Elevate Your Grind

Dan Berman, Chairman and CEO of three sister companies, CannabisBPO, PharmaCentra and Concentra Solutions, has created, consulted and managed successful customer and patient customer relationship management programs for Fortune 100 companies for over 25 years.

Dan helped revolutionize the patient compliance industry with the creation of WellTouch™, an innovative contact management program that transformed the way patients communicate with physicians and pharmaceutical manufacturers for better health outcomes. His contributions have earned him a reputation as a recognized leader in the industry. Dan also designed the first contact center quality assurance and compliance tool that used the internet as a central repository for interaction data, his vision became the model for the industry still to this day. As an expert in customer experience, customer journey and brand protection, he harnessed the key aspects of his other companies and founded CannabisBPO which is a 24/7/365 contact center providing sales, customer service, education and help desk for the cannabis sector.

Michael brings vast investor relations, marketing, finance, market intelligence, and treasury experience to his role as EVP of Investor Relations & Treasury at Jushi. Before joining Jushi, Michael served as head of Investor Relations and Treasurer at KLX Energy Services. Michael earned his BS in Finance from the University of Florida. Michael also earned his Master’s in International Business from the University of Florida.

Paul Rosen is a noted career entrepreneur, management consultant and public speaker. Over the last 8 years Paul has become one of the most active entrepreneurs, advisors and investors in the emerging global cannabis industry. Paul Rosen was a co-founder of PharmaCan Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: CRON; TSX: CRON) and served as its first President and CEO. Paul has held board positions with a number of publicly-traded cannabis companies and currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Global Go, a consultancy focused on the global regulated cannabis industry.

Paul has enjoyed a distinguished speaking and media career. He has appeared on/in Bloomberg, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business, BBC Business, Nasdaq TV, Yahoo Finance, The Economist, The Street, Barrons, National Public Radio and Cheddar TV. Paul is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and received a B.A. in Economics from Western University in 1985 and an LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1988.

Music aficionado, David Sinopoli, has spent his career organizing some of Miami’s most iconic events. From 2010 up to its closing in 2017, Sinopoli made waves in the Magic City through his stellar, unprecedented programming of Miami’s very own nightclub and lounge, Bardot. Sinopoli’s shows at Bardot consistently featured a variety of bookings, which proved pivotal to the scene, marking Miami as a destination for international touring artists that had not yet performed in town. During this period, through Bardot and other affiliated venues, Sinopoli brought acts like Florence Welch, Nicolas Jaar, Bjork, Wu-Tang Clan, Jamie xx and more into Miami for their first ever performances in the market.  

After gaining notoriety, Sinopoli took on his biggest project yet. In 2013, Sinopoli founded Miami’s own III Points Music Festival alongside co-founder, Erica Freshman. Since the festival’s debut, Sinopoli has brought world-renowned artists to Miami to headline the festival – with many also making their stage debut in the city – including James Blake, The xx, Lykke Li, Tyler the Creator, Erykah Badu and, most notably, the Gorillaz first ever and only Florida performance to date. 

In 2016, Sinopoli partnered with Davide Danese and Coloma Kaboomsky to form a new company to take control of the iconic dance institution, Club Space. The new partnership, Space Invaders, worked tirelessly to redesign the club over three years, revamping its layout, vibe, décor and bringing a new energy to the dancefloor with major bookings. Sinpoli and his partners further enhanced Club Space’s offerings by curating the upstairs Terrace as well as creating new venues within the venue, including a left-field electronic disco room, Floyd, and a 700-person live music venue, The Ground. In 2019, Space Invaders partnered with Live Nation/Insomniac Events to further grow the iconic brand and to drive and sustain the club’s presence in downtown Miami for another decade of music and beyond.

Chanda Macias, MBA, Ph.D., is the Owner and General Manager of the National Holistic Healing Center Medical Marijuana Dispensary (NHHC) in Washington D.C. NHHC is a patient advocated company dedicated to providing individuals with debilitating medical conditions, and specific illnesses with alternative allopathic medicine. NHHC provides patient education and support, medical marijuana, and medical marijuana-infused products to qualifying patients or designated caregivers in compliance with the DC Department of Health. Dr. Macias earned her Ph.D. from Howard University in 2001 with a concentration in Cell Biology. She was extensively trained at the Howard University Cancer Center studying, breast cancer and evolved her studies to focus developing a model to understand how prostate cancer metastasizes to bone (Macias et al., 2002). She was recruited directly from graduate school to a Fortune 500 Company, Colgate Palmolive Company, to research oral diseases and possible treatment options. Contributing to the launch of several billion-dollar brands including Total® toothpaste and Simply White®, Dr. Macias innovation resulted in three (3) U.S. Patents, and eleven (11) Global Patients (World Intellectual Property Organization). Due to her love of the District of Columbia and metropolitan area, Dr. Macias returned and engaged her passion to innovate through evaluating patients at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Assigned to the Cancer Immunology Art Unit, Dr. Macias examined innovations from a myriad of inventors including Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies and pro se inventors from academic institutions. Dr. Macias derived from an interesting skill set, the ability to innovate in conjunction with the ability to critique innovations.

In acknowledgment of Dr. Macias accomplishments, Dr. Winston Anderson of Howard University, the recipient of President’s Obama Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (2011), employed her to serve as a Program Site Manager in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The National Institutes of Health, Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program sponsored the research activities that investigated infectious diseases including Malaria and Schistosomiasis. Dr. Macias trained six (6) cohorts of advanced undergraduates, master, and doctoral students, and medical students, which resulted in five (5) health-related publications, and five (5) journal articles in the review.

During Dr. Macias’ tenure in Ethiopia, she encountered unbelievable realities with the healthcare challenges for the country. The population did not have access to generic antibiotics, which could have saved numerous lives. Instead, she witnessed as the communities perish because of healthcare disparities. It became Dr. Macias mission to be a transformer of change, through further education and experience.

Dr. Macias was accepted into the third (3rd) top program for Supply Chain Management MBA program in the U.S. and matriculated at Rutgers University. At Rutgers University, Dr. Macias was trained extensively on supply chain management, which is defined by APICS as, “the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption. It is the design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply chain activities with the objective of creating net value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand and measuring performance globally.”

Dr. Macias has the scientific insight to assist with dosages, and medical marijuana strain alignment according to specific ailments. Dr. Macias genuinely wants to assist patients with their healthcare needs, and she is qualified and has the passion to do so.

Shayda Torabi has been called one of the most influential Women in WordPress and now she’s one of the women leading the cannabis reformation conversation building one of Texas’ premier CBD brands. She's currently the CEO and Co-Founder of RESTART CBD, an education first CBD wellness brand. And has formerly held marketing positions at WP Engine and WebDevStudios. Additionally, she runs an Austin based travel and lifestyle account called @withshayda, which has afforded her opportunities to work with brands ranging from Texas Monthly and SoulCycle to The Westin. When she's not busy looking for the best vegan ice cream on the road, you can find her in her hometown of Austin, Texas pursuing her passions for fitness, wellness, and self care.

Vanessa is the founder of multiple startups and recently exited her first cannabis venture - Greenlight Technologies Inc., the first mobile order-ahead cannabis app for dispensary purchases within 9 months of launching. She is now the Co-founder and CEO of Drop Delivery, an all-in-one compliant SaaS platform specifically designed for cannabis retailers to offer delivery services. The Drop Delivery platform offers advanced technology that empowers business owners to manage inventory, dispatch and driver logistics, marketing tools, digital loyalty programs, and provides them with their own white-labeled, e-commerce mobile app. 

Kebra Smith-Bolden is a true trailblazer, a respected healthcare professional with the vision, purpose and drive to transform the nascent cannabis industry. Trained as a registered nurse, Kebra leveraged her medical knowledge and decades of professional experience to create CannaHealthTM, the first and only Connecticut cannabis business owned by an African-American. CannaHealthTM is a division of The Healing Choice LLC and HK Smith Enterprises, LLC.  Its innovative community based business model offers disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs education about medicinal cannabis, as well as safe and legal access through medical marijuana program evaluations. An industry pioneer dubbed the “Marijuana Guru in CT”, Smith-Bolden is the driving force behind CannaHealth,TM which recently expanded offices in Hartford, Connecticut and plans a national expansion in 2019..

In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Smith-Bolden is a prominent industry advocate, serving as Connecticut Market Leader for Women Grow, a networking organization that empowers women to become leaders and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. She is the Director of the New England Region of Minorities for Medical Marijuana. She also uses her considerable platform and background in mental health to support disadvantaged communities by studying the use of cannabis in conjunction with therapy for those suffering from complex traumas. The presenting symptoms of people living in high-crime communities are similar to those seen in post combat war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Other professional memberships include The Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, Connecticut NORML and Minority Cannabis Business Association. Smith-Bolden is also the Co-Chief Nursing Officer of the Steering Committee for Huerfano County, Colorado’s Faris Green Campus project to fight opioid addiction with cannabis.

Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Smith-Bolden worked as a psychiatric home care nurse, specializing in patients with mental health issues. She attended Morgan State University and Excelsior College and received a certificate of competency in the cannabis industry from Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, and is currently pursuing her Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Simmons College.  A lifelong Connecticut resident, Smith Bolden is a proud mother and grandmother. She currently resides in New Haven, Connecticut with her family.

David is President at Tress Capital, an established investment management firm in the cannabis sector, founded in 2013. Tress originates, guides, and manages investment for HNW, SFO, and institutional clients in both fund and bespoke SMA vehicles. Tress works closely with its companies and sector as an active value-add investor. Its portfolio includes industry leaders such as SC Labs, Headset, Baker Technologies, Cannabis Now, Infusion Biosciences, Grownetics and North Bud Farms. A two time cancer survivor, David was introduced to the vast benefits of medical cannabis while undergoing cancer treatments in 2001 and again in 2003. David has since dedicated himself to furthering research, awareness, and business opportunities in the expanding cannabis industry.

Steve DeAngelo is a pioneering cannabis entrepreneur, activist, author, and on-screen personality. He co-founded several iconic cannabis businesses and organizations: Harborside, one of the first six dispensaries licensed in the US; Steep Hill Laboratory, the first dedicated cannabis lab; the Arc View Group, the first cannabis investment firm; and the National Cannabis Industry Association, the industry’s first trade association. He currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Harborside Inc, a vertically integrated California cannabis company.

Steve’s creative projects include a book, The Cannabis Manifesto; a Discovery Channel mini-series, Weed Wars; and a new weekly show, Ask Steve DeAngelo, on greenflowermedia.com. He was a lead organizer and fundraiser for I-59, Washington DC’s medical cannabis initiative; and is most famous for his successful litigation against the Department of Justice, which halted DOJ’s last-ditch 2011 campaign to shut down California’s medical cannabis dispensaries.

In recognition of these pioneering accomplishments, in 2015, former Speaker of the California Assembly and Mayor of San Francisco, the Hon. Willie L Brown called Steve the “Father of the legal Cannabis Industry.”