The Green Rush

To celebrate Christmas Week,

For

Foria

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Mathew Gerson Bio – Founder & Co CEO at Foria

In 2014 the available options for women’s sexual health & enjoyment were few to none compared with the huge number of products available for men. With a focus on female pleasure, Foria developed a first of it’s kind sensual enhancement oil with cannabis inspired by the historical celebration of cannabis as an aide for intimacy. The reported benefits of Pleasure led to the invention of Relief, the first cannabis-infused suppository for menstrual cramps and discomfort, soon to be the focus of a first of it’s kind Harvard researcher lead observational study.  Foria now has a line of THC products in California and Colorado as well as a CBD powered line available globally online.

Prior to the creation of Foria, Mr. Gerson founded Sir Richard’s Condom Company, helping to address the unmet need for condoms globally with a “buy one-give one” business model in tandem with Partners in Health in Haiti and retail distribution in Whole Foods Market. Prior to becoming a socially-minded entrepreneur Mathew spent ten years studying Buddhist meditation in Asia, Canada and the U.S.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

To celebrate Christmas Week, we’ll be providing our listeners presents throughout the week by posting some of our favorite episodes from 2019.

For

In this episode, Anne and Lewis chatted with

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Lizzie Post, Author of Higher Etiquette

Lizzie Post, is the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, and author of Higher Etiquette, and co-author of Emily Post’s Etiquette 19th edition as well as Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette 6th edition, and The Etiquette Advantage in Business 3rd edition. She is a co-president of the Emily Post Institute as well as a co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast (now in its fifth year), a weekly Q&A show that explores the topic of etiquette through the lens of consideration, respect, and honesty. 

Lizzie does speaking engagements across the country sharing advice about lifestyle and wedding etiquette. She has worked as a spokesperson for brands including Bank of America, American Express Platinum, AirBnB, and Marshalls. She has held columns with Good Housekeeping, Women’s Running, and Houzz.com, The Farmhouse Movement, and Broccoli Magazine. Lizzie Post holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from The University of Vermont and currently lives in her native Vermont.

Links and mentions in the show

Links to the guest’s company and social media accounts

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Bill Thurman, CEO and Chairman of Redbird Bioscience, a licensed Oklahoma medical marijuana operator with an emphasis on large-scale cultivation and processing.

Oklahoma is the nation’s fastest growing medical marijuana markets with regulators approving more than 7,300 business licenses in the first year of the state’s medical cannabis program, including nearly 4,300 grower permits. According to tax receipts released by the Oklahoma Tax Commission, sales of medical marijuana in the state stood at just over $258 million through the first 10 months of 2019 and are on pace to eclipse $350 million by the end of the year.

Lewis and Nick chat with Bill about all things Oklahoma including what the true potential of the market is and how Redbird is working to help grow the infrastructure and community acceptance of medical marijuana in the state. In addition, the Green Rush team chats with Bill about the untapped cannabis market that is the South, Redbird’s plans for 2020 as it tries to grow out its brand identity and why compassion needs to be a greater emphasis for companies operating in the medical cannabis space.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Bill Thurman, CEO and Chairman of Redbird Bioscience 

Bill is a manager of Redbird Management and a member of the Board of Directors of Redbird Partners. Bill has extensive experience in the Long-Term Care Industry, with over fifteen years in management operations and development. Prior to the new opportunity with Redbird, Bill served as President and Chief Operating Officer for Heart to Heart Hospice, which grew under his leadership and direction from an entity valued at approximately $13 million in 2009, to an organization now serving over twenty locations in three different states, with a value exceeding $250 million. His experience ranges from operations and management as Vice President of Provident LifeCare and LifeCare Management, operating two 120 bed skilled nursing facilities, to serving as Director of Development for Frisco Health Partners. He also served as a development consultant to Victoria Gardens. Since 1995 he has been directly involved in the ground up development of eight new Long-Term Care facilities in Texas and has won Medicaid contracts as a project consultant for numerous development ventures. Bill’s experience includes Medicare/Medicaid contract application, site selection, acquisition and construction. Bill graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor’s degree in 1986.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Nick Opich of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Michael Schwamm, Partner in the Cannabis Practice at Duane Morris, LLP, one of the nation’s leading law firms serving the cannabis industry. Duane Morris attorneys represent businesses and individuals at every level of the cannabis supply chain.

Duane Morris clients include state-licensed adult-use marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp cultivators, processors, distributors and dispensaries, whether vertically integrated or operating as standalone businesses, as well as investors in those businesses.

Michael knows the nitty gritty about the industry like where the deals are, where the money is coming from and for listeners of this show who are closely following the M&A space, we promise this is a fascinating individual and an episode you will not want to miss.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

About Michael Schwamm, Partner at Duane Morris

Michael D. Schwamm represents public and private entities in all aspects of their business affairs. He practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities and technology law and provides general corporate counseling. Mr. Schwamm formerly was general counsel and chief operating officer of FiberCity Networks, Inc., a telecommunications service provider and uses his experience to provide his clients with proofed, business-centered advice.

Mr. Schwamm represents companies of all sizes, including startups and venture-backed companies, privately held family businesses and both large and small public companies in all aspects of their business affairs. He also provides services to venture capital and private equity funds, angel and other institutional investors. An increasing focus of his practice is assisting single family offices in structuring their direct business acquisitions; Mr. Schwamm co-leads the firm’s initiative in this area. 

Mr. Schwamm has worked on a wide variety of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, public offerings, private placements, joint ventures and licensing arrangements involving a number of industries, such as big data, business services, consumer/retail, technology including FinTech, entertainment, healthcare services, manufacturing, sports and telecommunication. He calls upon his partners across the country and around the world in other practice areas to ensure his clients receive seamless, efficient and effective service for all their legal needs.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Dr. Rick Strassman, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, is this week’s guest on The Green Rush!

After twenty years of intermission, Dr. Strassman was the first person in the United States to undertake human research with psychedelic, hallucinogenic, or entheogenic substances with his research in the 1990s. Thanks to the research by Dr. Strassman, organizations like the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) have moved the ball forward with the FDA to the point that MDMA – or ecstasy – has been granted Phase III breakthrough status for the treatment of PTSD and universities such as NYU, the Imperial College in London and Johns Hopkins are all conducting cutting edge research.

For this episode, Lewis dives deep with Dr. Strassman about the medical value of psychedelics, how he reflects on his research 20 years after the fact what he foresees as the future of psychedelic medicine. Anyone following the cannabis industry should be closely following the psychedelics space as the paths to legalization for both are nearly parallel. 

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

About Dr. Rick Strassman

Los Angeles native, Rick Strassman, holds degrees from Stanford University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He took his internship and general psychiatry residency at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento and he spent ten years as a tenured professor at the University of Mexico. Dr. Strassman also began the first new U.S.-Government-approved-and funded clinical research with psychedelic drugs in over twenty years. In addition, he has been a consultant to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Veteran’s Administration Hospitals, Social Security Administration, and other state and local agencies. Dr. Strassman currently practices psychiatry in Taos, New Mexico and is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the UNM School of Medicine.While living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States for five years, Dr. Strassman worked in community mental health centers for Washington State’s Whatcom and Jefferson Counties. He currently lives and practices psychiatry in Taos, New Mexico, and is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

The Green Rush is taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday so to provide a special treat to our loyal listeners we are resharing our episode with “Iron” Mike Tyson.

Mike was larger than life during his boxing career in the 90s until personal and professional failures rerouted the course of his life. Now, 10-15 years after his athletic career ended, Mike has pivoted to become an entertainer and entrepreneur, starring in blockbuster Hollywood films and launching his own cannabis company, Tyson Ranch. 

For this episode, we flew Lewis out to Los Angeles to meet with Mike and his business partner, Rob Hickman, to talk about Mike’s boxing career, the pair’s new cannabis venture and Mike’s experimentation with psychedelics. In their conversation, Mike opens up about what drew him to cannabis, his dreams of building a ‘cannabis resort’ and what it’s like to be a businessman forging his own path in the “Wild West” of cannabis. 

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

About Tyson Ranch

Tyson Ranch is a cannabis company founded by Mike Tyson. Consistency and quality are at the core of our company with the mission to make cannabis universally understood and accessible. Through select partnerships with esteemed growers, Tyson Ranch proudly supports the industries very best, bringing you ‘Better Cannabis’ in every single package. Our commitment to the plant and passion for exotic genetics ensure that we deliver clean, quality, premium cannabis with every purchase.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg of KCSA Strategic Communications.

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Josh Rothman, CEO and Founder of CRESTA Management Services, is this week’s guest on The Green Rush!

With more than 250,000 new cannabis jobs rumored to be filled, CRESTA Management is helping businesses within the space scale their operations to meet their complex needs on the operational, financial and regulatory compliance fronts. Recognizing that part of the difficulty of scaling up is finding quality talent, CRESTA positions itself as the go-to firm that companies large and small turn to when they need to find someone to fill these gaps.

Our hosts sat down with Josh at the Cannabis World Conference and Business Expo to discuss the trends in hiring that he’s seeing including which regions of the U.S. are see shortages and what kind of positions major MSOs are in most need of. If you’ve ever been interested in making the career switch to cannabis, this episode will provide you with the direction you need to make that leap. 

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Josh Rothman, Founder and CEO of CRESTA Management Service

Josh Rothman is the founder and CEO of CRESTA Management Services, an Executive Staffing and Human Resources firm with over 15 years of experience. Cresta Management Services is one of the largest boutique staffing agencies in the Western United States focused in the Public Accounting Arena and Real Estate Markets. When the tide of cannabis legalization began to sweep across North America, Josh saw the opportunity to support a fast-growing, yet under-served, market in need of experienced professionals. CRESTA responded by becoming one of the first established staffing agencies to pivot to the cannabis industry. From offices in California and New York, CRESTA now builds high-performing teams for cannabis companies across the US.

Before founding CRESTA, Josh served as Managing Partner and Director of Human Resource at HR Outsourcing and Recruiting companies. It was during this time that he shaped the “relationships-first” approach that defines the service philosophy of CRESTA. Josh and his team of 15+ recruiters take the time to get to know both clients and candidates on a personal level. By understanding personal goals and motivations, CRESTA makes lasting connections that serve the needs of both parties.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo in Los Angeles. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Dr. John Oram, the CEO and Founder of the vertically-integrated, California cannabis company NUG is this week’s guest on The Green Rush!

Since its founding in 2014, NUG has grown into one of the strongest brands in the nation’s largest cannabis market offering consumers its well-crafted edible and concentrate products as well as flower. In addition, the company recently opened its first retail shop in Sacramento in April 2019 and is on track to open two more retail locations in late 2019 and early 2020.

Our hosts sat down with John to discuss the NUG business model and better understand how the company has been able to achieve success in one of the world’s most crowded cannabis markets and what else it has in line for future success. In addition, we explore John’s chemistry background, the company’s current capital situation and John’s work with Oakland Cannabis Equity Program.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Bio: Dr. John Oram, CEO & Founder: 

John entered the cannabis business in the early 2000s (practically the stone age for cannabis) and in 2009, with a chemistry and engineering background (he holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in environmental chemistry and engineering from the University of California Los Angeles and bachelor’s degrees in analytical chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder), founded CW Analytical Laboratories—now recognized as the most trusted analytical laboratory in California for cannabis. He then set out on a mission to elevate the industry to a higher standard across all verticals – from cultivation to distribution – and in 2014 NUG was born from a home equity loan. Little did he know how quickly it would take off. And even in uncertain regulatory environments, NUG has remained profitable each year. In addition, John and his team at NUG play a major role in the Oakland Equity Program; NUG incubates businesses run by area residents who had been targeted by the war on drugs. They are also building new greenhouses for these companies, set to be complete by the end of this year.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Ken Alston, CEO of Hydroponics, Inc., a premier provider of global agricultural supplies, logistics, and procurement for large scale, commercial farms is this week’s guest on The Green Rush.   

At its core, Hydroponics makes life easier for cultivators by streamlining the cannabis supply chain. Working with cultivators to decrease supply, logistics, and procurement expenses through their best-in-class agricultural solutions, Ken and his team allow companies to better focus their time on increasing revenue and developing their brand.

Our hosts sat down with Ken at the Cannabis World Business Conference and Expo in Los Angeles to discuss the company’s business model, how companies can fill in the gaps within its supply chain and what the future of cannabis cultivation will look like as cheaper grow alternatives in Latin American become more commonplace.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Ken Alston, Chief Executive Officer

As the CEO of Hydroponics, Inc., Ken oversees the growth and success of the Company’s strategies and business operations. Since acquiring the Company in 2018, his management team has expanded Hydroponics, Inc.’s geographic footprint and customer base while providing best-in-class agricultural solutions and analytics for many well-known farms in the Western US and Canada. Previously, Ken was Executive Chairman of Eventide Risk Management, one of the most successful search funds since inception of the asset class, as well as the CEO of MedVision, recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in California. Ken also serves as a periodic lecturer on entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California. Ken holds an MA from Columbia University and a BA from Southern Methodist University. 

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true

Marion Mariathasan, CEO of Simplifya, a leading provider of regulatory compliance software for the cannabis industry is this week’s guest on The Green Rush.

Simplifya is every cannabis operator and compliance managers best friend due to its web-based, self-auditing system which distills complex state and local regulations into a series of simple yes-or-no questions to facilitate self-audits, identify areas of non-compliance, manage remediation efforts, and generate management and audit reports.

In addition to covering how Simplifya is able to decode complex regulations on a state-by-state basis, our hosts also cover the company’s recent hire of John Vardaman, the author of the Cole Memo as well as Marion’s incredibly unique entrepreneurial journey including his Sri Lankan royal background.

Don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy!

Marion Mariathasan, Co-Founder and CEO at Simplifya

Marion is a serial entrepreneur that has founded, invested in, or been an advisor to over a dozen start-ups. He is a regular guest speaker at events such as Denver Start-up Week, CU Denver’s program on social entrepreneurship, and the United Nations Global Accelerator Initiative. Marion studied Architecture and Computer Science at the University of Kansas and Computer Information Systems with a minor in Business Management at Emporia State University. He enjoys time with his family, cooking spicy Sri Lankan cuisine, traveling, and connecting with people.

Links to guest’s social media:

Links and Mentions:

Show Credits:

This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. 

Special thanks to our Executive Producer Nick Opich and Program Director Shea Gunther at Marijuana Today

You can learn more about how KCSA Cannabis can help your cannabiz by visiting www.kcsa-cannabis.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels:

Twitter: @The_GreenRush 

Instagram: @thegreenrush_podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegreenrushpodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRushPodcast/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEQkvdjpUnPyhF59wxseqw?disable_polymer=true