After The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act went into effect in January of 2014 in Illinois, Teddy Scott, founder and CEO of PharmaCann, a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and a registered patent attorney in the law firm Polsinelli, where he focused on intellectual property issues, began discreetly crafting a plan. He wanted to […]
Spotlight
Keef Cola (CanCore Concepts, Inc.) revisited
CBE caught up with Erik Knutson, CEO of CanCore Concepts, Inc (CCC) and Denver Packaging Company (DPC) and and COO Travis Tharp last week and wanted to share an update on the company, best known for it’s Keef Cola brand. Since we first interviewed Knutson back in December, 2015, a lot has changed. The company now […]
A large capacity boutique brand: Canndescent
By Rob Meagher A member of the Cannabis Business Executive Convention (CBEC 2018) Strategic Advisory Board and programming vetting committees, as well as a successful cannabis entrepreneur and business executive, Chris Boudreau, suggested I talk to Canndescent, a relatively late-comer to the California producer/cultivator scene that is pursuing a unique business strategy. CBE caught up with Canndescent CEO, Adrian Sedlin, a couple of weeks […]
After nearly seven “dog years”, Privateer Holdings racks up a bunch of significant firsts
Brendan Kennedy and Privateer Holdings founding partner, Christian Groh, are childhood friends with blue-chip resumes, who were an unlikely pair of cannabis moguls. After seven years of key acquisitions and start-ups, the Privateer team has blazed a trail of firsts in the industry. They are fueled by the data and intelligence provided by their first […]
The Big Boys bring the A-Team and Game to Illinois and Beyond: Cresco Labs
By Rob Meagher CRESCOlabs™ arrived on the scene with a bang, winning three of the 21 Producer/Processor licenses issued in the great state of Illinois in 2015 with the highest scores of 158 applicants. And like the way three (3) of the founding partners succeeded at their previous company, Guaranteed Rate, a mortgage bank that grew from the ashes of the […]
Quark Distribution/Dymapak: Building on Customer Base with a Commitment to Quality, Standards and Customer Service
By Rob Meagher When I first met Ross Kirsh, CEO of Dymapak, I thought: “What is this kid doing at a cannabis conference?” He not only appeared to be in his early 20’s at best, but he also had an infectious smile, and a certainty and determination about him as he was introduced and I […]
The Year of Expanding Footprints: The 2017 CBE 200 PPRs
When we published the first CBE 100 Producers, Processors, and Retailers (PPR) list in 2015, we named the story “The Year of the Operator”. At that time, the list reflected the revenue and employee counts of the largest licensee operators in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, […]
Swing Batter Batter: Kaleafa Cannabis Company
By Rob Meagher John Widmer, one of the founders of Kaleafa Cannabis Company—a growing retailer with locations in the Portland, Oregon metro area and northwest Washington state—saw “can’t miss” investment opportunities twice in his life, but failed to act. He told me that he missed out on the technology renaissance of the early 90s, followed by […]
Dear President-Elect Trump, Please Level the Playing Field For the Cannabis (and Hemp) Industry
Dear President-Elect Trump, Congratulations on your spectacular election win last November. You met my father, Mark J. Meagher, Chairman of Financial World Partners (FW) and a lifelong Republican, back in the early 90s at one of FW’s annual holiday parties at the world-renowned Plaza Hotel in New York. I had the chance to shake hands […]
Is there Room for a Deluxe Cannabis Gallery for the Discerning Connoisseur: L’Eagle Services Thinks So
A friend introduced me to Amy Andrle, who owns L’Eagle Services in Denver, Colorado with her husband John. What I noticed immediately was her infectious enthusiasm and commitment to filling a void in the cannabis industry by delivering quality organically grown cannabis and processed goods from the cannabis they grow at their facility. I also […]
