Thinking Outside The Bud

Andy Montgomery is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HDCS, Inc. HDCS provides comprehensive compliance solutions and subject matter expertise to financial institutions that engage with higher risk industries including cannabis related businesses. Prior to founding HDCS, Andy spent more than 20 years as a senior executive in the banking industry. He is a former founder and CEO of community...

Inspired by a lack of stylish, safe cannabis storage systems and a distain for storing medicine in a shoebox, Apothecarry Brands CEO Whitney Beatty is a successful entertainment industry executive turned cannabis storage designer that’s spearheading her quickly growing start-up. After meeting so many like minded cannabis users, who lamented about a lack of good storage system, worried about securi...

Dean Harris is the former CMO/Head of Marketing at HotJobs, Vonage and Kayak (all IPO) as well as BlueCava and Forensiq (both acquired). He was a BrandWeek Marketer of the Year and EFFIE Award winner. Dean founded and ran a full-service advertising agency in NYC with accounts that included: Coke, J&J, Citi, Nestle, NatWest Bank, M&M Mars and Sotheby’s. He holds a BA from Carleton College,...

Matthew Haddad is a breeding and cultivation specialist in the cannabis & hemp industries. He currently serves as the CEO for both Trilogene Seeds and Smoking Icons. Trilogene is a producer of cannabinoid rich hemp seeds for extraction efficiency and smokable hemp, while Smoking Icons is a premier producer of living soil organic smokable hemp flower grown indoors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW...

David N. Feldman is a partner in the prominent boutique law firm of Hiller PC in New York. He is also a partner in the cannabis consulting firm Skip Intro Advisors LLC. His law practice focuses on corporate and securities matters and general representation of public and private companies, investment banks, private equity firms and high net worth individuals. He also actively advises on mergers and...

Thinking Outside the Bud is a business podcast devoted to driving innovation in the cannabis space. During each episode, we speak with founders, investors, thought leaders, researchers, advocates, and policy makers who are finding new and exciting ways for cannabis to positively impact business, society, and culture. Have each episode delivered to your inbox by subscribing here: http://www.thinkin...

Keegan Peterson is Founder and CEO of Würk, the leading human capital management company for the cannabis industry. Keegan founded Wurk in 2015 after recognizing that cannabis businesses didn’t have access to the same scalable HR technology solutions as mainstream companies. Cannabis companies were repeatedly being dropped by workforce management vendors and Keegan saw the opportunity to build an...

TJ, a former Procter & Gamble executive, envisioned the company after watching his mother struggle with various health ailments over the years, without experiencing much benefit from more traditional remedies. After much debate, TJ finally convinced his mom to try CBD, which helped her immensely. He then set out to identify and procure the leading materials available to create a clean, easy-to...

Charles is an accomplished entrepreneur and brings extensive experience working in highly-regulated sectors to his role as Chief Executive Officer at 48North. Most recently he served as President of Bastos of Canada Ltd., a manufacturer of tobacco products, that focuses on driving the corporation’s business plan and strategic vision. Charles holds an MA (Hons) in Business Studies and Economics fro...

Rob Mejia is an experienced brand and merchandise licensing agent, an Adjunct Professor at Stockton University in the Cannabis Studies Department, and the author of The Essential Cannabis Book: A Field Guide for the Curious and The Essential Cannabis Journal: Personal Notes from the Field. Rob has appeared on a number of podcasts and is a popular community presenter. Rob is also the founder of Our...

Akeem Gardner, Co-founder/CEO, is a catalyst for the hemp industry in Ontario. As CEO of Atlas 365 Inc. he has spent the last 2 and a half years working hard to propel Atlas 365 Inc to a leadership position in the hemp and social enterprise industries in Ontario. He has been able to recruit a credible team of leaders and farmers to push Atlas to the top of the industry and has spoken to hundreds a...

Brent leads the Scynce LED team focusing on marketing, brand building and achieving Scynce’s corporate vision. He joined the company in 2017 to compliment the strong engineering team that was already in place. Prior to that, starting in 2011, Brent was President of Noraxon, a biotechnology firm focused on improving human movement. During his seven year tenure with the company, he built a team and...

Carl Izzi is the Founder & Managing Director of ARSENL, a Miami-based agency focused on online marketing and ecommerce. ARSENL has helped cannabis brands including Mary’s Nutritionals, Mary’s Medicinals, Healthy Market, MD Natural Health and others build brand and ecommerce sites and run successful digital advertising campaigns across the U.S. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm....

Andy is the founder and president of Apeks Supercritical, a leading CO2 extraction system manufacturer, established in 2001 in Johnstown, OH. He is an engineer and skilled fabricator with experience in engineering and operations management. Andy and his team continually work to improve the processes and capabilities of Apeks Supercritical systems to increase processing efficiency for faster extrac...

Jeremy is a healthcare executive with a wide range of experience in the industry. He has a unique perspective due to his professional roles in health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and medical management. He is a long time cannabis advocate and the Founder and Managing Director of a healthcare consultancy outside of Boston, MA where he has worked with countless administrative staff, billing offices,...

Born and raised in Hamilton Heights, NYC, Vladimir Bautista is a formidable advocate and leader in the cannabis space. He is the co-founder and managing member of Happy Munkey LLC, an internationally-known NYC lifestyle company that is synonymous with cannabis culture. Vlad is widely recognized for his deep relationships with the international cannabis elite and his successful experience in music,...

Hybrid Health was founded in 2015 by Elliot Galdy after a successful 40+ year career in marketing and advertising. Elliot discovered the benefits of CBD and hemp for his own health and is passionate about bringing high quality, trustworthy products to his community and beyond. Hybrid Health is a company that sells hemp cannabidiol or, as it’s better known, hemp oil extract (CBD), as well as non-CB...

Although his exciting career has led him to be involved in the fast-paced worlds of international real estate development, high-level banking, and cutting edge tech-investing, it is the cannabis space where Michael Sassano has always shined the brightest. Michael is well known as one of the original movers and shakers in this sector, celebrated prominently in both mainstream business and cannabis...

Sarah struggled with acne from her early teens. From changing her diet, to trying countless of skincare brands, she discovered CBD oil through a holistic path she was taking in reclaiming her health. The more Sarah worked to live her most vibrant live, the more she realized that self-acceptance was at the heart of her health—inside and out. MĀSK was then founded to help support the journey to self...

Ed Keating is a co-founder of Cannabiz Media and oversees the company’s data research and government relations efforts. He has spent his career working with and advising information companies in the compliance space. Ed has managed product, marketing and sales while overseeing complex multijurisdictional product lines in the securities, corporate, UCC, safety, environmental, and human resource mar...

Benjamin J. Rosman graduated from Wayne State University Law School and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. He has a background in Michigan medical cannabis law. He has counseled and successfully defended clients in medical marijuana related matters in both State and Federal jurisdictions. Prior to co-founding PSI Labs, Ben began lobbying on behalf of PSI Labs and the greater medical marijua...

Greg has spent his career as an engineer in the building materials industry. He has worked in China, Europe, Australia, Africa, and North America developing new products and establishing the factories to convert plant fiber into wood composites to replace solid wood. He is an outdoor enthusiast and serial entrepreneur focusing on environmentally sustainable projects. HempWood has been his homecomi...

Cannabinoid, Terpene and Botanical Formulator Yahav Blaicher brings 15 years of experience in “Nutra” Industry, as well as extensive experience in Product Development, Formulation, Extraction Methods. He is a master R&D Specialist. Yahav is a highly trained professional with extensive experience in the natural products industry, specializing in cannabis and medicinal plants. His research &...

Cannabinoid, Terpene and Botanical Formulator Yahav Blaicher brings 15 years of experience in “Nutra” Industry, as well as extensive experience in Product Development, Formulation, Extraction Methods. He is a master R&D Specialist. Yahav is a highly trained professional with extensive experience in the natural products industry, specializing in cannabis and medicinal plants. His research &...

Kimley is the CEO and Founder of Drive Talent, a Chicago-based recruiting firm which focuses on national searches for clients within Cannabis and Private Equity, among others. She builds teams from director-level through the C-Suite, and while an internal veteran of legacy companies and leading services firms, she has excelled in diverse and disruptive industries. Her experience includes leading c...