Blunt Business

The Green Peak with CEO Plena Global Richard Zwicky. The cannabis industry is evolving at a radical pace, progressing toward “the green peak”. Each week join Richard Zwicky, a cannabis visionary and entrepreneur, as he interviews experts from around the globe to discuss updates and evolutions in the world of cannabis. If you are a current or inspiring investor in the cannabis industry and/or a cannabis entrepreneur and want to hear great insights around the drivers of growth in the cannabis industry, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Plena Global and produced by CannabisRadio.com, The Green Peak is a business-oriented podcast exploring the drivers of growth in the cannabis industry. Join Richard Zwicky, CEO of Plena Global, every Tuesday as he chats with experts and industry leaders about their experiences working in the fast-growing and rapidly changing landscape of medical cannabis. New episodes of ‘The Green Peak’ are available to stream on CannabisRadio.com. ‘The Green Peak’ is also available via App

The RAFT system with Mary Bumatai, CEO of Revessel Inc. Our next guest is the founder of Revessell Inc., makers of Robotic Automated Filling Technology, more affectionately known as the RAFT System, the safest, cleanest, most secure vape product, sanitizing, filling, and capping Ecosystem in the world. The RAFT is a revolutionary robotic automated filling system to address the need for safe, clean, high volume, and accurate filling and capping for vape hardware. The RAFT system, combined with our exclusive custom premium products, will provide a first of its kind Ecosystem for sanitizing, filling, and capping of premium quality glass, ceramic and stainless steel, tamper-proof cartridges, and disposables. The RAFT system and Revessel vape products combined offer a revolutionary start-to-finish solution for the CBD and cannabis industries' biggest oil players. Safety and brand security were paramount in the design and product selection. Revessel Inc challenges all licensed brands and high-volume producers t

Affordable CBD products with Grant Rogers Digital Marketing Manager for Extract Labs. Our next guest works with a Colorado-based CBD company ranking among the most trusted & verified suppliers of affordable CBD products. Extract Labs is a Boulder, Colorado-based full-service hemp extraction lab offering a proprietary line of boutique CBD-infused products. In the past few years, CBD has often been touted as a cure-all of sorts. Manufacturers and users claim, mostly anecdotally, that it has given them relief from muscle soreness and swelling and helped curb stress and anxiety. What is actually known or proven by clinical trials is very little. But because much is still unknown about how CBD is delivered to the brain and how much of what is in the product goes elsewhere in the body, critics are concerned. For instance, the absorption and processing of CBD by a 12-year-old athlete and a 200-pound professional athlete are likely to be different. Today on Blunt Business, Affordable CBD products with Grant Roger

CannabizTeam with Founder & CEO, Liesl Bernard. Our next guest is the CEO of the world's largest cannabis-specific executive search and staffing firm. She spent two decades doing specialized executive search and staffing for Fortune 500 companies living and working in many parts of the world. Cannabiz Team has placed thousands of candidates at executive and management levels in all verticals of the cannabis industry across the US, Canada, Europe, and South America. One study suggested that D&I helps to recruit and retain top talent; improve creativity, innovation, and performance; and boost a company’s brand among consumers. The World Economic Forum indicated that companies that champion D&I are also more profitable. Another study indicated that as organizations switch to survival mode to address the impacts of a global pandemic, “anything that is considered ‘nice to have’ is being jettisoned, with senior stakeholders unable to prioritize anything that isn’t absolutely key to the business.” Th

22Red Ceo And Founder Harry Kazazian join us today to talk about his company and career on Blunt Business. Our next guest has spent over 30 years in the manufacturing, importing, and distribution of consumer products. He is responsible for managing some of the most recognized brands in the Outdoor Industry, with annual sales exceeding $100M. Now entering a new market, he intends to apply the same business principles, ingenuity, and level of integrity that has garnered him much success throughout his long and storied career. Harry was approached by an old friend and System of a Down bassist, Shavo Odadjian, to launch 22Red at the onset of California’s adult-use legalization. We have definitely seen a lot of musicians feel inspired to venture into cannabis: B-Real of Cypress Hill aka Dr. Greenthumb to Brendan Hill of Blues Traveler to Willie Nelson. We talk about what it is about musicians in particular that draws them to partake in more than just a joint.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPriva

Kaycha Labs with Senior Vice President, Cynthia Brewer. Our next guest is a top executive with the largest network of full-service ISO accredited cannabis and hemp testing laboratories in the United States. Kaycha has established itself as the Gold Standard in cannabis and hemp testing through its reputation for accuracy, patient safety, method development, and validation, further advancing the course of modern cannabis automation. Kaycha Labs has established itself as the Gold Standard in cannabis and hemp testing through its reputation for accuracy, patient safety, method development, and validation, further advancing the course of modern cannabis automation.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hydroponics retail for the masses with Michael Salaman, President of GrowGeneration. Our next guest is the President of the nation’s largest hydroponics retailer. Referred to by CNBC as “the Lowes or Home Depot for indoor growing,” they rose from obscurity to become the national category leader in hydroponics retail by cornering the cannabis market. GrowGeneration sells hydroponic equipment, soils, nutrients, and lighting fixtures in legal states. Motley Fool summarized GrowGeneration owning and operating 31 hydroponics garden centers across the U.S., making it the largest of its kind. And the company just acquired the No. 3 chains, The GrowBiz, adding six more stores to its roster.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The National Cannabis Risk Management Association with Rocco Petrilli, chairman of the NCRMA, and Chief Risk Management Officer Alex Hearding. Our next guests are returning guests to the program. They represent the Nation’s only dedicated cannabis risk management association, a pioneering, innovative, groundbreaking risk management platform providing non-traditional offerings for a non-traditional industry. Like many organizations, the NCRMA has had to pivot to a more virtual setup to re-establish the lines of communication. We talk about the adjustments that their team has made due to the pandemic. NCRMA has also published concerns about ergonomics in the cannabis industry that are emerging as workers experience injuries due to their operational tasks. Unfortunately, traditional crop insurance isn’t available for outdoor cannabis cultivators, primarily because of a lack of data on yield performances – and the impact the weather has on yields. Insurance companies don’t create policies until they have the data

Agrify with David Kessler, VP & Head of Horticulture and Customer Success, and Robert Harrison, COO of Agrify. Given the lack of quality control and production inefficiencies, traditional growing methods are in dire need of a facelift. Outdoor cultivation is unprotected; subject to unpredictable weather patterns, environmental damage, and is only operational in select seasons. Greenhouses are a step up in that they allow for better control of the environment and year-round cultivation, provided there is sufficient artificial lighting in the off-seasons. With indoor cultivation and vertical racks, growers can maximize production by utilizing unused vertical space and can confidently operate year-round; however, the plants are still at risk of pests and diseases and there are still macro and microenvironmental conditions with high variability to consider. Agrify, a developer of highly advanced and proprietary precision hardware and software grow solutions for the indoor agriculture marketplace, is on a miss

Cannabis Industry Data Guru Liz Connors, Director of Analytics at Headset joins us today on Blunt Business. Our next guest worked as a Data Scientist in CPG retail and Financial Services for eight years before opening her own analytics and statistics consulting business where she advised small firms on how to utilize their data to design a better product, improve marketing programs and build more informed business strategies. She now serves as the Director of Analytics at one of the cannabis industry’s leading providers of data and analytics. Headset recently released a report titled Customer Analysis: Understanding cannabis consumer behavior. A recent report explored the brand-level analysis of the California Vapor Pens market in order to demonstrate how sales data can reveal previously obscured trends. Liz worked with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the London Business School conducting experimental research on heuristics and biases that impede business decision-makers from optimally using d

Navigating the California cannabis marketplace with CA-based Cannabis & Entertainment Lawyer Jeffrey Welsh, the partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP. Our next guest is a partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP, where he focuses his practice on advising companies, brands, entertainment and media properties, other law firms, and investors on how they should be navigating the California cannabis marketplace. Jeffrey worked in Corporate Business Affairs at the largest talent agency in the world, William Morris Endeavor, now WME | IMG, while simultaneously continuing to work in the legal cannabis industry part-time. In this unique position, he developed an understanding of the nuanced entertainment industry, while concurrently connecting entertainer-advocates with projects and groups actively working in the cannabis space. We talk about what he has learned about bobbing and weaving around the Hollywood brass representing his clients. Jeffery co-founded a full-service creative agency, Composite. Composite helps guide and

Certified cannabinoid ingredients with Josh Epstein, CEO of Socati. Our next guest recently announced it has successfully completed the rigorous evaluation process and received official USDA Organic certification for its CBD ingredient line up which can be used in USDA Organic finished products. This company is the only commercial-scale producer of USDA Organic certified cannabinoid ingredients with third-party verified non-detectable levels of THC. The USDA Organic Seal represents a comprehensive organic standard, a rigorous verification system, and a set of effective enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the trust and credibility of organic products, mandating manufacturers to maintain rigorous organic standards from farming through the production of final consumer packaged goods. Given the broad trend towards organic and clean label products, Socati believes the company and its partners are now uniquely positioned for the expected widespread shift to premium USDA Organic certified CBD products. With the USDA

Diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry with Kevin Ford Jr., CEO of Uplift Maryland. Our next guest is the CEO of a platform that strives to increase diversity and inclusion within the emerging medical cannabis industry, ensuring that all communities, especially those of color, have an opportunity to participate in the economy of the future. Uplift Maryland was founded on the principle to take what the generation before has created and elevated it to the next level. You were able to make something that was once illegal and incarcerated many Black men and turn it into a positive by providing an education of opportunity, especially to those who have been marginalized by oppressive and unjust drug policies. At the time of this recording House, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced that lawmakers would soon be voting on a bill to decriminalize marijuana federally, leaving regulation up to the states. The vote would mark the first time either chamber of Congress ever voted on decriminalization of

CBD and cannabis testing with Roger Brown, CEO/ President of ACS Laboratory. Our next guest is the president of the largest hemp, CBD, and cannabis testing facility in the Eastern United States. It is one of the largest and top-ranking laboratories for precision testing of hemp, CBD, and cannabis in the U.S. with customers in 44 states throughout the country. ACS Laboratory recently acquired Botanica Testing Inc., certified hemp and CBD testing laboratory thus expanding your position as the largest and the Most Trusted Cannabis and Hemp Laboratory in the USA. ACS Laboratory recently announced the Florida Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) has certified ACS to test products for medical dispensaries in the state. This certification comes after the Florida Department of Health adopted an emergency rule, requiring dispensaries to only use a certified lab for product testing. Dispensaries (or medical marijuana treatment centers as the state calls them) in Florida have until December 24, 20

AlphaRoot with Managing Director Isaac Bock today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest works for an insurance brokerage dedicated to supporting the cannabis industry. His company’s unique expertise in cannabis allows them to provide customized access to preferred insurance markets. AlphaRoot is a full-service insurance brokerage completely dedicated to strengthening and supporting the cannabis industry. You offer a wide range of liability coverages to all types of cannabis businesses, including MSO's, Cultivation, Dispensaries, and ancillary niches. Fill me in on the scope and range of what your team at AlphaRoot is able to do to assist. There are many legal uncertainties, unique hazards, and emerging risks involved in legal cannabis-related activities. We talk about the common challenges that cannabis industries have been connecting with our guests about the most. Many of the nation’s largest insurance providers will not work with the weed industry because marijuana

The first ISO accredited cannabis lab with Antonio Frazier, President of CannaSafe. Our next guest oversees the first ISO accredited cannabis lab in the world, and the #1 accredited cannabis testing lab in California. He is also an Executive Committee Board Member of The American Council of Independent Laboratories Cannabis Working Group. Antonio recently co-wrote a letter on behalf of the ACIL outlining the deficiencies in California cannabis regulations and suggestions for no-cost improvements. So he lays out what he's looking for to help improve California's cannabis industry to make it safer for consumers without increasing costs. The ACIL has noticed cannabis companies trending away from a focus on quality and safety and towards receiving favorable results, such as a lack of contaminants and higher potency, and lower pricing. In more mature markets, this trend has already led to the suffering of honest laboratories and the questioning of the cannabis industry as a whole. An FDA report on the CBD

CanaFarma with Frank Barone, Chief Operating Officer. With CBD widely popular in many consumer products due to the passing of the Farm Bill in 2018 that legalized industrial hemp, the industry still faces legal challenges and gray areas. The FDA is thoroughly reviewing CBD in an effort to release regulations and guidelines soon once there is a better understanding. CanaFarma is a burgeoning company that has effectively re-arranged the vector of pop culture in only a few months. The executives at the New York-based firm (which is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange: CNFA) decided to court one of the entertainment industry´s biggest power brokers. By successfully recruiting Gibson Kagni – an award-winning music producer and the strategist behind some of the most successful consumer brands of the last decade - CanaFarma effectively acquired an all-access pass to modern popular culture. Through Mr. Kagni´s connections and his proactive involvement as a shareholder, the company has been able to secure marqu

Maintain compliance in cannabis with James Minutello, CEO of LeafLogix. Our next guest has 25 years of experience building high growth tech and logistics companies. He represents an ERP solution company servicing many of the largest MSOs in the cannabis industry. Leaflogix is available across 37 states and three continents, allowing clients to maintain compliance with business growth, and have remained 100% compliant since inception. James spoke with New Cannabis Ventures about the company’s seed-to-sale software platform and thinking globally. They reported during the pandemic, your company has worked closely with its customers and focused on remaining agile. He also added approximately 15 to 20 full-time team members during the pandemic to help handle its growth. They added that the company has created an agile, robust platform that is designed to handle a high volume and cater to its customers across the globe in an industry characterized by constant change. Forbes reported that “Considering the potential

The Valens Company with Everett Knight EVP, Corporate Development & Capital Markets. Our next guest works at the largest publicly traded extraction company in the world with a broad expanding international footprint. HealthEuropa recently described The Valens Company as “one of the few companies in the world that can facilitate the utilization of five extraction techniques using customized and proprietary methods and technology, with further research and development always ongoing. This flexibility and technical expertise allow The Valens Company to produce almost any cannabis product imaginable, which means its clients can make their vision of a unique and differentiated cannabis-infused product a reality". When talking about building a brand, our guest believes the main goal for any company is to achieve profitability. Everett said this about what was attributed to Valens’ success in achieving profitability. Everett's team recently announced its participation in a Medical Cannabis Real-World Evi

Cashless Payment For The Cannabis Industry with Chris Rentner, Spence Labs, co-founder, and CEO. Our next guest operates an innovative financial technology startup developing cashless payment and customer relationship platforms for the cannabis industry. The innovative platform lets dispensary customers pay for cannabis purchases with their mobile phones, eliminating the need to carry cash or visit an ATM inside the dispensary. Spence is a turn-key national system for both dispensaries and technology companies in the cannabis industry, offering two solutions: First, mobile payments for retail customers and cannabis delivery; and second, a simple API allows dispensaries or cannabis tech companies to quickly embed digital payments in their own platforms. Working with Chicago-based Burling Bank, who will manage payment clearances from buyer to seller. Rather than rely on credit card rails or an ATM system, Spence utilizes Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments, the system typically used for transfers between ba