previously the Vice President of Sales at Old Pal, a company crafting quality cannabis in California and Nevada.

Frank Costa serves as the Chief Growth Officer of World Insurance Associates where he focuses on enhancing the synergies between clients, colleagues, carriers, and strategic alliances. Mr. Costa is responsible for maximizing new business development strategies, organic growth in Commercial and Personal Lines and Benefits, retention, and margins. Prior to World, Frank led the Middle Market and Small Commercial Divisions at Frenkel & Company from 2008 to 2017 and was responsible for 25 employees, 2,600 clients, and over $90 million in annual premium. He founded his own insurance agency in 1989 and successfully grew the firm from -0- to $2 million agency revenue before merging with CLG Insurance in 2001. Mr. Costa was the Sales Manager and lead producer at CLG Insurance from 2001 to 2008 and mentored 8 producers driving 8% growth in new revenue annually.

Graham is a serial entrepreneur who began his career as part of the original team at Software.com, taking the company public in 1999. Shortly thereafter, he served on the board of Seacology and was part of the founding team at Sonos, where he was involved with product design, development, sales, and customer support. After Sonos, Farrar served as a board member for Heal the Ocean, was a founder and partner of ebook publishers iStoryTime Inc. and zuuka, and founded a Santa Barbara luxury rental company. He first ventured into the regulated cannabis industry by founding Elite Garden Wholesale, an agriculture technology company focused on developing products for the hydroponics industry. Farrar currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.

Ron co-founded Jetty Extracts in 2013 and has overseen its growth from a local San Diego brand into a leading California extract company. Jetty continues to move the industry forward in regards to extraction techniques, and through the Shelter Project, provides free cannabis oil to cancer patients. Jetty collaborated with Stone Brewing and Thorn Street Brewery on cannabis-derived terpene infused beers, and with Sweet Bricks, an artisanal toffee brand, to create Mind Tricks medicated toffee.Ron is an active member of the CCIA, the CCMA, and the Oakland Diversity & Equity Cannabis Coalition (OakDECC), a cannabis advocacy organization helping to shape policy in one of California's oldest and largest cannabis communities. Ron spent nearly a decade as President of natural deodorant brand Lavilin, and has worked at BlackRock Solutions and Accenture. Ron graduated with a BBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 2001.

Tracy Brady is the Vice President, Head of Global Communications Curaleaf, one of the largest MSO's in the United States. Prior to Curaleaf, Tracy was the SVP of Communications and Corporate Marketing at Hill Holliday. Tracy led a variety of communications, publicity and branding functions at Arnold WorldWide, Sony Pictures and Turner Broadcasting.

Morgan Paxhia is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Poseidon, one of the longest running funds in the cannabis industry.  With over ten years experience in investing and finance, Morgan has developed a deep understanding of individual company analysis, portfolio construction, and risk mitigation. Since 2012, he has dedicated his investment focus primarily to the cannabis industry. Given the limited amount of information in this emerging vertical, the lack of institutional research, and relative industry immaturity, Morgan embraces an active approach of working closely with companies. He utilizes a “boots on the ground” methodology to better understand individual companies and the industry. Through his extensive travel across the US and Canada, reviewing hundreds of business plans and overseeing several existing cannabis investments, Morgan has developed Poseidon's investment methodology tailored specific to the business of cannabis.

Paul Sykes has been the CFO of springbig since April 2021. Prior to joining springbig, Mr. Sykes was Chief Financial Officer of dmg information, the U.S. based business information group of London stock exchange listed DMGT plc, from 1997 to 2017; and from 2018 through 2020 was CFO and COO of Nordis Technologies. Particularly from his tenure at dmg information, Mr. Sykes has substantial experience executing acquisition transactions and operating in a public environment. Mr. Sykes started his career with KPMG in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Sandelman is a 30-year veteran of banking and finance, with a history of generating shareholder value. He served as president of Bank of America Securities after building its capital markets businesses through the early 2000s, building Bank of America beyond its roots as a consumer and corporate lender, and subsequently founded and served as CEO of the multi-billion dollar asset manager Sandelman Partners.

Mr. Santo brings more than 25 years of experience leading lean, high-performance teams in Consumer Credit, Financial Services, Gaming and Technology, Higher Education and Specialty-Pharma. He has held a variety of senior-level positions at The First Marblehead Corporation, Fitch Ratings, International Game Technology, Lantheus Medical Imaging and, most recently, Columbia Care Inc., a leading multi-state operator in the cannabis industry. Mr. Santo holds an Investor Relations Charter® certification from the National Investor Relations Institute as well as a degree in Political Science from Boston University.

Robert Beasley, a native Floridian, co-founded the law firm of Litvak, Beasley Wilson & Ball in 2001. As a consultant, Robert has advised multiple parties to obtain cannabis licenses and create related financing facilities in Florida, Oregon, California, and Washington, D.C. Also, Robert has participated in the design and construction of five cannabis cultivation and processing facilities, served as Board of Manager of the leading independent cannabis physician clinic group in Florida, and participated in the legislative and rulemaking process related to Florida's Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.  In 2016 Robert contributed to the Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, also known as Amendment 2.

Sam Arellano is the Founder of Arellano Brand Co., a multi-disciplinary brand agency that partners with emerging cannabis companies seeking full-service sales, marketing, and brand design. Sam is an accomplished brand builder for B2B and B2C organizations using highly creative, omnichannel growth strategies.

Marc Sampogna  is the Chief Marketing Officer at Tru Green Global where he is responsible for overseeing the planning, development and execution of all branding, marketing and advertising initiatives for Clearfield and the TrueGreen portfolio. Marc is also the Founder of Canopy Brands Group, a full-service agency that has helped grow or reshape a wide range of successful brands from start-ups to established Fortune 100 & 500 companies.

In a rare in-studio conversation, Todd sits down with Doug Kulig, Senior Sales Executive at Boveda Inc. Doug has bee working in the cannabis industry since 2018 and now works throughout the Southeast with the industry leader in two way humidity control.

Nicole Stanton is currently Vice President and General Counsel of Trulieve Cannabis Corp., the largest multi-state operator in the U.S. following a $2B acquisition which Ms. Stanton assisted in closing on October 1, 2021.  She oversees a 9-person legal department, the compliance team, government affairs, risk management and the company's state medical directors.  Prior to that acquisition, Ms. Stanton previously served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Harvest Health & Recreation since 2019.  She received the Public Company General Counsel of the Year award by the Arizona Corporate Counsel in April 2021. That same year, the Harvest legal department was nominated for Legal Department of the Year. Prior to joining Harvest, Ms. Stanton was employed by the national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP for nearly 20 years.

We sat down with CEO of Kush Rewards, Angelo Anzalone. Angelo is a seasoned professional in the cannabis, debt, and referral industries and is building the first centralized loyalty and rewards program for the cannabis industry.

With the vision of building an education company that would change the world's perception of cannabis, Max Simon co-founded Green Flower in 2014. Green Flower has since become the industry leader in cannabis education, producing thousands of hours of premium content; bolstering a network of over 700 top cannabis experts; and building the largest library of cannabis education content in the world. Today, Max leads an incredible 30 person team united around the mission of becoming the global leaders in cannabis education.

Richard Carleton is the CEO of CNSX Markets Inc. In this role he is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Prior to this appointment, Richard served as Vice-President Corporate Development with responsibility for the technology, operations and trading sales teams for the CSE. Prior to joining the exchange, Richard worked as a business development consultant, after spending twelve years with the Toronto Stock Exchange, serving most recently as a member of the exchange's senior management team. Active in industry affairs, Richard served two terms as chair of the market data industry's global trade association in the late 1990's, is a frequent panelist at market structure and trading technology events and serves as a member of the TMX Information Processor Governance Committee.

Cristobal Rivera is the Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing and Store Development at Cresco Labs. Prior to joining Cresco, Rivera worked as the Senior Director at MillerCoors and focused on media planning, positioning, and communications in the Hispanic market. He also worked at PepsiCo as an Associate Brand Manager, and holds an MBA from The Tuck School of Business (Class of '08).

Jesse Channon joined Columbia Care in December 2019 as Chief Growth Officer. Jesse is an accomplished leader with over a decade of experience in digital marketing, consumer targeting, grassroots campaigns and social media, having advised and worked with some of the largest brands and agencies in the world, including Microsoft, AT&T, Honda, Starbucks, NBC, Red Bull and more. A member of the founding team at PageLever, a Y Combinator-backed company, Jesse oversaw all revenue and partnerships, working with companies such as YouTube, Intel and Toyota to build one of the first real-time applications on Facebook's API and earning certification in the first wave of Preferred Marketing Developers. In 2013, PageLever sold to Unified, a New York City-based Ad Tech company, where Jesse spent six years on the senior management team. After Unified, Jesse served as Chief Revenue Officer for Social Native, a custom content marketplace. He serves on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board for the Harbert School of Business at Auburn University, the Marketing Board for UJA in New York City and mentors first-time founders of early stage startups.

Nicole Redler is Senior Community Affairs Manager at Eaze, California's largest legal cannabis marketplace and the state's largest cannabis employer. Nicole leads Eaze's patient and veteran advocacy programs, building meaningful relationships to amplify community voices on important policy issues across California. To date, Eaze has completed over seven million deliveries, breaking own barriers to access and building community through industry-leading social impact and equity programs. With a focus on supporting marginalized communities, Nicole works closely with the Social Impact team to bolster Momentum, Eaze's business accelerator for BIPOC, veteran, LGBTQ and female founders. Nicole was instrumental in building public and industry support for Senator Scott Wiener's SB 34, which restored compassionate care programs in California; today, she leads Eaze Compassion, which provides free medical cannabis to low-income Californians fighting cancer, glaucoma, chronic pain, PTSD, and other debilitating health conditions.

Jamie Evans is the co-founder and CEO of Herbacée. As a notable cannabis and wine personality, she is best known for creating The Herb Somm, a cannabis blog and lifestyle brand that is focused on the gourmet side of the industry. In addition to leading the Herbacée team, Jamie is a celebrated writer and author. Jamie the author of The Ultimate Guide to CBD: Explore the World of Cannabidiol. Her second book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home published by Fair Winds Press of Quarto Publishing Group.

Born with strong business instincts, Eric has been an entrepreneur and investor for several companies for 35 years now. This highly motivated professional is an activist by nature willing to make the world a better place, and this is exhibited in his and his company's work ethics.

As a fonder of Palo Santo and Bridge Investments, Daniel has ben actively investing with and supporting inspired entrepreneurs for 20 years. Years ago he saw the potential of psychedelic medicines and has developed a deep network of relationships across the psychedelic research and business communities. His passion for the space is purpose-driven and science informed. He is thrilled to be a part of Palo Santo's mission of supporting promising treatments while ensuring widespread access to safe, legal, and effective solutions.

Light Townsend is the Chief Legal Officer of Green Point and works to ensure operations of the company and the work of the other executives stay compliant in this regulated industry. Prior to Green Point, Light was a management consultant overseeing business efficiency planning, management advisory, and reorganization projects for clients in the regulated industries of banking, insurance, and large law firms. Further, Light started a consulting company helping guide businesses through the claims process under the BP Deep Water Horizon Settlement. Utilizing a proprietary internal process Light developed, over $80,000,000 was recovered for his clients. Recently, Light published a book through the American Bar Association regarding the formation of captive insurance companies titled Modern Captive Insurance.

Marion is a serial entrepreneur who has founded, invested in, or been an advisor to over a dozen start-ups. He is a regular guest speaker at events such as Denver Start-up Week, CU Denver's program on social entrepreneurship, and the United Nations Global Accelerator Initiative. Marion studied Architecture and Computer Science at the University of Kansas and Computer Information Systems with a minor in Business Management at Emporia State University.

Freeminded is a luxury cannabis accessory brand producing unique joint holder tubes, cannabis storage boxes, and carrying cases in bold colors and rich materials. We sat down with Founder and COO, John Wayne, to hear about his exposure to the fashion industry as a kid, and why he decided to move into the cannabis industry with FREEMINDED

Tim Conder is the President and Chief Operating Officer at TILT Holdings and the co-founder and CEO of Blackbird, a business solutions company and a supply chain software and operations company, respectively. Since founding Blackbird in 2015, Mr. Conder has overseen the rapid growth of his business in two of the most robust cannabis markets—California and Nevada. Under Mr. Conder's leadership, Blackbird has efficiently navigated the complex regulatory structures of both states, and currently operates five fully licensed cannabis distribution facilities across the region with plans to expand into several additional markets in 2019. Blackbird is a best-in-class distribution, delivery, and technology business, with over 200 employees and 75 compliant distribution & delivery vehicles.

Erika Tingey is Head of Product at Backbone, and is responsible for the engagement and development of Backbone's customizable cannabis manufacturing supply chain software. She champions her personal mission to help businesses be successful with support and creativity by solving unique challenges cannabis companies face and developing features based on client insights. Drawing from her background as a software engineer at QuickBooks and Product Management at Sage Intacct, Erika brings expertise in financial systems, accounting, and inventory to the needs of enterprise customers.

Lizandro Salazar V is the President and Co-Founder of ArcataXInc., a Type 7 cannabis extraction operator based in Humboldt County. ArcataX was the first to legally operate with an unprecedented track record of excellence as one of California's premier bulk live resin wholesalers and co-packers.  ArcataX is currently the main supplier for five of the top ten most recognized brands in the California market, and we sit down with Lizandro to talk about the company's expansion and Humboldt roots.

David Hasenauer is the Chief Executive Officer of Green Point Research. David is a cannabis policy expert and real estate development professional. David was an integral part of the campaign that passed Amendment 2 by a historic margin, effectively bringing medical cannabis to Florida. Subsequently, David helped craft and pass both pieces of legislation bringing industrial hemp to the state of Florida – SB 1726 (2017) and SB 1020 (2019). In addition to his role at Green Point Research, David serves on: the Florida Hemp Advisory Committee as appointed by Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried, the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board of Broward County; and as the elected President of the Hemp Industries Association of Florida.