Harvest Health and Recreation CEO Steve White sat down for the final #WeedWeek episode with Grace Pedota to discuss how his company created a cannabis retail experience that had never been seen before (1:45), the importance of opening employment opportunities for veterans, women, and minorities (5:00) and why the cannabis industry is populated by so many ex-lawyers (12:15). Listen to the entire episode to hear Steve’s insight into how the $850m acquisition Verano Holdings materialized.
DionyMed CEO Edward Fields sat down with Grace Pedota during #WeedWeek to chat about his experience in making the shift from the Silicon Valley technology world to the cannabis industry (1:00), the challenges and advantages of keeping pace with rapid regulatory changes and new laws (9:15), and defining the characteristics of the “canna curious” consumer (13:45). Listen until the end to hear Edward’s advice to young, cannabis startup entrepreneurs and how he was initially introduced to cannabis by his doctor to treat back pain.
Susan Ameel, Partner at Global Regulatory Risk Advisors LLC, recently sat down with Grace Pedota during #WeedWeek to highlight how her firm is leveraging technology to keep up with the rapidly evolving regulatory framework for cannabis (3:45), juxtapose the “.com” bubble with the current boom in cannabis (10:45), and outline the important balance of having regulation that doesn’t curb industry innovation (14:30). Listen until the end to hear Susan’s impression of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City and how she used to regularly swim to Canada from her home in Michigan!
#WeedWeek spills over into its second week! Arcadian Fund Founder and CEO Matt Nordgren sat down with Phillip Shum (ed. debut host!) to chat about his experience as a pro quarterback and his perspective on team building and investments (3:15), his funds’ criteria for cannabis investments (7:00), and defining the consumer opportunity in Cannabis (e.g. akin to the early days of Apple Computer) (15:00). Listen until the end of the pod to hear Matt’s thoughts on the use-case for cannabis for athletes, life-lessons learned as the star of “Most Eligible Dallas” and his seven-day challenge for all listeners and viewers!
Curaleaf CEO Joseph Lusardi recently sat down with Barrington Miller during #WeedWeek to discuss why vertical integration is integral to controlling the quality and consistency of their product (4:00), how Curaleaf’s biggest advantage might be in its boardroom (6:00), and how evolving legislation is helping America recover from the “war on drugs” (10:30). Listen to the entire podcast to hear why Joseph Lusardi defines himself as a “reluctant pioneer” of the cannabis industry and how the industry is evolving in “dog years”.
Billy Levy, President of SLANG Worldwide (CSE:SLNG) sat down with Barrington Miller to share his insights from the pioneering “boot camp” days with Mettrum Health (0:30), how he is defining the cannabis opportunity in terms of consumer branding and distribution (3:30), and the important reasons why SLANG does not operate as a retailer (7:00). Listen until the end to hear how SLANG is applying tried-and-true sales methodologies from “boring” industries and the (somewhat accidental) marketing magic that happened when SLANG’s products were advertised in LAX.
Acreage Holding’s Director of Legal Compliance recently sat down with Barrington Miller to discuss the dynamics of working with regulators and lawmakers in the U.S. Cannabis industry (6:00), Acreage’s M&A ambitions (10:30), and the real impact of the Farm Bill (15:15). Listen until the end to hear Gary’s thoughts on the increasing legitimization of the cannabis industry, outlook for the STATES Act, and the integral role of social equity in the cannabis sector.
