Cannabis Cultural Association Empowers Next Generation of Cannabis Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
The Cannabis Cultural Association (CCA) strives to involve underrepresented communities in the legal cannabis/hemp industry, by providing informational workshops, cultural programs, and community events with an emphasis on issues disproportionately affecting communities of color: access to medical cannabis, adult use legalization, and criminal justice reform. These issues are incredibly important to The Weed Blog, and we also love how the CCA is working to unite various marijuana organizations.
Check out the next event they have coming up! As a thank you to TWB and it’s readers, they are giving away 25 free tickets!! Just contact Leland Radovanovic at lradovanovic@wearecannabisculture.com. Tickets can also be bought online at CannabisCulturalAssociation.com. All day passes are $50, with the choice of one of four breakout sessions. Networking party only tickets are $25.
The CCA’s inaugural Entrepreneur Empowerment Workshop will be held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn at the beautiful Electropositive space on Saturday, April 29th from 1PM – 8PM. The workshop will provide cannabis small businesses, local merchants and entrepreneurs the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed. Speakers include Kayvan Khalatbari Founding Partner at Denver Relief Consulting, bi-coastal industry business leaders and experts in legal, finance, marketing, PR, product development and more! A colorful variety of workshops from 1PM – 6PM will detail taking you from starting your business paperwork, to marketing and PR, and even how to run it out of state. From 6PM – 8PM, join the CCA board, our team, and some of our speakers for a fun, light-hearted networking party.
“The cannabis industry is a small business industry. We have the opportunity to keep it small and local without it turning into every other industry. America is looking for a way to bring new and more jobs to our country,” Nelson Guerrero, Deputy Director of CCA, “That’s why the Cannabis Cultural Association wants to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially people of color, through this workshop to enter the industry and have what they need to thrive.”
WHEN: Saturday, April 29th, 2017 From 1PM – 8PM
WHERE: Electropositive, 639 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
WHAT: 1:00PM – 2:00PM: Building Your Cannabis Business – Legal and Accounting
2:15PM – 3:15PM: Promoting Your Cannabis Business: Marketing and PR
3:30PM – 4:45PM: Breakout Sessions (Product Dev, Financing, Operating Online, and Operating Across State Lines)
5:00PM – 5:45PM: Keynote Address
6:00PM – 8:00PM: CCA Networking Party
WHO: Kayvan Khalatbari, Founding Partner Denver Relief Consulting,
Koushi Sunder, CEO at Stemless.co,
Gia Moron, CEO at GVM Communications, Inc.,
And many more!
HOW: Tickets at CannabisCulturalAssociation.com
Keynote Speaker:
Kayvan Khalatbari has been a cannabis policy reform advocate in Denver, CO for more than a decade, working closely with S.A.F.E.R. and Sensible Colorado long before there was a dollar to be made in the cannabis industry. Since then Kayvan has started several businesses in the cannabis space, including Denver’s oldest dispensary Denver Relief, Illinois’ largest cannabis producer Cresco Labs, Nevada’s philanthropic juggernaut Silver Sage Wellness and world-renowned cannabis consulting firm Denver Relief Consulting (DRC). Kayvan has maintained positive and progressive advocacy as the number one priority in all businesses, putting social progress and improving cannabis perception ahead of profits, including founding the GREEN TEAM in 2009 with business partner Ean Seeb.
Over the past three years DRC has assisted clients in over a dozen states, Washington DC and Canada with securing licenses or improving their existing businesses. License wins include the top applications scores in Nevada and Illinois and winning one of the five licenses recently awarded in Florida. DRC’s partners in Illinois (Cresco Labs) continue to push the envelope with regard to advancing the cannabis movement, including being the first cannabis business to sponsor a national sporting event in the Chicago Marathon and creating an infused product line partnership with James Beard Award winning chef Mindy Segal.
Kayvan sits on the board of directors for the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Illinois Cannabis Industry Association, the Nevada Cannabis Industry Association, the Council on Responsible Cannabis Regulation, the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra and is co-chair for an environmental stewardship committee within the Denver Department of Environmental Health. Kayvan’s other cannabis industry businesses include CannaBuild, DRx, Manna Molecular, MassRoots, StinkSack, Whaxy and non-cannabis businesses Birdy Magazine, Sexpot Comedy and Sexy Pizza. He has also been a mentor to three children in the Denver Kids program for over eight years.
Featured Speakers:
Lauren Rudick is a Member of Hiller, PC, has a wealth of knowledge in multiple facets of law and is responsible for a wide variety of complex commercial matters. For ten years, Lauren practiced litigation exclusively, where she successfully represented clients in a variety of business, licensing, intellectual property, and Internet/media disputes, while contributing to the Firm’s land use and zoning practice. With a trained and sensitive eye for keeping clients out of litigation, Lauren has refocused her career on commercial and secured transactions. In 2015, Lauren was named a Rising Star among Top New York Metro Attorneys, as featured by Superlawyers®.
Hanan Kolko is the co-chair and co-founder of the Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein Medical Cannabis practice group. As a member of the National Cannabis Bar Association’s Amicus Committee, Mr. Kolko works with individuals and businesses in the cannabis industry.He assists on matters including state law license application issues, regulatory compliance, legislative drafting and analysis and governmental investigations. Mr. Kolko often speaks on cannabis industry legal issues. He has spoken in forums sponsored by organizations such as, Crain’s New York, Cardozo Law School, Women Grow, the Long Island Association, the Cannabis and Hemp Association, and the International Cannabis Association. He has also made cannabis law CLE presentations on behalf of CLE providers including Cardozo Law School, the Nassau County Bar Association, the Theodore Roosevelt Inn of Court, Law Lines, and Clear Law Institute. Mr. Kolko is also the co-author of a New York Law Journal article entitled “Marijuana Advertising and The First Amendment.” Mr. Kolko received his J.D. from University of Michigan in 1985, graduatingcum laude with a Book Award in Labor Law.
Kim Petry Gladkowski is an influential CFO for Fortune 100 Companies, as well as start-ups. A high-energy leader, Kim has a career distinguished by consistent accelerated progression at premier organizations. Not only an effective leader but develops high energy Global and Domestic teams. Kim has a Versatile background and visionary with a mastery in all aspects of finance including strategy, planning and analysis, controllership, pricing, investor relations, audit, risk, SEC reporting, human resources and is Six Sigma Certified. She considers herself a cultural change agent with a passion for collaborative leadership and people development. She’s won of several prestigious awards including the YWCA Woman of the Year.
Gia Moron is the Founder and CEO of GVM Communications. Gia launched her firm in 2012, and has worked with various businesses, non-profits, entrepreneurs, speakers and authors. It is no surprise Gia’s client base covers many industries. She worked at the financial services firm Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., for fifteen years where she oversaw several business lines as media relations officer. Her areas of focus ranged from Urban Investment/Private Equity, Investment Research and Technology to the firm’s organizational focus on Diversity, Recruiting, Corporate Engagement, Human Resources and Corporate Services. From facilitating workshops, participating on panels to organizing events and supporting women owned businesses, Gia has been committed to uplifting her clients. With over 20+ years experience in corporate within the entertainment industry and financial services, she has a special knack of bridging gaps and connecting dots between industries.
Tracey Henry is an experienced public relations professional with close to 20 years’ experience in lifestyle, health and wellness, culinary and nightlife clients. With a strong focus on media relations, strategic pitching, marketing and brand consulting, Tracey once accomplished a rare “hat trick”—placing clients in three different stories in a single edition—in none other than the New York Times. Her later diagnosis and battle with cancer inspired her to refocus her professional efforts exclusively on the promotion of cannabis-related business, personalities and products, and led to the formation of Type A Media in 2015. Since then, Tracey has emerged as one of the pioneers of cannabis lifestyle communications.
Leland Radovanovic is an independent Public and Media Relations professional. He started as an anti-drug war activist at CUNY Baruch, where he founded the college’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. With Jake Plowden, his CoPresident and now Cofounder of Cannabis Cultural Association, he ran a successful campaign pressuring the college to publish the full documentation of New York’s Good Samaritan/Medical Amnesty policy – possibly saving hundreds of students lives. Not only has he worked in the cannabis space for organizations such as the Cannabis and Hemp Association and the Cannabis Cultural Association, but also in real estate. Leland currently works for The Center for Drug Discovery at Northeastern University and at PowerPlant Strategies – one of the fastest growing full-service PR firms dedicated to the cannabis space.
Amy Peters launched Kizzle Kit Incorporated to help bring fashion and function to every day rituals. She launched her family company in 2015 with her husband, cousin and brother partners, and has a ton of fun selling stylish lifestyle accessories at www.KizzleKit.com.
Isaac Colon began his career on Wall Street at Lehman Brothers. After the Lehman collapse he was awarded a City Fellowship and moved to London to start at Goldman Sachs. At Goldman Sachs Isaac made his way from Analyst to Vice President and became a subject matter expert in operations risk management, new product launches and process improvement. Isaac left Goldman Sachs to start Uncommon Partners LLC. Uncommon Partners seeks to invest in new businesses owned and operated by women and under represented monitory groups.
Koushi Sunder is the CEO and founder of Stemless, an online ordering platform that makes it easy for customers to order from their favorite local dispensaries. Prior to starting Stemless, she worked in M&A, Business Development and Operations. She received her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and is an active voice in the national legalization movement.
Raj Tiwary, COO Nimbus Vape Shop has 6 years experience in the industry. Mr. Tiwary has traveled from coast to coast working with leading experts, manufacturers, investors, and entrepreneurs. He has played an integral part in the launch, marketing and distribution of various products and opening of new shops in New York City. He has been featured on New York Times, MSNBC, NY1, & Time Out Magazine.
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