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Dr. John Oram, CEO and Founder of NUG

By on November 14, 2019 in podcast

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Dr. John Oram, the CEO and Founder of the vertically-integrated, California cannabis company NUG is this week’s guest on The Green Rush!

Since its founding in 2014, NUG has grown into one of the strongest brands in the nation’s largest cannabis market offering consumers its well-crafted edible and concentrate products as well as flower. In addition, the company recently opened its first retail shop in Sacramento in April 2019 and is on track to open two more retail locations in late 2019 and early 2020.

Our hosts sat down with John to discuss the NUG business model and better understand how the company has been able to achieve success in one of the world’s most crowded cannabis markets and what else it has in line for future success. In addition, we explore John’s chemistry background, the company’s current capital situation and John’s work with Oakland Cannabis Equity Program.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Bio: Dr. John Oram, CEO & Founder: 

John entered the cannabis business in the early 2000s (practically the stone age for cannabis) and in 2009, with a chemistry and engineering background (he holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in environmental chemistry and engineering from the University of California Los Angeles and bachelor’s degrees in analytical chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder), founded CW Analytical Laboratories—now recognized as the most trusted analytical laboratory in California for cannabis. He then set out on a mission to elevate the industry to a higher standard across all verticals – from cultivation to distribution – and in 2014 NUG was born from a home equity loan. Little did he know how quickly it would take off. And even in uncertain regulatory environments, NUG has remained profitable each year. In addition, John and his team at NUG play a major role in the Oakland Equity Program; NUG incubates businesses run by area residents who had been targeted by the war on drugs. They are also building new greenhouses for these companies, set to be complete by the end of this year.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Marion Mariathasan, CEO of Simplifya

By on October 31, 2019 in podcast

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Marion Mariathasan, CEO of Simplifya, a leading provider of regulatory compliance software for the cannabis industry is this week’s guest on The Green Rush.

Simplifya is every cannabis operator and compliance managers best friend due to its web-based, self-auditing system which distills complex state and local regulations into a series of simple yes-or-no questions to facilitate self-audits, identify areas of non-compliance, manage remediation efforts, and generate management and audit reports.

In addition to covering how Simplifya is able to decode complex regulations on a state-by-state basis, our hosts also cover the company’s recent hire of John Vardaman, the author of the Cole Memo as well as Marion’s incredibly unique entrepreneurial journey including his Sri Lankan royal background.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Marion Mariathasan, Co-Founder and CEO at Simplifya

Marion is a serial entrepreneur that 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. He enjoys time with his family, cooking spicy Sri Lankan cuisine, traveling, and connecting with people.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Chuck Smith President and CEO at DIXIE Brands

By on October 24, 2019 in podcast

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Chuck Smith President and CEO at DIXIE Brands is the guest on The Green Rush this week! DIXIE has quickly cemented itself as one of the leading house of brands in the cannabis space in no small part due to Chuck’s leadership. Since launching over a decade ago, DIXIE has become a powerhouse multi-state operator (and soon to be multi-country operator) focusing on building, developing, manufacturing and distributing premium cannabis infused products.

In our conversation with Chuck, we’ll chat with him about his vision for the future of the DIXIE including its expansion outside of the U.S., the recently announced venture with AriZona Brands and when we may begin seeing some of those products hit the shelves and what else the company has coming down the R&D pipeline.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Chuck Smith, President and CEO at DIXIE Brands

Charles “Chuck” Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer for USA Inc., the parent company of the Dixie Elixirs & Edibles brand, as well as Therabis, and Aceso Wellness, two of the leading hemp supplement brands. As one of two original founders of USA Inc., Chuck helped the company grow from a “garage operation” to a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that was the first-of-its-kind for the marijuana industry.

Prior to building USA Inc. and the Dixie brand, Chuck was President of Bella Terra Realty Holdings where he oversaw all aspects of the Bella Terra Resort Development Company. He was also President of Sagebrush Realty Development and responsible for developing, selling and managing residential condominium projects valued at over $85 million in revenues.

Chuck has over twenty-five years of experience in a variety of industries. He has a strong financial background, holding the position of Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized retail apparel chain and has built and managed sales and marketing teams for private and publicly traded technology companies.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications from the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo in Los Angeles, CA. 

Special thanks to our Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Irwin Simon, Interim CEO at Aphria, Inc

By on October 22, 2019 in podcast

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Irwin Simon, Interim CEO at Aphria, Inc. is this week’s first guest on The Green Rush as we give our listeners a rare two episode week! A Canadian LP, Aphria is listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange and has a market cap of around $3 billion, making it one of the largest cannabis companies in the world. The company is also one of the rare in the space that can boast that it is profitable, making it one of the few bright spots in the legal cannabis space in 2019. 

Our hosts chat with Irwin to get an update on the state of the company since he’s taken over the CEO role and how his Company is weathering the storm that is the cannabis public markets. We also cover Irwin’s entrepreneurial journey, why he thinks consolidation is on the horizon for Canadian cannabis and a preview of Aphria’s new edible and vape products set to hit the market later this year.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Irwin Simon, Interim CEO at Aphria, Inc.Irwin Simon is a business executive who founded The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) a leading organic and natural products company in 1993. As Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Irwin Simon led Hain Celestial for more than 25 years and grew the business to $3 billion in net sales with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East providing consumers with A Healthier Way of Life™.

Irwin Simon has more than 30 years of business experience spanning many domestic and international leadership and operating roles. Prior to Hain Celestial, Irwin Simon was employed in various marketing and sales positions at Slim-Fast Foods Company, a dietary supplement foods company, and The Häagen-Dazs Company, a frozen dessert company, then a division of Grand Metropolitan, a multi-national luxury brands company.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications from the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo in Los Angeles, CA. 

Special thanks to our Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Mike Tyson, Heavy Weight Champion and Founder of Tyson Ranch

By on July 11, 2019 in podcast

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Mike Tyson, the legendary heavyweight champion, cultural icon and now cannabis entrepreneur, is this week’s guest on The Green Rush! Iron Mike was larger than life during his boxing career in the 90s until personal and professional failures rerouted the course of his life. Now, 10-15 years after his athletic career ended, Mike has pivoted to become an entertainer and entrepreneur, starring in blockbuster Hollywood films and launching his own cannabis company, Tyson Ranch. 

For this week’s episode, we flew Lewis out to Los Angeles to meet with Mike and his business partner, Rob Hickman, to talk about Mike’s boxing career, the pair’s new cannabis venture and Mike’s experimentation with psychedelics. In their conversation, Mike opens up about what drew him to cannabis, his dreams of building a ‘cannabis resort’ and what it’s like to be a businessman forging his own path in the “Wild West” of cannabis. 

This was a deep and soulful interview with Mike and one that we’re excited to share with the world so don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

About Tyson Ranch

Tyson Ranch is a cannabis company founded by Mike Tyson. Consistency and quality are at the core of Tyson Ranch with the mission to make cannabis universally understood and accessible. Through select partnerships with esteemed growers, Tyson Ranch proudly supports the industries very best, bringing you ‘Better Cannabis’ in every single package. The company’s commitment to the plant and passion for exotic genetics ensure that it delivers clean, quality, premium cannabis with every purchase.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg of KCSA Strategic Communications.
Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today
You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:
Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Liesl Bernard, Founder and CEO of CannabizTeam

By on June 27, 2019 in podcast

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Liesl Bernard, the founder and CEO of CannabizTeam, one of the leading staffing firms for the cannabis industry, is this week’s guest on The Green Rush! Liesl is a veteran of the staffing industry having spent over 20 years working at one of the largest staffing firms in the world helping to recruit finance and accounting professionals. Tapping into her own entrepreneurial spirit and recognizing the immense staffing needs for the burgeoning cannabis industry, Liesl launched her own company, CannabizTeam, just over three years ago.   

In this week’s conversation, Liesl discusses with our hosts the trajectory of the cannabis economy and how the growth of the industry has helped it quickly become the sexiest industry to work in. In addition, Liesl touches on what type of candidates cannabis companies are looking to hire, which states are hot for those looking to transition into the industry and how cannabis jobs compare to non-cannabis opportunities in terms of compensation and benefits. She also shines a light on the need for continued development of workplace culture within cannabis companies and how federal regulations can prevent some companies from being able to offer things like 401K plans and other types of benefits that traditional industries can offer. 

If you have an entrepreneurial spirit or have ever thought about making the transition to the cannabis industry, this is a must listen episode filled with tremendous advice and insight into how to achieve your dreams. 

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Liesl Bernard – Founder and CEO of CannabizTeam 

Liesl is a single mother of two teenage sons who saw the opportunity to launch a top notch Executive Search and Staffing firm in the Cannabis Industry in 2016.  She left a very successful career at the world’s largest staffing firm and used her personal savings to start CannabizTeam. CannabizTeam now places candidates at an Executive Level in all verticals in the cannabis industry across the US, Canada and Europe and is soon launching CannabizteamTemp to tap into the temp and temp to perm cannabis job market.

Liesl and her team have developed trusted relationships across growers, retail, manufacturing, distribution, R&D and related industries in the US and Canada.  Liesl has more than 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies searching for and placing executives all over the world.

Her passion for finding exceptional talent and her curiosity to hunt down emerging opportunities led her to discover unmet talent needs of the Cannabis Industry and placed her in a unique position to head up one of the fastest growing Executive Search and Staffing firms in the Cannabis and related industries. Her fine-tuned ability to understand the underlying cultural and interpersonal dynamics of each executive search and her  grounding in business enables her to deliver superior talent and cultural fit for each search they complete. Liesl started her career as a CPA with KPMG in Cape Town specializing in organizational development before joining global Executive Search firm Robert Half in Australia, eventually rising to Managing Director Executive Search in the USA.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Congressional Cannabis Day Part 2 – Social Justice Panel

By on June 13, 2019 in podcast

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We’re onto part two of our special series highlighting the panels of the inaugural “KCSA Congressional Cannabis Day Forum” at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. As part of the event, KCSA gathered a host of some of the brightest minds in the industry for a series of panel discussions aimed at addressing critical issues relevant to the sector, including capital markets and banking, CBD/hemp, opioids, veterans’ issues and social justice.

In the second installment of this four part series, we hear from our Social Justice Panel. We were privileged to have with us, Dr. Chanda Macias, CEO of National Holistic Healing Center and Women Grow, Jeannette Ward Horton, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the NuLeaf Project, James Watts, Senior Consultant with Cage Free Cannabis, and Moderator Leah Heise, Chief Experience Officer at 4Front.

This was an incredible discussion about the need for social equity to be a key part of any conversation around cannabis legalization, what is and what is not working in regards to legislation aimed at tackling this issue, the lack of funding and access to capital that minority entrepreneurs face, and the potential solutions to providing greater opportunities to minorities within the industry.

So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Gretchen Gailey of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Entertainment in the Emerald Triangle

By on September 19, 2018 in podcast

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Welcome to another episode of the Green Rush! Nick is sticking around the studio again this week, this time filling in for Lewis as he and Anne chat with Tim Blake, one of the earliest pioneers in the cannabis industry. Tim Blake is most well-known for creating and continuing to produce the The Emerald Cup, Northern California’s premier event for medicinal and recreational marijuana enthusiasts that also advances the concept of sustainable, outdoor farming. Tim has been producing the Emerald Cup for the past fifteen years and history with cannabis goes back even further making him one of the rare entrepreneurs who has been in the industry from it’s black market heights in the 70s and 80s through today. In this week’s conversation, the Green Rush team and Tim chat about how the landscape of cannabis in California has changed since he first started getting involved in the late 70s, Tim’s history of community organizing and his role in helping produce one of the first gatherings of law enforcement and cannabis farmers in the country to openly discuss how they could work together as well as what attendees can expect from this year’s Emerald Cup lineup.

Tim Blake created and has continued to produce the The Emerald Cup for the past fourteen years. He sponsored and helped produce the first gathering of law enforcement and cannabis farmers in the country to openly discuss how they could work together. He was the co-founder of the Mendocino Farmers Collective and also Healing Harvest Farms, both local cannabis dispensaries designed to help facilitate getting outdoor cannabis into the dispensaries across the state. He was a founding member of Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR), which evolved into ReformCA, and was also a founding member of the Mendocino Cannabis Policy Council (MCPC). Tim was also on the steering committee for the Mendocino Heritage Initiative (Measure AF), which was on the county ballot in 2016, and is on the board of directors of The Mendocino Cannabis Industry Association (MCIA). Tim’s personal goal is to help the world integrate spirituality, cannabis, organic food and living into a holistic lifestyle.

Links and mentions:

https://theemeraldcup.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Crusader-Dancing-Tim-Blake/dp/1519631847

Links to guest’s social media:

https://twitter.com/TheEmeraldCup

https://www.instagram.com/theemeraldcup/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-blake-00868582/

https://www.facebook.com/TheEmeraldCup/

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe and Nick Opich

Special thanks to our Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-rush-comms/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenrushcomms/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

 

Delving into the Weeds with Beth Stavola of MPX

By on August 29, 2018 in podcast

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Welcome back to another episode of the Green Rush! This week, Anne, & Lewis chat with fellow New Jerseyan Beth Stavola, the Chief Operating Officer of MPX Bioceutical, one of the leading, vertically integrated holding companies in the cannabis industry. Beth began her cannabis journey in 2012, shortly after Arizona voters approved medical cannabis in the state, and opened one of the first dispensaries along Arizona’s southern border in the town of Douglas. Since then, she’s built a cannabis empire that stretches across the U.S. and was most recently acquired by MPX in January 2017 for $25 million. In this week’s conversation, Beth dives in on a number of topics including the differences in running a public cannabis company in Canada vs. being public in the US, the role of women and minorities in the burgeoning cannabis industry and how she was able to convince her younger sister to follow in her footsteps and into the cannabis industry.

Beth Stavola is the Chief Operating Officer of MPX Bioceutical, one of the leading, vertically integrated holding companies in the cannabis industry. In addition to her role with MPX, Beth is also the Founder and CEO of Stavola Medical Marijuana Holdings, Health for Life Inc, GreenMart of Nevada, and CBD For Life. Before her career in cannabis, Beth was Senior Vice President of Institutional Equity Sales at Jefferies New York. Like our favorite co-host Anne, Beth is also a proud graduate of Monmouth University.  

Links and mentions:

https://mpxbioceutical.com/

https://healthforlifedispensaries.com/

https://greenmart-of-nevada.myshopify.com/

https://www.cbdforlife.us/

Links to guest’s social media:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-stavola-a9260025/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethstavola

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe.

Special thanks to Nick Opich, our Producer, and our Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing greenrush@kcsa.com. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-rush-comms/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenrushcomms/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

(Legacy) Lights, Camera, Action! Alan Lien, Founder/President at Solis Tek

By on June 12, 2018 in podcast

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In this inaugural episode, Lewis and Anne speak with entrepreneur Alan Lien, Founder and President at Solis Tek, a vertically-integrated technology innovator, developer, manufacturer, and distributor focused on bringing lighting and nutrient products and solutions to commercial cannabis growers in legal markets across the U.S. to help growers ‘grow better’.

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