Canna Connect Show

Recorded live at Canna Connect’s Cannabis & Community gathering in Duluth, Episode 57 brings together Caleb Dunlap of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Tim Gordon of Gordon Cannabis Group, and Spencer Ploessl of Canna Connect for a Minnesota Market Update grounded in community, sovereignty, and the future of cannabis in the state. Caleb opens by welcoming the room to Fond du Lac...

Brian Bartley came into Minnesota cannabis with plans to build Green Lane Express as a vertically integrated microbusiness in Brooklyn Park. Then financing became the problem. Brian joins Stephen Eigenmann to share his experience pursuing a loan intended to support Minnesota cannabis microbusinesses. He walks through the timeline, the months he says he spent providing documentation and waiting for...

Minnesota's cannabis market is moving from licensing into something bigger: building businesses, creating jobs, investing in communities, and figuring out what support operators actually need. Jess Jackson, Director of Community and Economic Development at the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, joins Stephen Eigenmann on The Canna Connect Show to unpack what that work looks like from in...

What does it actually take to build a cannabis brand once the product leaves the warehouse? For this episode of The Canna Connect Show , we're reaching back to a conversation recorded in November 2025 with Tara Falk, founder of Aim and Fire . Tara has built her career around experiential and trade marketing, working across industries including tech, beauty, consumer products, beverages, and c...

Open your window and come on in to the Canna Connect Show for a Cannabis & Community update!  We are hosting a cultivation celebration, brand showcase, and market update on October 15th at Clyde Iron Works.  Thank you to our sponsors: ANANG Native Cannabis Company Cannasure Comcast Business Green Goods Moxie Creative  NECANN NorthStar Cultivation Supply  Park State Bank  SAX, LLP  What Rebates...

Some conversations are worth coming back to. For Season 2, Episode 15 of The Canna Connect Show , we're reaching into the vault for a conversation originally recorded in October 2025 with Brad Obermueller of the Center for Energy and Environment . A lot has changed in Minnesota cannabis since we recorded it. But listening back, we were struck by how much of this conversation still matters. Br...

Cannabis businesses face marketing challenges that most industries don't. Accounts get restricted. Content can disappear. Advertising options are limited. And now AI is changing how people discover businesses and information online. So what do you do? Kyle Sattler, co-founder of So Good, joins Stephen Eigenmann on The Canna Connect Show at CannaCon Midwest to talk about building visibility in...

Minnesota cannabis is being built one relationship at a time. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Shawn Worth of Paragon Payroll for a conversation about cannabis, business, relationships, and finding your place inside an industry that's still taking shape. Paragon Payroll specializes in payroll, HR, compliance, and workforce solutions for cannabis bus...

Packaging is more than a container. It influences perceived value, protects product quality and can determine whether a cannabis brand is prepared when harvest or production arrives. Davis Tiburzi, Founder and CEO of CannaZip Packaging, joins Stephen Eigenmann to explain when operators should begin planning their packaging, why CannaZip emphasizes U.S.-made products and short lead times, and how e...

There isn't one blueprint for building a cannabis business. Regulations change from state to state. So do security requirements, technology needs, infrastructure costs and the challenges operators encounter once they actually open. Munir Haque has watched those differences play out across cannabis markets around the country. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Munir joins Stephen Eige...

What should you know before starting a cannabis business in Minnesota? Recorded live at CannaCon Midwest 2026 in Saint Paul , this episode of The Canna Connect Show brings together four people with firsthand experience building, operating, and supporting cannabis businesses: Jonathan Hunt, Leech Lake Cannabis Company Jacob Affeldt, Frostbite Dispensary Brytany Melville, Forte Ops Munir Haque, Cure...

Some Canna Connect relationships go well beyond networking. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Stephen Eigenmann sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Cory Lake of World Insurance for an honest conversation about what they're seeing as Minnesota's cannabis industry moves from planning into operation. Stephen describes their relationship as somewhere between a brother a...

Energy can be one of the largest operating costs in commercial cannabis cultivation, but Minnesota operators may have access to utility incentives that can significantly change the economics of a project. Recorded live at CannaCon Midwest 2026 in Saint Paul , Alexis Dubourdieu of What Rebates and Tony Beman of the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) present the 2026 State of Utility Rebates in...

Before Minnesota legalized cannabis, Travis Cullen spent eight years in federal prison for cannabis offenses after being sentenced to 11 years at just 21 years old. Today, Travis is a licensed cannabis operator, owner of Hopkins Dispensary, and one of Minnesota's strongest voices for social equity and cannabis justice. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Stephen Eigenmann sits down wi...

What separates a good cultivation facility from a great one? According to Benjamin "Bench Plug Benny" Matsuda, it starts long before the first plant goes into the room. Recorded live at CannaCon, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Benjamin Matsuda of Grow Pros Solutions for one of the most in-depth cultivation conversations we've had on The Canna Connect Show. As a second-generation g...

Minnesota's cannabis industry continues to evolve, but many consumers still have questions about how the market works and where it's headed. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Stephen Eigenmann is joined by comedian Aidan McCluskey for an approachable conversation about cannabis, comedy, and Minnesota's adult-use market. Together they discuss: • Why cannabis costs more in M...

Where is Canna Connect headed next? In this special State of the Show episode, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Creative Director Spencer Ploessl to reflect on the growth of Canna Connect and share what's ahead for the organization. Recorded just before Canna Connect Brainerd , the conversation explores how the team is rethinking traditional cannabis networking through Community Pods , expand...

Before a cultivator buys lights, orders HVAC equipment, or signs a lease, there are a few important questions worth asking. Does the building have enough incoming power? Does the equipment qualify for a rebate? Is utility preapproval required? Could the project be built in phases so rebate funds from the first room help support the next? Recorded live at CannaCon Midwest 2026 in Saint Paul , this...

Minnesota's cannabis retail market is evolving quickly, and few people have had a front-row seat like Jacob Affeldt. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Stephen Eigenmann sits down with the Vice-President and Co-Owner of Frostbite Dispensary to discuss what it actually takes to build a successful cannabis retail business in Minnesota. Jacob shares how Frostbite prepared months ahead f...

What does it take to build a cannabis brand that stands out? Season 2 of The Canna Connect Show kicks off live from CannaCon St. Paul with the return of Tara Falk , Founder of Aim & Fire . In her second appearance on the show, Tara joins Stephen Eigenmann to discuss the evolving cannabis marketplace, experiential marketing, retail activations, and why Minnesota continues to emerge as one of th...

As Minnesota's cannabis industry moves from licensing into active cultivation, operators are discovering that power, energy efficiency, and facility planning can make or break a project. In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Steven Eigenmann sits down with Brad Obermueller of CEE (Center for Energy and Environment) to discuss how Minnesota cannabis cultivators are navigating facility bui...

What role should organized labor play in Minnesota's emerging cannabis industry? In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Patrick Doran and Benjamin Mike of Local 49 to discuss workforce development, employee protections, apprenticeship programs, labor peace agreements, and the future of cannabis employment in Minnesota. As the state's cannabis market c...

What has changed in Minnesota cannabis over the past year? In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann reconnects with longtime friend, former co-host, and Minnesota cannabis historian Tanner Berris for their first recorded conversation together in nearly a year. The discussion explores how Minnesota's cannabis industry has evolved since legalization, including hemp beverages...

As Minnesota’s cannabis industry moves closer to a fully operational adult-use market, operators are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape of legislation, licensing, compliance, and competition.  In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Jen Reise, Founder of North Star Cannabis Consulting, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing cannabis businesses a...

What role does packaging play in the future of cannabis? In this episode of The Canna Connect Show , Steven Eigenmann sits down with Mark Carlson of The John Roberts Company to talk about the intersection of packaging, branding, entrepreneurship, and Minnesota cannabis culture. After decades working in printing and packaging across markets like Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington, Mark wi...