Profiles By Cannabiz Social

This week we speak to Cyo Ray Nystrom, Co-Founder and CEO of Quim Rock. Before joining the cannabis sector in 2015, Cyo worked in tech sales and decided to bring her knowledge and expertise into the cannabis industry after California Governor, Jerry Brown, changed the cannabis legislation. When she started, she worked as the Head of Sales for Meadow Care and eventually founded Quim Rock with Rachel Washtien. The idea behind the business emerged when Cyo realized the need for a proactive vaginal health supplement. She then began to do further research into personal health and the benefits that cannabis can have on the human body. This led to Quim Rock which provides personal care products for vaginas that uses the natural elements of cannabis.

This week we speak to Jake Levin and Andrew Duffy, founders of Best in Grow. Jake and Andrew met at Harvard University and became interested in the cannabis industry when they realized the importance that psychology and behavioural economics had within the cannabis sphere. They noticed several problems within the industry and wanted to solve them by having every cannabis operation on the same page. This led to the creation of Best in Grow, a web and mobile platform that helps retail and dispensary operators to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness in the cannabis environment. Their company provides scheduling, task management, product information, feedback surveys, sales strategies, and more. Their organization’s goal is to help cannabis businesses do the best work that they can through the use of their software.

This week we speak to Brittany Carbone, Founder and CEO of TONIC, which is a US based company that creates handcrafted CBD + botanical blends to help calm your mind, heal your body and #FixYourVibe. Brittany worked in the health and wellness sector as a personal trainer and health coach for six years. During this time, she was an avid cannabis user, both medicinally and recreationally. Brittany’s anxiety and depression were reduced when using cannabis, but she needed to find a consumption method that would allow her to focus on her personal training clients. Brittany learned about the benefits of CBD and realized that it worked well and provided the essential benefits that she needed. This created the vision for TONIC. She took her knowledge of supplements and wellness and combined CBD with purposeful, plant-based ingredients to create elevated wellness products. She began by sharing her knowledge and her homemade samples with her clients to enhance their workouts and lifestyles. Today, TONIC provides CBD ble

This week we speak with Tom Doran, Founder and CEO of Pattern Micro. Tom was introduced into the industry when his family created a local smoke shop brand. This experience has provided Tom with a strong background in the legal cannabis retail experience. Tom then founded Pattern Micro which assists independent growers’ transition into the legal cannabis ecosystem. Pattern’s experienced staff provide consulting from A to Z which includes government, facility, equipment, branding, and business logistics. Through this work, Pattern has the vision to create Canada’s largest legal independent collective of world-class micro cultivators.

This week we speak with Vincent Ning, Owner and CEO of Nabis. Vince’s work in the cannabis industry began after his success in the Silicon Valley. After his work in the tech industry, he began helping a friend distribute cannabis products across California making connections within the cannabis community. Vincent realized that he solved a need within the industry and created his cannabis distribution company. Today, Nabis is one of the largest cannabis distribution services within the state of California and has plans for expansion in the future.

This week we speak with Doug Sommerville, Chief Executive Officer at PlantEXT. Doug has spent the last 30 years in the medical and pharmaceutical industries allowing him to gain incredible industry experience. After retiring for one month, Doug quickly returned to work in the cannabis industry where he is focused on the development of cannabis medications that are targeted to specific diseases. This interest began when he had a personal experience with cannabis and the effects it had on a relative’s health. It became clear that cannabis treatment worked extremely well and made a huge difference in that individuals’ life when the traditional medication was ineffective. PlantEXT will help provide a better quality of life for patients across the globe by providing medical cannabis prescriptions.

This week we speak with Victoria Dekker. Victoria is the Communications Manager with Organigram, Atlantic Canada’s original licensed producer of high-quality medical cannabis. Victoria’s passion for cannabis started when her father was prescribed medical cannabis. Since then, she began researching and wanted to know everything about its medical potential. As she moved into the developing industry, she brought an extensive background in communications from her previous work as content creator, journalist, editor, researcher, and strategist.We apologize for a few choppy spots in the recording – While slightly annoying, they don’t take away from the awesome interview in any way which we hope you enjoy!

This week we speak with Mike, the creator of Green Grow Spaces. Mike has over 20 years of experience in cannabis cultivation and began his journey when he was 18 years old. Mike began growing cannabis in his basement where he developed the knowledge and expertise for cultivation by experimenting with different cannabis mediums. Mike then created a YouTube channel that allowed him to share his passion. In his videos, he discusses growing cannabis at home and the importance of genetics, lighting and ventilation. To this day, his channel has helped his viewers maximize their yields growth potential.

This week we speak with Matt Durrant, the General Manager at Medigrow Inc. Medigrow opened its doors in 2016 in Edmonton. The company provides multiple services to aid in the cannabis cultivation process in both residential and commercial operations. Medigrow facilitates cultivation knowledge to cannabis patients who are interested in growing their own cannabis as well as the average recreational user. Throughout the process, they will assist their customer through training and equipment to ensure that the client gets the best experience with at-home cultivation.

Alison McMahon is a human resource professional and consultant. In Fall of 2015, Alison became interested in the legalization of cannabis and the industry that came with it. That October, Alison founded Cannabis at Work which focused on training and advice on impairment in the workplace. Today, the organization is concentrated on recruitment services for cannabis companies. They help fill the jobs with experienced and well-rounded individuals.

Brad Soanes is a personal trainer and fitness coach that focuses on the sport of boxing and its health benefits. Brad spent over ten years as a professional boxer and travelled and competed with the Alberta National Team. His passion for the sport began when he woke up with sore abs and didn’t have to do a sit up. He began competing because he loved the adrenaline rush and the cheering of the crowd. After Brad was in a motorbike accident, he began to have chronic pain and realized the benefits of cannabis in his personal and athletic life. He believes cannabis increases his mental focus and wellbeing which created a beneficial change to his lifestyle.

Sheldon Bailey believes there are many paths to recovery from addiction. He also believes that harm reduction saves lives and recovery allows us to live. Sheldon’s has had a successful business career in the communications and recruitment fields, which became seriously challenged during Alberta’s latest economic downturn. As his business started to suffer, his addiction problems with cocaine began to grow. Sheldon has since overcome his addiction challenges and he now works as an addictions advocate. He believes that cannabis has potential as a gateway for people looking to reduce their dependency on harder drugs and he supports work being done that can help society better understand the potential of cannabis from this perspective.

Paul Dhillon decided to combine his extensive sales and customer relations background with his interest in cannabis to start Cultivated Solutions, which is an online training and education company that offers a balanced academic and highly customized approach to cannabis education. The company launched with a retail sales program and has expanded from there. Cultivated Solutions currently works with cannabis retail companies and licensed producers, providing them with product knowledge, sales and customer relations training.

This week Peter talks to Claire Buffone-Blair, Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations at Sundial Growers Inc. Claire has been with Sundial for much of their growth and offers some great insights into the process of legalization from a producer standpoint.

This week we talk to Bruce Campbell, President and Portfolio Manager with StoneCastle Investment Management Inc. about the launch of the StoneCastle Cannabis Growth Fund. Don’t know what that is? Listen and learn!

Trina Fraser is a partner with Brazeau Seller Law, specializing in Business Transfer and Acquisitions, Cannabis Law, Corporate and Commercial Low, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Technology Law. She sat down with us to talk about her journey in cannabis law as we approach legalization in October, 2018.

In this episode of Profiles by Cannabiz Social we welcome Jodi McDonald, President of Keystone labs a company she founded in 2005. Keystone Labs is a GMP pharmaceutical lab in Edmonton. As she eloquently describes in the podcast, Jodi has built a team of technical excellence and insatiable curiosity towards science that deliver consistent, high-quality testing results for her clients. Keystone is a Health Canada registered medical cannabis testing lab and is continuously expanding its services to meet the high stakes demands of the fast-paced marijuana industry. Their 3,000 ft lab expansion will have four new pieces of state of the art testing equipment that will position them at the forefront of required regulatory cannabis testing and product development.

Megan Henderson is the Executive Producer for TheGrowthOp.com, an exciting new Postmedia editorial brand. The site is focused on delivering the latest information about cannabis to a wide-ranging audience interested in the business, news, health and culture of cannabis. Megan is leading TheGrowthOp’s editorial strategy as well as contributing content. With over a decade of experience in marketing, advertising and custom content, Megan brings experience and a passion for the potential of cannabis to her role.

Barry Davidson, Strategic Engagement, David Hyde & Associates/Total Cannabis Security SolutionsBarry is an internationally recognized security and CPTED consultant with more than 30 years experience in the strategic management, risk analysis, mitigation and security advisory realm. He has worked within private enterprise, governments and not-for-profits globally and is called upon regularly to advise on both emerging issues and large scale projects.As one of the founders of the International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Association (ICA) and international trainer in the field, Barry brings a depth of knowledge to his work that ensures client value and success on each project. This experience combines with his government experience within decision making offices at all levels of government allows for a true 360-degree view of risks, threats and solutions.Barry was previously the Director of Strategic Operations for the Canadian Crime Prevention Centre and was awarded the Lifetime Achieveme

Cameron Siu is the CEO of the Nelson Cannabis Science Group. He attended Simon Fraser University, graduating with a double major in Political Science and Economics. He then spent over 20 years building residential homes in the Vancouver area. He became involved in alternative medicine when his father was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2004. Mike Hillhouse is CFO of the Nelson Cannabis Science Group. He has over 35 years of accounting, finance and system development in resource exploration/development, technology and, currently, in community based health care. Earlier in his career his focus was as a hands on accounting professional with a CGA. Today his focus has shifted to building organizations on a cultural foundation that values contribution to quality of life for individuals, and positive community impact.