Canna Connect Show

What does it actually take to bank a cannabis business in Minnesota? In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann talks with Brandon Padget, Chief Deposit Officer at Union Bank & Trust, about the realities of cannabis banking and the infrastructure needed to support a growing legal market. Brandon shares the story behind Union Bank & Trust’s approach to cannabis, why their...

The cannabis industry in Minnesota is evolving quickly, and behind every cultivation facility is a major conversation about energy, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann is joined by Tony Beman of the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) to explore how cannabis businesses can reduce costs through lighting rebates, energy-effic...

Minnesota cannabis is no longer just an idea. It’s becoming a real industry in real time. In this special episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Don Raleigh III of Evolve Payment to talk about the evolution of cannabis in Minnesota ahead of the Evolving the Industry event happening May 14th at The Minneapolis Club. Together, they discuss:  the rapid growth of Minnesota...

Elizabeth Sage’s cannabis story starts long before the Ganjier Guild. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Elizabeth live from Lucky Leaf to talk about cannabis beverages, hemp regulation, product quality, education, and how the industry is evolving. We discuss:  THC drinks and mainstream adoption   Why cannabis quality goes beyond THC percentage   Hemp vs marijuana regulati...

Cannabis in Minnesota isn’t just about business. It’s about people, culture, and creating something that reflects the community it serves. In this episode, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with the team behind NativeCare to talk about what it means to build with intention in a new market. Terrell Charnoski and Shyanne McDaniel share their perspective on launching in Minnesota, the imp...

Before products hit shelves, before brands grow, before consumers ever walk into a store, there’s a system behind it all. This episode pulls back the curtain. Recorded at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with Chad Stout and Brock Friesen to talk about Tokahe Distribution and the broader ecosystem being built through Prairie Island’s cannabis operations. From cultivation to manufacturing to distributio...

Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you never planned for. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Teresa Sorensen, founder of Unwind, to talk about how a 33-year career in banking unexpectedly led her into Minnesota’s cannabis industry. What started with THC beverages selling quickly inside her liquor store turned into something much bigger. As regulations changed an...

Some people find cannabis. Others build their life around it. Bridgette Pinder has done both. In this episode, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with the founder of Grounded Gardens to talk about what it really takes to grow something from nothing in Minnesota’s cannabis space. From purchasing her great grandparents’ land in Hutchinson to building a vertically integrated hemp operation...

Ryan Ogorek didn’t plan on building a career in cannabis, but once he found it, everything clicked. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, Ryan shares his journey from traditional sales into the cannabis industry and how that shift gave him a sense of purpose and direction. Now with Sweed, he’s working directly with dispensary operators across the country, hel...

Cannabis markets move fast. One year ago, Minnesota was still asking basic questions about supply, access, and who would enter the space. Today, the conversation is evolving into something more complex. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, Gus Sevastos from Dutchie shares a grounded perspective on what happens after a market launches and begins to mature. Gu...

Most cannabis businesses don’t fail because of product. They fail because of what’s underneath it. The systems.  The people.  The infrastructure. Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Shawn Wirth from Paragon Payroll to talk about the side of cannabis that doesn’t always get attention, but affects everything. From payroll disruption to employee experience, this conversation is real...

There’s a moment where every cannabis business has to get serious. Not about branding.  Not about product. About the numbers. Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Mark Waller and Betsy Mooreham of SAX Advisory Group to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable cannabis business from a financial perspective. This conversation starts with their transition from Moore &am...

Most people don’t think about insurance until something goes wrong. At Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, that conversation came to the forefront in a way that felt real, grounded, and necessary. Cory Lake of World Insurance and Jim McErlean of Cannasure joined us to talk about what it actually takes to protect a cannabis business in today’s environment. Not just policies on paper, but real-world risk, re...

Most dispensary websites look good.  But they don’t actually work. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Dan Mondello and Alex Abrams of Rank Really High to unpack one of the biggest missed opportunities in cannabis right now: your website. From invisible menus to broken data tracking, they explain why most operators are investing time and money into systems that Google can’t...

There’s something about operators from places like Buffalo and Minneapolis.  They understand what it takes to build through pressure. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Nate Geary of Range Marketing at Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis to talk about what it really looks like to grow a cannabis business in emerging markets. Nate breaks down the realities behind dispensary marketing...

There’s a moment in every new market where things start to click. You can feel it in the conversations.  You can see it in the rooms.  And you definitely feel it at events like Lucky Leaf. Live from the Minneapolis Convention Center, we sat down with Mackenzie Ziegler from Surfside to talk about what’s actually happening behind the scenes as Minnesota steps into adult-use cannabis. This isn’t just...

At Lucky Leaf Expo in Minneapolis, we sat down with Oliver Gutierrez-Garcia , Client Relationship Manager, and Paul Ranisate , AVP and Treasury Management Officer at Union Bank & Trust. Between the two of them, there’s a deep understanding of what cannabis operators actually deal with day to day. Compliance. Risk. Moving money safely. And figuring it all out while the industry is still taking...

We sat down with Scott Miller, CEO of United Prairie Bank, for a conversation that gets into the realities of cannabis banking in Minnesota. This was our first time working directly together, and it was clear right away that the focus is on doing things the right way. Supporting operators, understanding the risks, and building systems that actually hold up. One theme came up throughout the convers...

We sat down with Tony Beeman and Brad Obermueller from the Center for Energy & Environment at Lucky Leaf to talk about one of the most overlooked parts of building a cannabis business in Minnesota. Energy. From LED rebates to real estate challenges, this conversation breaks down how early decisions around power, lighting, and facility setup can impact cost, timelines, and long-term success. We...

We sat down with Ed Wells from Cannatrol at Lucky Leaf for a conversation that started with life and quickly moved into one of the most overlooked parts of cannabis production. Drying and curing. Ed breaks down how small inefficiencies after harvest can lead to meaningful losses for operators, especially in emerging markets like Minnesota where pricing is still strong. We also talk about consisten...

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Benjamin Mike and Dan Gilbert of Local 49 at Lucky Leaf Expo 2026 in Minneapolis. With nearly 100 years of history, Local 49 is stepping into the Minnesota cannabis industry with a focus on partnership, worker protection, and simplifying benefits for business owners. We cover pensions vs 401k plans, Labor Peace Agreements, microbusiness s...

Minnesota cannabis is still being shaped in real time and few people are closer to that process than Carol Moss. In this episode of the Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Carol from Hellmuth & Johnson to talk about what it really means to practice law in a brand new industry. From interpreting unclear statutes to helping clients navigate risk without a clear roadmap, Carol sh...

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show I sit down with Chris Hanna, Director of Sales Engineering at Comcast Business. During the interview we discuss his background as a North Saint Paul native, with hobbies that include cars, in-line skating, and gardening.  Chris has worked at Comcast Business for over 13 years and he currently serves as a Sales Engineer, helping connect the customer with th...

Jason Tarasek is a knowledgeable cannabis partner at Vicente LLP. He has been working in the Minnesota hemp and cannabis industry since 2018. In 2019 he served as Minnesota’s Political Director for Marijuana Policy Project, where he helped orchestrate the state’s first-ever legislative hearing on cannabis legalization.  As a cannabis policy advocate, Jason has spent many hours at the Minnesota Sta...

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Cory Lake, CEO of Lake Group Insurance, to break down the real challenges facing Minnesota’s cannabis and hemp businesses, from rising insurance premiums and compliance pressure to market volatility and the federal hemp ban. Cory shares insight on the future of the Minnesota cannabis industry, what dispensaries and hemp operators need to...