Cannabis Equipment News
David Mantey
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Cannabis Equipment News is an interview series with growers, processors, manufacturers, distributors and other professionals who work within the legal cannabis industry. We provide answers to the challenges cannabis professionals face every day and discuss the industry as it continues to develop.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
4 days ago
Carl Saling: Cannabis Has Major Issues with Marketing
This week, Carl Saling III, co-founder and CEO of HighDay, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he built an AI-powered, all-in-one marketing command center for the industry after countless accounts and campaigns were shut down and banned.
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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 22, 2023
Jordan Smith: Maine's Medical Industry Was Built on Our Backs
This week, Jordan Smith, owner of Royal River Botanicals joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the state of the medical cannabis industry in Maine.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 21, 2023
Harold Bouchard: AI is Coming to Cannabis
This week, Harold Bouchard, president of Procepack and PreRoll-ER joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how the industry is using automation, IoT and artificial intelligence. Oh, and how his company is finding success in the European market, including one French manufacturer that is making a million CBD joints per month.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 15, 2023
Jess Tyler: Cannabis Is More Than Just a Business at MJBizCon
This week, Jess Tyler, chief revenue officer of MJBiz, joins a bonus episode of the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how MJBizCon has changed this year, expectations for the future and how the show promotes diversity in an evolving industry.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 10, 2023
Dr. Mike McCormick: It's Time to Protect Your Cannabis IP
This week, Dr. Mike McCormick, VP of strategy at FloraWorks, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why you need to consider plant patents, especially if you are working in cannabis plant genetics or a grower who does extensive work on strains.
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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 3, 2023
Eddie Celaya: Cannabis in Arizona is 'Positively Fragile'
This week, Eddie Celaya, a reporter with the Arizona Daily Star and host of the Here Weed Go! podcast, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the state of Arizona's cannabis industry, including how the recreational business is looking good while things are cratering in the medical program.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter for cannabis professionals.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 27, 2023
Kyle Loucks: Building a Pre-Roll Machine for Hand-Roll Enthusiasts
This week, Kyle Loucks, founder of RollPros, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the process behind building a better automated cannabis pre-roll machine.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 20, 2023
The Cannabis Industry Was Forced to Learn By Trial & Error with Harley Smith
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This week, Harley Smith, a professional with nearly 30 years of hydroponics research and education under his belt, and the head of Harley Smith Hydroponics, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the difficulty unlearning industry myths and why, if you can grow really good tomatoes, you can probably grow really good weed.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 13, 2023
We Don't Want to Be Imposters with Chris Shar
This week, Chris Shar, president of One Supply and vice president of business development at ATG Pharma, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the importance of sticking to what you're good at — and being the best in the market.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 6, 2023
The Midwest is Changing the Cannabis Retail Model with Lindsay Martwick
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This week, Lindsay Martwick, director of retail at Higher Love, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how the company is growing the best cannabis in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 29, 2023
Nicolas Guarino: Cannabis in NY is Disastrous
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This week, Nicolas Guarino, founder and CEO of Naturae joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his challenges as a New York operator and how his company became the largest producer of CO2-extracted cannabis oils in the state.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 22, 2023
Christopher Altomare: Maine's Medical Cannabis Industry Has a Dangerous Testing Problem
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This week, Christopher Altomare, CEO of Nova Analytic Lab, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss Maine's inadequate testing regulations and what it will take to change the law.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 15, 2023
Socrates Rosenfeld: How to Build a Digital Foundation for an Entire Industry
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This week, Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO and cofounder of Jane Technologies, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his plans to organize an entire industry's wealth of information before Google and Amazon.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 8, 2023
Zechariah Corcimiglia: How I Created the Keurig of Cannabis
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This week, Zechariah Corcimiglia, CEO of Puffsy, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the lack of innovation in the cannabis industry and how he created an entirely new product category for brands.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 1, 2023
Aaron Ranka: If Safe Banking Doesn't Pass, Businesses Will Fail
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This week, Aaron Ranka, chief revenue officer at Dama Financial, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the state of the SAFE Banking Act, the bill's flaws and Dama's move to be more than a cannabis banking services company.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Aug 25, 2023
Single-Handedly Building Cannabis Banking Regulations with Sundie Seefried
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This week, Sundie Seefried, CEO of Safe Harbor Financial, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how she wrote the book on cannabis banking, literally.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Aug 18, 2023
Onell Crawford: The Most Connected Man in Cannabis
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This week, Onell Crawford, host of the Cannabis Related podcast and industry consultant, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he isn’t hungry for every opportunity and chooses to do good business with good people.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Aug 11, 2023
Jonathan Bohun: How to Build Stronger Brand Loyalty
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This week, Jonathan Bohun, founder and CEO of loyalty and distribution platform Weedar, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the importance of having a dialogue between company and customer to build a stronger brand loyalty.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Aug 4, 2023
We Make Life Easier for Cannabis Companies with Marion Mariathasan
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This week, Marion Mariathasan, CEO of Simplifya, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how his company does all the compliance heavy lifting for cannabis operators big and small.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jul 31, 2023
Edibles Are Like Dial-up Internet with Kim Rael
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This week, Kim Rael, co-founder and CEO of Azuca, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how the "odd couple of cannabis" perfected edible manufacturing.
In this episode, Rael also discusses:
* Becoming accustomed to the "insanity" of the cannabis business. (13:11)
* How Activator works and serves the cannabis industry, particularly edible manufacturers. (17:42)
* Why the industry is misusing the term "nanoemulsion." (21:03)
* Making an entirely different product for chocolate edible manufacturers. (27:15)
* How to identify products made using Azuca's Activators. (32:46)
* The potential for strain-flavored gummies. (36:16)
* How the product helps promote social cannabis consumption. (38:03)
* The challenges of bringing a new cannabis product to market. (42:15)
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, t…
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Jul 21, 2023
Shawn Deggans: No One Wants to Replace Cannabis Growers
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This week, Shawn Deggans, owner of Green Nanny, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why no one wants a fully-automated garden.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jul 14, 2023
Deborah Saneman: Human Capital Management Firms Were Failing Cannabis Companies
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This week, Deborah Saneman, CEO of Würk, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why she stepped up after watching multiple HR service providers kick cannabis to the curb and how gamification can improve employee retention.*
*In this episode, Saneman also discusses:
* How to address the unique needs of cannabis companies, like 280E reporting and access to banking. (6:00)
* What happened when Paychex bailed on cannabis operators. (7:10)
* Her all-hands-on-deck approach to onboard a flood of clients and some 3,000 employees in a 30-day window. (10:23)
* How to vet banking partners. (12:14)
* The importance of ethical and supportive workplaces. (19:31)
* How to use wages on demand as an employee retention tool. (23:38)
* What companies can do to be more competitive and bring better talent in house. (32:19)
* How to attract and retain younger workers and the new generation’s desire to increase and…
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Jul 10, 2023
Nick Taraborelli: If We Do Good Work, the Universe Will Treat Us Well
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This week, Nick Taraborelli, vice president of Paxiom Automation, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how his company found success by building good quality machines while listening to and supporting clients.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 23, 2023
Robert Beasley: We Were 100 Miles Wide and 1 Inch Deep
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When it comes to growing any business, balance and scale are key. This week, Robert Beasley, CEO of Fluent, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he saved the company from "imminent collapse."
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 15, 2023
Shea Coakley: THC Beverages Can Create a Truly Social Cannabis Experience
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This week, Shea Coakley, co-founder and CEO of HighTide, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he navigated the very early stages of the cannabis beverage market to carve out a niche by making thoughtful cannabis beverages that prioritize the social experience and help with the de-stigmatization of cannabis. Coakley believes cannabis beverages could be as ubiquitous as alcohol in the next 10 to 20 years.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 12, 2023
Dan Grim: Mobile Manufacturing Can Solve Cannabis Beverage Industry's Logistical Problems
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This week, Dan Grim, CEO and janitor of Good Stuff Manufacturing, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his success building an award-winning cannabis beverage company and how he plans to shake up the co-packing industry with his coast-to-coast mobile contract manufacturing operation.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 2, 2023
Josh Wurzer: Without Trust, Labs Are Just Numbers on a Piece of Paper
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This week, Josh Wurzer, chief compliance officer at SC Labs, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his efforts to legitimize cannabis lab testing and flush out the small number of labs cooking the books.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 26, 2023
Teamsters: Companies Are Taking Advantage of Cannabis Workers
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This week, Jim Glimco, Teamsters Local 777 president, Christopher Smith, business agent at Teamsters Local 777 and Alex Suarez, cannabis agent at Ascend Wellness in Chicago, join the Cannabis Equipment News Podcast to discuss how unions are helping cannabis workers turn their day jobs into careers.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 22, 2023
Dr. Bruce Bugbee: Debunking Cannabis Myths
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This week, Dr. Bruce Bugbee, President of Apogee Instruments and Professor of Physiology at Utah State University, joins the podcast to discuss his work studying a new crop full of very strange claims, like the importance of planting during a full moon.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 12, 2023
Alex Boone: Hemp-Based Paper Enhances Cannabis Products
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This week, Alex Boone, managing director of Botani, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he started making paper products out of hemp flower, why brand owners are switching to hemp-based paper and problems working with an inexperienced supply chain.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 5, 2023
Brian Fitzpatrick: Cannabis Consumers Should Be Able to Trust That Products Are Safe
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This week, Brian Fitzpatrick, CEO of Qredible joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he helped tame the wild west mortgage industry and how plans to do the same in cannabis.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 28, 2023
Chirag Sheth: The Cannabis Industry Has a Significant Overreliance on Labels
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This week, Chirag Sheth, global business unit manager at Videojet joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss problems with manual labeling and how new technology, like edible ink, stands to make a big impact for cannabis manufacturers.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 21, 2023
Cannabeta: How to Find Compliant Cannabis Real Estate in the Crowded East Coast
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This week, Matte Namer, CEO, and Daniel Kahn, VP of Real Estate, from Cannabeta join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss difficulties with crony capitalism and shady operators as they help cannabis companies find compliant real estate on the East Coast.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 14, 2023
Jacob Saboo: Having Boots on the Ground is Essential for Cannabis Businesses
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This week, Jacob Saboo, co-founder of Cloud Cannabis and Mitten Distro joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his company's evolution from a small medical vape startup to largest cannabis company in Michigan.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 10, 2023
Michael Drozd: How to Fix Problems with Cannabis Lab Data
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This week, Michael Drozd, CEO of ACT Laboratories joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his efforts to establish trust in cannabis lab testing.
In this episode, Drozd discusses:
* How ACT Labs became one of the largest cannabis testing networks in the U.S.
* Why it's important to have quality systems that go beyond industry requirements.
* Problems with current industry lab data.
* Conflicts of interest and why individuals with a stake in any part of the cannabis industry shouldn't be able to be involved with labs.
* His efforts, in partnership with SC Labs, to establish Trust in Testing Certification for cannabis labs.
* The importance of unifying cannabis testing protocols state to state.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mant…
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Apr 3, 2023
Carl Joachim: Digital Printing is Perfect for a Cannabis Industry in Constant Flux
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This week, Carl Joachim, chief marketing officer of ePac Flexible Packaging, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why digital printing is perfect for an industry that is always changing the rules.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 24, 2023
Bohb Blair: Mary Jones Wins on Flavor
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This week, Bohb Blair, chief marketing officer of Jones Soda and chief brand officer of Mary Jones, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how the independent beverage maker is tapping into 26 years of experience, and some 150 flavors, to become the dominant player in cannabis beverages.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 17, 2023
Jonathan Swope: How to Survive Cannabis Extinction Events
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Today, Jonathan Swope, chief marketing officer at Solis, discusses how his company survived a catastrophic industry-wide scandal and remade itself as a sun-grown cannabis company nearly shut down by an endangered salamander.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 13, 2023
Wade Woods: Word of Mouth is Huge for Small Business
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This week, Wade Woods, founder and owner of Honeybee Cannabis Company, discusses his upstart business that pairs beekeeping with small-batch edibles, pre-rolls and beverages.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 3, 2023
Brandy Keen: Emerging from the Indoor Growing Dark Ages
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This week, Brandy Keen, co-founder and senior technical advisor of Surna, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss her nearly 17 years of industry experience helping some 800 cultivators.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Feb 24, 2023
Jim Strain: Take Care of the Roots, So They'll Take Care of the Fruits
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This week, Jim Strain, director of cultivation and master grower at Dycar Pharmaceuticals, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to share his wisdom curated over more than 30 years using aeroponics to grow cannabis. He tells us why you take care of the roots, so they'll take care of the fruits.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Feb 17, 2023
Jessica Tonani: Cannabis Lab Testing Is Inconsistent
This week, Jessica Tonani, CEO of Verda Bio, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how she changed cannabis research laws, her work trying to stabilize the plant's genetics, her struggles with state labs and why she launched a commercial side of the business because of a colleague's mother.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Feb 10, 2023
Chris Milan: Wake Up from Your Spreadsheet Nightmare
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This week, Chris Milan, VP of Sales at CannaBusinessERP joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how cultivators, processors, and finance departments are using new business software to streamline operations and free them from cell tyranny.
On this episode, Editor-in-Chief David Mantey and Milan discuss:
* The number of cannabis operators using ERP software;
* Average integration timelines and pain points;
* Required human and capital investment, as well as ROI;
* Metrc integrations;
* And how a single ERP system can switch operators off of everything else.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Feb 3, 2023
VJ Scientific: Using X-Ray to Penetrate Deep Into the Bud
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This week Donald Naugler, director of technology, and Mark Clemons, general manager with VJ Scientific, join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how to beat cannabis bioburden and the emergence of post-harvest remediation as a significant industry movement in 2023.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jan 27, 2023
Nick Zimmer: Building a Cannabis Ecosystem Has No Downside
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This week, Nick Zimmer, CEO and biosecurity specialist at Plantsman, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how cultivators can use "good bugs" for organic, pesticide-free cannabis production.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jan 20, 2023
Sumo: The Cannabis Startup Using the Industry's First Four-Tier Aeroponic System
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This week, Francis Descoteaux and Jonathan Bosse, co-founders of Sumo Cannabis in Canada, join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why they left their careers as a psychologist and a social worker to create a new cannabis company with a grow operation unlike anything the industry has ever seen.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jan 12, 2023
Daniel Blackburn: The Extraction Market Should Be Plug-and-Play
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This week, Daniel Blackburn, senior chemist at Entexs, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why the industry needs to make complicated extraction equipment easier to use.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jan 6, 2023
Bryan Gerber: The King of Cones Makes 1.2 Billion Cones Every Year
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This week, Bryan Gerber, CEO of Hara Supply joins the podcast to discuss how he built his cone-making empire on a foundation of cannabis paraphernalia innovation.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Dec 16, 2022
Nishant Reddy: Becoming the Patagonia of Cannabis
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This week, Nishant Reddy, CEO and co-founder of A Golden State and Satya Capital, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he left the 100-hour workweek grind on Wall Street only to work longer days running multiple successful cannabis businesses that honor the environment.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Dec 2, 2022
Maur Stringer: Going Legal After Years in Black Market
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This week, Maur Stringer, co-owner of Shakti Green Lit, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he moved to the legal side of the industry to try and build a legacy for his family.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 18, 2022
George Mancheril: No Playbook for Building an Industry from the Ground Up
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This week on the podcast, George Mancheril, co-founder and CEO of Bespoke Financial, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the state of lending in cannabis and why he remains bullish on the industry despite recent economic challenges.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 11, 2022
STM Canna: Cutting Pre-Roll Labor in More Than Half
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This week, Charles Warner and Alex Morton from STM Canna join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how cannabis operators may not be able to control the weather or the price of cannabis, but they can control the amount of labor that goes into making pre-rolls.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 4, 2022
Ben Britton: Squeezing the Juice
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This week, Ben Britton, vice president of innovation at Agrify, joins the podcast to discuss why clean and simple solventless extraction will always have a place in the cannabis industry.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 28, 2022
Nohtal Partansky: Making the Perfectly Engineered Pre-Roll
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This week, Nohtal Partansky, co-founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he left his job as a NASA engineer to create a robot that can make the perfectly engineered pre-roll.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 21, 2022
Adam Temple: True Just-in-Time Manufacturing in Cannabis
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This week, Adam Temple, CEO and CTO of Evolved Extraction Solutions, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his company's new patented process that allows cannabis operators to provide true just-in-time manufacturing on the fulfillment side of the business while taking advantage of upstream markets as they shift.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 14, 2022
Harold Bouchard: Making Perfect Pre-Rolls for Small Cannabis Operators
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This week, Harold Bouchard, president and CEO of PreRoll-ER and Procepack, is back to discuss two new machines for small-batch pre-roll production. He made these machines for smaller cannabis operators who need to make pre-rolls but don't have the capital to automate the process.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Oct 7, 2022
Root Sciences: Cannabis Shifts Towards Professionalism, GMP
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This week, Marcus Tillson, sales director, and Steven Brewster, director of products and R&D at Root Sciences, discuss how the company builds state-of-the-art cannabis processing facilities and why operators are looking for higher-quality equipment.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 30, 2022
Vlad Valme: Vape Filling is About Accuracy, Not Speed
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This week, Vlad Valme from Thompson Duke Industrial, joins the podcast to discuss why he left a successful career in IT and switched coasts to start a new life in the cannabis industry.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 27, 2022
Jason Sigman: Making 'Cannabis-Friendly' Machines Built on Speed, Accuracy
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This week, Jason Sigman, founder and CEO of HighTek USA, joins the podcast to discuss cannabis operators who want a machine to work, be easy to use and look cool.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 21, 2022
Nathaniel Pennington: Seeds Grow Better Than Clones
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This week, Nathaniel Pennington, founder and CEO of Humboldt Seed Company, joins the podcast to discuss how he created the largest licensed seed company in California.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Sep 8, 2022
Kim Eastman: The Industry Won't Change; It's On You to Keep Up
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This week, Kim Eastman, vice president of manufacturing with Jushi Holdings, discusses the challenges and successes in running a multi-state operator like a small, almost craft operation.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jul 28, 2022
Jason Vegotsky: Vertical Integration Is Why Cannabis is Failing
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This week, Jason Vegotsky, CEO of Petalfast, joins the podcast to discuss his journey from jerky to cannabis and why he built a powerful sales organization to help brands scale.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jul 22, 2022
John Goepfert: Trade Secret Unlocks True Cannabis Extraction Potential
This week, American Extractions President John Goepfert joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his proprietary process that achieves 100% cannabis extraction .
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Jul 15, 2022
Harold Bouchard: Consistency & Quality Crucial for Award-Winning Pre-Roll Automation
This week, Harold Bouchard, President & CEO of PreRoll-Er, joins the podcast to discuss his award-winning pre-roll machines.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jul 12, 2022
Michael Johnson: We Are the Backbone of Legal Cannabis
This week, Michael Johnson, CEO of Metrc, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to talk about his first month on the job and how his platform became a tool the industry can't live without.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 16, 2022
Matt Hawkins: The Cannabis Industry Has a Surprising Lack of Capital
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This week, Matt Hawkins, founder of Entourage Effect Capital, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the surprising lack of capital in the cannabis industry and what he looks for in a potential partner.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 10, 2022
Lance Lambert: Cannabis Isn't Using Automation to Full Potential
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This week, Lance Lambert, CMO of Grove Bags joins the podcast to discuss his transition from digital media and marketing to cannabis industry advocate and executive.
Lambert last month joined Grove Bags, which has focused on leveling up the technology around bags for curing and storage of biomass to promote long-term consistency from post-cultivation to consumption.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jun 3, 2022
Travis Steffen: Building a Cannabis Tech Startup Triumph
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This week, Travis Steffen, chief revenue officer of Dama Financial, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he helped build GrowFlow, a compliance platform used by cannabis cultivators, distributors, processors and retailers across the United States.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 26, 2022
Cultivation Warehouse: We Don't Have Any Failures Yet
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This week, Eric Paulin and Eric Shedlarski, co-founders of Cultivation Warehouse, join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the competitive commercial cannabis cultivation landscape and how they stand ahead of the pack.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 19, 2022
Paul McLean: We Need a "Come to Cannabis" Moment
This week, Paul McLean, founder and executive director of the Virginia Minority Cannabis Coalition, discusses his efforts to empower black and brown communities to become cannabis shareholders while educating politicians who still believe the plant is nothing more than the "devil's hay."
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 12, 2022
Cullen Raichart: Become Focused & Tight, or Die
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This week, Cullen Raichart, founder and CEO of GreenBroz, joins the podcast to discuss the equipment manufacturer's move to Vegas and his efforts to clean up shop operationally without sacrificing company culture.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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May 5, 2022
Charles Pyfrom: How to Protect Against Worst-Case Scenarios
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This week, Charles Pyfrom, CMO with CannGen Insurance Services, joins the podcast to discuss how his company insures the livelihoods of cannabis operators.
Fire damage, theft and even repetitive injuries, cannabis operators face many risks, and industry-specific insurance presents an opportunity to protect companies from unforeseen events.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 28, 2022
Jason Reposa: Good Feels Goes Bigtime After Being Born with a Homemade Bottler in the Basement
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This week, Jason Reposa, Founder and CEO of Good Feels, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he built a bottling machine in his basement after getting laid off.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 21, 2022
Jeff Luciano: Big Victories for Cannabis in a Small NY Town
This week, Jeff Luciano, CEO of High End Group and High End Multi Processing, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to talk about how he rallied a community to open its doors to cannabis after the village board banned dispensaries.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Apr 14, 2022
Thomas Winstanley: The Future of Cannabis Commerce
In July 2018, Thomas Winstanley joined Theory Wellness. The company was medical-use only at the time with a pair of stores, but Winstanley wanted to work for a small, independent operation that was still cutting its teeth. It has been a fast and sometimes challenging four years.
The company has evolved a lot since Winstanley came onboard.
As Theory moved into recreational sales, its store in Great Barrington, MA, was just the sixth recreational dispensary on the east coast and the closest to New York City. The company transformed overnight and has been playing catchup ever since.
Initially, Winstanley and the rest of the Theory team had their apprehensions as the store approached its opening. What if nobody showed up? The store became an overnight sensation.
Now, Theory operates six stores, three medical in Massachusetts, two recreational in the state, and three recreational dispensaries in Maine – some of the stores are co-located. And the company has plans to continue to grow.…
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Apr 7, 2022
Brandon Bahr: The Industry Has a Solvent Problem
This week, Brandon Bahr, co-founder and CEO of Simple Solvents joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcasts to discuss his evolution to a supplier of premium solvents for botanical extraction.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 31, 2022
Ginger Sloan: Opportunities Abound for Women in Cannabis
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This week, Ginger Sloan, founder of Zliderz, discusses how she came to believe in cannabis when it helped her mother kick the narcotics she had been taking for 30 years. Now, she sees big opportunities on the horizon.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 24, 2022
Narbé Alexandrian: Cannabis is a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity
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This week, Narbé Alexandrian, president and CEO of RIV Capital, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his move from venture capital in the tech industry to the head of a cannabis investment and acquisition firm that recently made a strategic shift to the U.S. market.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 17, 2022
David Kessler: A New Approach to Cultivation
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This week, David Kessler, Chief Science Officer of Agrify discusses how intentional production will solve one of cannabis producers’ biggest challenges: making a consistent product.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Mar 10, 2022
Steve Gutterman: It's Better to Be Deep Than Broad
This week, Steve Gutterman, CEO of Falcon Brands, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss life at the helm of California's largest cannabis company.
Steve Gutterman spent most of his career in financial services, but the cannabis industry enticed him because it was the first industry that reminded him of the early days of online financial services. Although he says cannabis is no different from any other industry, you have to run a good business to be successful.
To remain California's largest cannabis company, Gutterman says Falcon Brands blends an "authentic OG street cred" with world-class professionalism. The company consists of professionals from Pepsi, Coke, Ford, E-Trade and Black & Decker, as well as industry pioneers. He says it combines precision and professionalism with a passion, and it's proven to be a good pairing.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to emai…
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Mar 1, 2022
Haitham Al-Beik: How to Automate Cannabis Retail
This week, Haitham Al-Beik, CEO and Founder of Wings, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss his efforts to remove the biggest pain points in cannabis retail with automation.
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Feb 22, 2022
Milan Patel: We Are at War with Pathogens
Editor’s note: While we have continued to do the podcast weekly, it has jumped around a bit as we have scaled up our newsletter. Next week, it will return to its traditional slot on Thursdays. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for continuing to support the podcast. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
This week, Milan Patel, co-founder and CEO of PathogenDx, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss high-speed cannabis testing. How it works, who uses it, and what (if anything) it misses.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Feb 15, 2022
Mikhail Sagal & Gary Arnold: The Industry Has a Glaring Knowledge Gap
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This week, Mikhail Sagal and Gary Arnold, co-founders of TSRgrow, discuss how they engineer, design and manufacture LED lighting solutions for thousands of operators in the industry.
According to Gary Arnold, TSRgrow doesn't just sell lighting, but a total grow solution, which also happens to be the name of the company's product (TOTALgrow Solution™). The company isn't looking for customers but partners in cannabis. They start each relationship by looking at the grower's business plan, figuring out what they plan to produce, how they plan to produce it, and ensuring that the company is grounded properly to achieve those goals. Without the proper preparation, operators can make many costly mistakes real quick.
The Total Grow Solution is a platform that combines LED lighting, distributed lighting power, environmental control and monitoring systems, and grow management software. According t…
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Feb 8, 2022
Dan Horowitz: Cannabis Companies Can't Neglect Shredding, Milling Equipment
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Dan Horowitz had been in the packaging business for eight years when he wanted a change. He was looking for something new when a recruiter asked, "Have you ever thought about cannabis?"
He met with Schutte Hammermill, a company with a more than 90-year legacy making milling and shredding equipment, and decided to come aboard as the sales manager for the company's new cannabis division, KannaMill.
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Jan 27, 2022
Brandon Barksdale: Even When You're Great, You Could Be Better
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This week, Brandon Barksdale, CEO of Dalwhinnie Farms, discusses his transformation from finance to leading a premium cannabis company focused on growing the cleanest product in the market.
Brandon Barksdale wants to increase operational excellence and maturity in the cannabis industry.
The new CEO of Dalwhinnie Farms has spent time improving operations in various markets, from retail to manufacturing and technology, and he wants to bring best practices from each into the cannabis industry.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Jan 19, 2022
Kenny Morrison: I Was Not Cut Out for Retail
This week on the Cannabis Equipment News podcast, Kenny Morrison, founder of VCC Brands, discusses how he was pulled out of a basement grow and into the nascent California cannabis industry, where he helped lead one of the first five dispensaries in Los Angeles County.
Kenny Morrison is a risk-taker. In 2006, he was working with friends growing cannabis in a basement when he decided to try his hand in the upstart California retail market. Morrison landed a partnership helping the Farmacy in West Hollywood expand after hitting it off with the owner. It wasn't an easy ride; the store was raided during his first year.
He learned many things at the Farmacy, but perhaps the most important was that he wasn't cut out for retail. So in 2008, he founded Venice Cookie Company, driven to create tasty, safe and wellness-oriented products.
When Morrison first jumped into product manufacturing, he enlisted a cousin who was a pastry chef. He asked her to manufacture his first three products — al…
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Jan 12, 2022
Terry Van Gelder: Hybrid Design Addresses Problems with Conventional Greenhouses
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This week, Terry Van Gelder, president at AGT Technologies, discusses why, after more than 40 years in the construction industry, he turned his attention to hybrid greenhouses for the cannabis industry.
Van Gelder's hybrid greenhouses have a dual membrane system; essentially, it's a building inside a building insulated by a constant flow of hot air. In 2019, the innovative design received an Edison Award for energy and sustainability.
Van Gelder uses a commercial building system rather than traditional greenhouse framing. He says it gives cannabis operators the ability to build indoor grow facilities of any size, in any location without traditional greenhouse limitations. For example, the sealed, cleanroom laboratory environment guarantees the purity and safety of crops. The buildings are also stronger to better stand up to the elements.
The buildings have some interesting features, like…
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Jan 7, 2022
Paulo Sobral: Cannabis Beverages Will Be the Largest Consumer Segment
This week, Paulo Sobral, a consultant at Drink Cannabis LLC, discusses why he left Pepsi in 2014 to join an upstart cannabis industry.
Sobral is a "cannabis beverage fanatic" focused on helping develop and market innovative products that change the way people consume cannabis. While Sobral was at the Hall of Flowers event in Palm Springs, California, he stepped away from the show to talk about why he left Pepsi's corporate environment and jumped into an industry he found more inspiring.
His interest in cannabis beverages started in 2016 when he first tried Cannabis Quencher, which turned out to be his favorite. However, some of the 100 mg drinks available seven years ago were non-homogenous, with sediment at the bottom, oil at the top and they had a tasty roulette-style experience. Coming from Pepsi, he realized the industry needed more consistency to build a sustainable brand.
Sobral believes cannabis beverages will be the largest consumer segment in the industry. They are more ses…
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Dec 21, 2021
James Eaves: A Fundamentally New Type of Electricity
This week, James Eaves, Ph.D, director of indoor agriculture at VoltServer, discusses what he calls the first innovation to electricity since the current wars between Tesla and Edison.
VoltServer produces equipment and software that drastically reduces the cost, danger and time associated with installing and maintaining power systems. They call it "Digital Electricity™."
Digital Electricity™ offers the characteristics of high-power electricity but uses the same wiring and installation methods as low-power electricity. Eaves describes the technology as high-power electricity that you can touch.
Challenging a 150-year-old institution can be difficult, and the company has received a heated response from the market as it threatens the status quo. Although the cannabis industry tends to be more open to new ideas, many stakeholders remain in disbelief.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finall…
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Dec 17, 2021
Mark Doherty: Solving Traditional Problems with Racking Systems
This week, Mark Doherty, partner at Doherty Agriculture and advisor to Dual Draft Integrated Airflow discusses what he's encountered in more than 10 years in the controlled environment agriculture market.
He built his first commercial indoor farm in 2010 and made every mistake imaginable, but he learned a lot. Since then, the market has changed drastically.
Now, he works with Dual Draft to solve some of the traditional problems with racking systems in the cannabis industry, like water pooling and airflow consistency.
Dual Draft’s proprietary technology provides consistent airflow which eliminates micro climates and ensures consistent growing conditions. He says it's the only product that offers under-canopy airflow.
The product recently debuted and received an incredible response at MJBizCon 2021.
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Dec 10, 2021
Wes Reynolds: Subpar Equipment Doesn't Help Anybody
This week, Wes Reynolds, President and CEO, Green Mill Supercritical discusses his transition from a 20-year Coca-Cola vet to the head of Green Mill Supercritical, a company that specializes in CO2 extraction.
Reynolds discusses why his company is fully invested in CO2 extraction and how, by the end of 2022, ethanol-free CO2 extraction stands to become the standard for all others to meet.
Green Mill recently released its outlook for the extraction industry in 2022 and while the industry has shown promise, it wasn't without its disappointment. For example, some companies make exaggerated product claims, and they may be in for a reckoning next year.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com.
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Nov 19, 2021
Mitch Galton: Building a Cannabis Facility is Like Buying a Car
This week, Mitch Galton, Director of Business Development at urban-gro, discusses why he left college early to start a career in cannabis.
Galton's new cannabis path commenced in LED lighting with Fluence, but has since graduated into a role that has him working closer to the plant at urban-gro, a company that specializes in architectural, engineering and cultivation systems integration for commercial cannabis and controlled environment food facilities.
Urban-gro has worked on more than 450 indoor cultivation projects that have ranged from 10,000 square feet to 1.8 million square feet. Galton takes us through the process of building an indoor cultivation facility, including how to increase canopy while reducing energy consumption.
While Galton says that every client is different, urban-gro can work with any budget to make it happen. Galton says building a cultivation facility is a lot like building a car, most people want a Ferrari, but what they need (or can afford) is a Camry. Sti…
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Oct 29, 2021
Luke Costello: Filling Gaps in Cannabis Equipment & Innovation
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This week, Luke Costello discusses why Mach Technologies entered the cannabis business after noticing some glaring gaps in equipment and innovation.
Mach Technologies has been making highly automated equipment for more than 80 years. The company's experience ranges from the automotive to pharmaceutical industries.
Three years ago, the company looked at the cannabis industry and noticed some gaps in the equipment and support. For example, they saw companies using equipment designed for garages being used on a commercial scale.
At the beginning of the industry, margins were good, and efficiency wasn't a priority, but as margins became tighter, companies started turning to automation. Mach wanted to seize on the lack of innovation and automation and help companies produce a more affordable and consistent end product using the company's state-of-the-art automated extraction equipment.
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Oct 22, 2021
Christian Hageseth: Cleaning Up the Cannabis Industry's Dirty Secrets
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This week, Christian Hageseth, chief operating officer of VIST Labs, discusses how a game of golf permanently changed the trajectory of his career.
In 2009, Hageseth was an out-of-work real estate finance professional who was a casualty of the economic crisis in 2008. He was invited to play a round of golf where he met an individual opening a dispensary in the up-and-coming Colorado cannabis industry.
Hageseth started in the cannabis industry in July 2009, about six weeks before business took off in Colorado following rules that opened up the medical market. He got a little lucky with the timing, but he had his first plant in the ground by September 2009, and he has been growing and selling legal weed ever since.
While he has founded many companies in the industry and even authored a book, Big Weed, Hageseth's latest venture, VIST Labs, is his effort to clean up the cannabis industry's dirty secrets. Hageseth wants to delive…
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Oct 15, 2021
Jeffrey Thorn: Aeroponics Is Our Differentiator
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This week, Jeffrey Thorn, CEO of 420 Kingdom, discusses why he sold his HR outsourcing company to start a high-end cannabis delivery service based on aeroponic cultivation.
In 2000, Jeffrey Thorn founded a human resources outsourcing company that specialized in helping cannabis companies with payroll and benefits. A few years ago, he lost his passion for the business. He’d show up at 10 a.m. and be gone by 3 p.m. What’s worse, he didn’t like his employees anymore. He sold the business and was looking for a new project. At the time, he was 53 years old and didn’t know if he had the energy to put in the time and effort to lead another successful startup.
A new cannabis venture wasn’t his first inclination. Thorn had voted against cannabis legalization in California, but he admits that he was naïve. He wasn’t a big user (he prefers mushrooms), but he realized that the community included doctors, lawyers and many oth…
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Oct 8, 2021
Andrew Thut: Cutting Corners is a Deadly Mistake
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This week, Andrew Thut, chief investment officer of 4Front Ventures discusses how he moved from a career in finance to become a leader at a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator.
4Front Ventures has a reputation for hitting high product quality standards with low-cost cultivation and production, but it wasn't without significant investment in automation and human capital.
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review on Apple podcast or whatever platform you use. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.
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Oct 1, 2021
Cannabis Manufacturing in a Box
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This week, Grant Schuster and Jacob Dooley from Accelerant Manufacturing discuss their Production as a Service (PaaS) business model that offers "cannabis manufacturing in a box."
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review on Apple podcast or whatever platform you use. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.
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Sep 17, 2021
Dave Nestoff: Cannabis Compliance is a Labor-Intensive Burden for Operators
This week, Dave Nestoff, director of product and engineering at Simplifya, discusses how he landed at a cannabis compliance software company after two very different careers — and why he loves working for startups.
Nestoff is a self-described renaissance man, and the nature of startups allowed him to wear many hats during his career. At Simplifya, he not only works on software engineering, but he also has a chance to flex writing skills cultivated during stints as a journalist and teacher.
Software development wasn't the first choice for Nestoff. A few years ago, he was working at a startup marketing firm that exposed him to the business' database and front-end side. It forced him to rethink his career, and he reinvented himself at a development boot camp in Chicago. Simplifya recruited him out of the boot camp because he had a unique perspective as a developer coming from a different career, rather than a green computer science major right out of school.
Simplifya is a software a…
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Sep 10, 2021
Building a Better Cannabis Facility Like Lego Bricks
This week, Tim Vrieling and David Wolf, founders of Greenbox Builders, discuss how their pre-engineered, pre-designed and pre-specified facilities can get cannabis operators up and running faster by cutting out 85% of the design and development time.
In June, Vrieling and Wolf founded Greenbox to solve a common problem in the cannabis industry: facility construction. The pair had experience building in technical environments, working on everything from medical device and pharmaceutical labs to test kitchens and science buildings at universities.
Recently, Vrieling experienced an uptick in interest from cannabis businesses at Integrate Lab Builders Inc., an architectural design firm that he has run for the better part of five years in Southern California. He found that the design and build process in the cannabis industry was taking much longer than other markets for myriad reasons.
For example, municipalities were making it more difficult to get plans approved for conditional use pe…
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Aug 27, 2021
Matt Cohen: Cracking the Premium Cannabis Cocktail Code
This week, Matt Cohen, founder of Lively Spirits, discusses his transformation from a college student activist to an entrepreneur trying to crack the premium cannabis cocktail code.
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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.
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Aug 17, 2021
Trent Woloveck: Automation Equipment Isn’t There Yet
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This week, Trent Woloveck, chief commercial director at Jushi Holdings, discusses his evolution from a finance guy who dabbled in product development to a leader of a multi-state cannabis operator.
llease make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review on Apple podcast or whatever platform you use. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David @cannabisequipmentnews.com with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.
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Aug 5, 2021
Aaron Silverstein: A Leading Expert in Cannabis-Infused Wine
This week, Aaron Silverstein, vice president of production and business development at the House of Saka, discusses how he became one of the world's leading experts on cannabis-infused wine by accident.
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Jul 26, 2021
Jim Higdon: Exposing Shady CBD Practices
This week, Jim Higdon discusses his evolution from journalist and author to co-founder and chief communications officer of Cornbread Hemp, a company dedicated to manufacturing USDA organic-certified, whole-flower CBD products.
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Jul 15, 2021
Rob Sechrist: How to Navigate Complex & Costly Cannabis Real Estate Financing
This week, Rob Sechrist, president of the Pelorus Equity Group, discusses his role leading one of the cannabis industry's largest commercial real estate lenders.
Sechrist has focused on the cannabis industry for more than four years, but the company has been in business for more than two decades. Since 1991, Pelorus has participated in more than $1 billion of commercial real estate investment business across 5,000 transactions.
The company is an asset-based lender that focuses on value-add transactions, which means a portion of each loan is held back to be used for property improvements.
Sechrist says that getting a cannabis business off the ground doesn't stop with buying a cannabis-use property, but rather the tenant improvements to the building to configure it for cannabis use and the equipment.
Until Pelorus came along, industry lenders were solely focused on acquisition or refinance lending. As a result, lenders weren't concerned with how they would get paid back -- or stabili…
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Jun 8, 2021
Colin Ferrian: Cannabis is a Generational Opportunity
This week, Colin Ferrian, co-founder and analyst at MJResearchCo, discusses why, as an investment analyst, he is working to generate more empathy for the cannabis industry.
Empathy in the cannabis industry is rare, especially among the investment community. According to Ferrian, the industry has two types of people: those with money — investment capital — and those with experience. Ferrian works as a hybrid that can steer capital investment in the right direction while understanding of how systems and other capital projects should be run in the cannabis industry.
With a background that includes work as both an investment analyst and in cannabis operations roles, Ferrian is uniquely suited to help investors predict the sustainability of larger companies and gain a better understanding of what's under than hood, rather than just gleaming information off filings and press releases.
Ferrian founded MJResearchCO to provide institutional analysis for cap allocators in the investment i…
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Jun 2, 2021
Zach Pitts: Pandemic Permanently Changed the Cannabis Consumer Mindset
This week, Zach Pitts, CEO and founding partner of Ganja Goddess, discusses graduating during a recession and stumbling into a cannabis career that has now spanned more than 13 years.
When Pitts graduated from college, he pursued a career in urban planning, but he failed to find regular work. In 2007, developers weren’t hiring and he was at a loss. Around the same time, Tara Wells, Ganja Goddess’ co-founder, was cultivating and manufacturing edibles for the legal medical market — traditional products like brownies and gingerbread. She needed help getting the startup off the ground, and Pitts came onboard as a way to make some money and survive.
But the partnership outgrew his temp job and slowly built a career. In 2011, Pitts and Wells started a California-based delivery business in an effort to make their products available to more patients.
The decision to create a delivery startup was driven by two factors:
* Consumer demand from areas that didn't have access to dispensa…
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May 25, 2021
Jill Ellsworth: Creating the Cannabis Kill Step
This week, Jill Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Willow Industries, talks about her transformation from running a successful cold-pressed juice company to creating startup Willow Industries, a manufacturer and service provider dedicated to cannabis decontamination.
Ellsworth is a registered dietician with a Master’s degree in food science nutrition. About seven years ago, she started a cold press juice company in Santa Barbara, California, with another location in Denver. She pivoted the company to a beverage distributor based in Denver, which she eventually sold. An entrepreneur, Ellsworth was looking for her next move. At the same time, cannabis had become legal in Colorado and she found that many of the food safety regulations that shaped her previous venture didn't exist in the nascent industry.
While cultivators were required to test batches of flower for potential contaminants, they lacked the resources to remedy any potential problems. Ellsworth saw a need and decided the time…
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May 11, 2021
Andrew Lange: How to 'Do it Right' in Cannabis
This week, Andrew Lange, president of Ascendant Management, discusses his work designing more than 1.5 million square feet of indoor cannabis facilities across more than 56 projects. When he started out, he primarily saw smaller projects of less than 20,000 square feet, but as the industry has evolved, he now rarely works on anything less than 50,000 square feet.
Lange started off in Washington state building fully automated aquariums that ranged from $30,000 to $80,000 installations. He made some connections with people who had medical licenses and helped install aeroponic/hydroponic setups. He found similarities between the cannabis market and high-end aquariums, including controls and LED lighting integration. However, the cannabis operators were often paying a lot of money for under-performing equipment.
In 2010, he founded Ascendant Management in Olympia, Washington, and it has grown into a boutique — but highly sought-after — firm with eight employees.
Over the past fiv…
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May 4, 2021
Jesse Elkins: The Henry Ford of the Cannabis Industry
This week, Jesse Elkins, founder of Grow Industries, discusses how he became one of the most sought-after designers of cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities.
Much of Elkins' story is being at the right place at the right time. When he graduated high school in Washington State, he enrolled in refrigeration school to become an HVAC professional. At the same time, the state legalized medical-use cannabis. A few of his friends started small home grows, and he helped them off with HVAC as side jobs. However, he soon began receiving referrals, and the side job snowballed into a business. In 2007, he founded ClimaGrow, a company that specialized solely on climate control for indoor cannabis gardens.
By 2015, the company grew to more than 20 employees. In 2014, when the recreational cannabis market was legalized, Elkins was perfectly positioned as the only expert in the market. He landed every job, and his business transformed from a basement grow specialist to managing industria…
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Apr 27, 2021
Bryan Wilson: Fiber Is the Future
This week, Bryan Wilson, co-founder and president of Environmental Living Industries (E.L.I.), discusses his journey from an overseas government contractor to the driving force behind an industrial hemp fiber processing startup.
Wilson's wife, Candice, was a pediatric emergency nurse. A few years after the couple was married, Candice became incredibly ill, suffering from several autoimmune disorders. At the time, Wilson was working as a paramedic and a firefighter.
The couple consulted more than 30 physicians, but none could provide a diagnosis for his wife's condition. During this time, Candice became pregnant and had a full-term pregnancy; tragically, their son Eli was stillborn.
After nearly eight years, the couple finally found a doctor who tested Candice for a mold infection, and the family finally had some answers. The Wilsons had toxic mold in their house, which created her health problems and contributed to the tragic loss of their son.
When his wife received the diagnosis,…
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Apr 13, 2021
John Davis: Designing Realistic Extraction Systems from a Processing Perspective
This week, John Davis, CTO of Entexs, discusses his move from the oil and gas industry to the helm of an engineering and fabrication company focused on end-to-end extraction systems.
Entexs (pronounced "en-techs") was founded with the sole purpose of providing custom engineered extraction solutions for the cannabis industry. The company assembled a team of machinists, fabricators and engineers with decades of experience building breweries and food manufacturing plants — who were well-versed in sanitary processing equipment.
The company set up shop in Diamond Springs, California, outside of Sacramento, to focus on cold ethanol extraction. Davis works with ethanol not just because of his past experience, but, he says, because it's easier to scale on a system level.
The team started providing systems to companies processing 500 to 1,000 pounds of biomass per day. According to Davis, the industry was piecemeal-ing the various parts of the extraction process to make a system. Entexs so…
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Apr 1, 2021
Jeremy Luciano: Veteran Combats Fear in the Hemp Industry
This week, Jeremy Luciano, founder and CEO of GHS Industries — formerly Global Hemp Solutions — tells the incredible story of his journey to the cannabis industry.
GHS conceptualizes, designs, builds and installs everything from buckers and drying systems to harvesters and extraction systems. Although the company works in the hemp sector, it is a food-grade manufacturer that also serves other industries.
Luciano founded the company about 2.5 years ago, including a manufacturing facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, east of Louisville. He likes to analyze situations, see a problem, and try to solve that problem.
Luciano is a veteran who was injured while on active duty. He is a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) graduate, a training program that military personnel go through to make sure they can protect information abroad. During the training, Luciano suffered a spinal injury that caused lifelong damage to his back.
After the service, he entered the medical field an…
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Mar 24, 2021
Ash Ganley: LED Tech Breaks the Glass Ceiling in Cannabis Cultivation
This week, Ash Ganley, CEO of GrowRay Technologies, discusses his collaborative manufacturing R&D effort to create patented LED lighting solutions for cannabis cultivation.
Ganley is the former CTO of NOBO, a small, vertically integrated multi-state operator based in Boulder, Colorado. During his time at the cultivator, he observed the fractured, isolated nature of cannabis cultivation product development, particularly in lighting, and figured that he could find a better way of doing business.
Cannabis lighting lacked research and development (R&D) and efficiency, mostly because non-cannabis technology vendors were marketing to a space coming out of a pre-legal growing culture. Essentially, operators didn’t know what they didn’t know, and lighting manufacturers took advantage of the situation. It created a lack of trust and transparency that caused a lot of waste in the industry.
Early generation LEDs didn't work because they were essentially rebranded warehouse and commercial l…
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Mar 17, 2021
Ben & Vinnie Celani: Big Cannabis Is Coming
This week, Ben and Vinnie Celani, co-founders of High Life Farms, discuss their operations in California and Michigan — and continued expansion.
The brothers take a divide-and-conquer approach to operations, with Vinnie overseeing sales and marketing and Ben leading the cultivation side of the multi-state operator (MSO).
High Life primarily conducts cultivation, manufacturing and distribution in California, while its Michigan operations are more vertically integrated.
Upon founding the business, High Life grew rapidly. In Michigan, the company grows flower and produces edibles, working closely with partners at Wana and Kiva on product development. The company currently has 150 employees and plans to add more than 50 more jobs by the end of 2021.
In California, cultivation is the focus, with another 75 employees working toward the company’s white-labeling and contract manufacturing efforts.
According to Ben, most of the equipment in Michigan and California is the same, with a f…
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Mar 12, 2021
Josh Malman: Keep Your Eyes on the Crop
This week, Josh Malman, vice president of cultivation at Jushi Holdings, discusses how he fell into cannabis.
As a student, Malman studied international horticulture, and even spent a semester abroad building systems to provide cheap water to local farms in Africa.
His focus on greenhouse production horticulture eventually led him to a position with The Clinic in Colorado as it was starting up in 2009. When he first started with The Clinic, his first harvest was around 50 pounds. Over the course of 10 years, he helped grow the business into three cultivation facilities and six retail stores in Colorado.
In 2019, Jushi Holdings bought the consulting arm of The Clinic, and Malman’s expertise was an important part of the purchase. Two years ago, Jushi didn't have much of a cultivation footprint, but through acquisition, it now operates facilities in Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania — and each is undergoing expansion projects in 2021.
Malman stresses that while cannabis is a weed…
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Mar 1, 2021
Donna Wamsley: Cannabinoids are Tricky to Work With
This week, Donna Wamsley, Director of Research and Analytics at SōRSE Technology, discusses her role at one of the leading emulsion technologists in the industry, as well as the many difficulties in working with cannabinoids in the food and beverage industry.
Cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) offer a sensory experience that can vary. Dosage control is difficult to make reliable and repeatable, as well as onset and duration, which presents challenges for edible and infused-beverage manufacturing and labeling.
Wamsly brings an interesting perspective to the industry as she is close to becoming a certified flavorist -- there are only 200 certified flavorists in the world.
SōRSE’s technology allows products to be produced for a better, more consistent experience. It is a water-soluble formula that limits sensory properties like taste, odor, and texture, which is a major step up from the oily brown emulsions familiar in the industry.
The Cannabis Equipment News Podcast is an interview…
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Feb 23, 2021
Dr. David Cunic: All 50 States Should Legalize Medical Cannabis
This week, Dr. David Cunic, CEO and founder of UCS Advisors, discusses his life as a medical professional and serial entrepreneur. In the industry, he's known as "Dr. David," and he's been a cannabis advocate since 2009 — "before it was cool to be in cannabis."
As a doctor of physical therapy and pain management, he is an advocate for the benefits of medical marijuana. As an entrepreneur, he has started seven cannabis businesses in five different states; overall, he's founded 13 companies in the last 18 years.
He says he decided to enter the cannabis industry due to the misinformation surrounding cannabis as a treatment. He believes that physicians are ethically bound to show patients every possible treatment — and, until recently, most doctors were not only prohibited by states from prescribing cannabis as a medicine, but they were shunned by their medical colleagues. It wasn't until the last two to three years that the medical industry became more receptive to the benefits of m…
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Feb 18, 2021
We’re Not Trimmers, We’re Trichome Preservers
This week, Bella McCreary, president and CEO of High Maintenance Trim Co. talks about her transition from the banking industry to leading a company that provides onsite harvesting, bucking, trimming and packaging services.
McCreary has several years experience working with cultivators of all sizes. She's overseen trimming operations for harvests as small as 12 pounds as well as clients with rolling 500-pound harvests.
Cultivators often have difficulties staffing trim teams. While some operators are harvesting every week, some operations only need help every eight to 12 weeks, which is typically when they call in Bella.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, trimming has only become more difficult, mostly as a result of social distancing restrictions. In an effort to keep both her client's staff and her own employees safe, McCreary has had to cut down the size of each team sent to cultivation sites. For example, to harvest 500 pounds, she would typically send a team of 18 to 20 peo…
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Feb 11, 2021
Oil Application Products Set to Skyrocket
Hosted by David Mantey.
This week, Mike McDonald, president of Ammonite, discusses his fascinating path to the cannabis industry following careers in cycling and outdoor adventuring, as well as stint in Taiwan, where he moved after college just to learn Mandarin.
Ammonite was spun out of Jetty Extracts, one of the largest concentrates and vapes companies in California. Jetty’s product development department had created a new device they called the “Dablicator,” an oil application product designed to replace syringes and other messier, unreliable alternatives on the market.
While it was conceived as an in-house product offering, Jetty received interest from Surterra Wellness. The large multi-state operator (MSO) wanted to white label the Dablicator, and the initial order called for more units than Jetty have ever sold. As a result, McDonald established Ammonite to focus on Jetty’s hardware and intellectual property inside the cannabis and CBD markets.
The Dablicator was init…
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Feb 5, 2021
MCR Labs Is More Than a 'Dark Box'
This week, MCR Labs President Michael Kahn and Director of Business Development Jonathan Wani discuss how they protect cannabis consumers and help manufacturers improve — and protect — their businesses.
The company started in 2013 when Kahn left his role as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry to create a public health-centered lab that provides accurate cannabis data.
Kahn wanted MCR to be more than a traditional lab, which often operate like a “dark box'' where samples come in and data goes out. For Kahn, it's not simply a transactional relationship with clients; they often help manufacturers contextualize data to gain a better understanding of what is happening in the facility.
As the industry continues to evolve and mature, the company's mission of public health has not wavered: create an environment in which fewer contaminants are found in cannabis products.
In samples, MCR finds everything from microbiological contaminants — bacteria and mold — to heavy metals a…
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Jan 29, 2021
Ozone Creates 'Lightning in a Box' to Sanitize Cannabis Facilities
This week, Sannel Patel, the senior vice president of engineering at Ozone Solutions, discusses how his company designs and manufactures custom products that use "lightning in a box" to sanitize cannabis operations.
The company started in odor remediation, primarily targeting hog farms — which have a pretty notorious scent. The company has since gone on to create more than 400 ozone generators, monitors and injection systems that eradicate viruses and bacteria while providing odor control, air treatment, surface and piping sanitation, and water purification.
Although the technology is popular overseas, primarily in Europe and Asia, it unfamiliar in the U.S.
In the cannabis industry, companies use ozone solutions to purify reused water and sanitize the water supply, which prevents bacteria or viruses from reaching the plant. It's the equivalent of feeding the plants high-quality bottled water, and the plants grow faster.
Cannabis businesses are also using ozonated gas treatments f…
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Jan 21, 2021
Cannabis Industry 'Drinking Out of a Fire Hose'
This week, Lezli Engelking, founder of the Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards (FOCUS) discusses why she left her successful career running a dispensary to create an organization dedicated to developing cannabis-specific good manufacturing practices.
As Bloom Dispensaries went from single-digit employees to a staff in the triple digits, Engelking realized that the Arizona company desperately needed business help. If her vertically-integrated company suffered from turnover, training and operational problems, it was very likely that her industry cohorts were experiencing the same dilemmas. In one example, the air conditioning went out in a grow room, and with no standard operating procedure (SOP) in place, no one was notified and the company lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory.
Engelking sold her shares and started a nonprofit health and safety foundation in 2014. FOCUS writes standards and provides third-party certification to those standards, as well as assistance…
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Jan 19, 2021
Green Flower Built High-Demand Cannabis Curriculums from Nothing
This week, Joe Barnard, chief academic officer, and Daniel Kalef, VP for higher education, discuss Green Flower's cannabis education platform that offers everything from one-off training sessions to educational programs at nine universities across the United States. The programs offer students the ability to become certified in cannabis cultivation, business, law and policy and healthcare.
The company started out as a direct-to-consumer educational portal, trying to educate people on the benefits of cannabis and remove the negative social stigma. Green Flower has since evolved into an educational hub that white labels cannabis industry business certifications for partner universities.
Each program includes three, eight-week courses that offer a mix of online learning as well as project work, including growing a plant.
The rigorous programs offer a high-quality curriculum to a previously untapped market. Since early adopters Florida Atlantic University and Northern Michigan Universit…
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Jan 19, 2021
Aerospace Engineer Bails on Boeing to Build Elite Extraction Equipment
This week, Jack Naito, president of Luna Technologies, talks about why he left a career as an R&D engineer at Boeing to design and manufacture cannabis extraction equipment.
Luna specializes in hydrocarbon extraction. Its IO Extractor is a patented, automated system that can process up to 25 pounds of plant feedstock per hour to produce high-quality, craft extracts.
While many companies try to make the extraction process safer through automation, many solutions just add capabilities to the system without isolating workers from the risks. Naito wanted to give extractors the tools they need to produce safe and consistent products while taking employees out of the extraction lab.
Naito founded Luna Technologies in 2016 with grade school friend Kyler Buck, who had built a separate extraction business.
Naito was working in the research and development group at Boeing in St. Louis, with a nearly half-billion-dollar budget, when he was first approached by Buck to talk cannabis extraction.…
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Jan 19, 2021
Building a Twinkie Machine for the Cannabis Industry
In this exclusive interview, Cullen Raichart, CEO and founder of GreenBroz, discusses how he designs and manufactures equipment to help usher cannabis companies into a larger automated landscape.
Raichart started in the industry as a grower, but he quickly realized that he had “brown thumbs.” However, he was a design engineer by trade and found new opportunities to make machinery for friends and fellow growers. He built the first Alchemist Trimmer in his garage, and it was the birth of an “industry-born” company that designs and develops automation equipment specifically for cannabis operations.
Many cultivators brought in equipment from other industries and tried to shoehorn it into their operations, but it often led to damaged products. The crossover with the agricultural industry is undeniable, but companies have been lazy about using equipment that doesn't work with cannabis. Raichart is often called in to replace ill-fitting equipment. He says it leads many cannabis comp…
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Jan 19, 2021
Many Jumped into the Cannabis Industry, but Few Are Making Money
This week, Shawn Honaker, the owner of Yeti Farms, discusses life on his organic outdoor cultivation facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Honaker’s farm was the first large-scale outdoor cultivation facility licensed by the state.
Honaker has an eclectic background, with stints as a financial planner and salesman, before he started his own oil and gas business, sold it, and retired as a 30-year-old millionaire.
Honaker overcame alcohol addiction and homelessness — and used life lessons from growing up dirt poor — to fine-tune his business acumen.
He started as an indoor grower, but wanted to move his operations outdoors. In 2014, he started Yeti Farms on his own dime. It began as a 55-acre tract with 500 plants. When recreational cannabis was legalized, he increased his operations to 3,000 plants for medical use and 1,800 plants in his recreational garden. Next year, he plans to double the number of recreational plants and increase his medical business to 4,500 plants.
Although many…
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