NJ Cannabis Insider’s March 8 conference in Newark is gearing up to be its best since launching in March 2018.
In addition to the stellar cast of speakers and an exhibitor floor with choice vendors, NJ Cannabis Insider is introducing several new programs to its first big conference of the year at the at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Newark Airport.
We’ve also designed a special event inside of our main event: The Speed Networking Session presented Puffin Store NJ. Puffin is a cannabis company about to open a dispensary in downtown New Brunswick at 382 George St.
“There is no name brand that has come out of New Jersey as a cannabis retailer. And I would love for Puffin to be that name,” said chief Puffin Nathan Yanovitch, a serial entrepreneur with an immensely successful career managing more than 300 retail stores in the wireless phone industry.
Puffin is also a member of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association (NJCBA), which has partnered with NJCI Live to moderate the 40-minute speed-networking session designed to help license-holders meet other license-holders and all the other businesses they need to build and grow their operations.
Tickets are on sale now for the conference. A select number of discounted tickets also are available for social equity applicants.
“Of the interactive events the NJCBA has hosted in the past, our fall 2022 Speed Networking event was one of the most successful,” said NJCBA president Edmund DeVeaux. “We realized how important it was to connect varying classes of operators in person, and how fun it could be. We know there will be additional success stories as a result of NJCI’s speed networking experience.”
The other new programs are discovery areas spotlighting women-owned businesses, social equity-designated businesses and a higher education area.
DeVeaux will be among the speakers at the March 8 business conference, which will cover what’s shaping New Jersey’s evolving cannabis market, along with current industry trends. Other speakers include:
- Wesley McWhite III, New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Jessica Gonzalez, an attorney and consultant representing the NJ Business Action Center’s Technical Assistance Program
- Art Hance, CEO of Hance Construction, state leader in building cannabis grow facilities and dispensaries.
- Ellie Siegel, founder and CEO of Longview Strategic
- Ekwutozia Nwabuzor, an investments manager attorney at Lowenstein Sandler
- David Cunic, founder of UCS Advisors, an investor relations specialist
- Darrin Chandler Jr., owner of Premium Genetics, and an executive at RIPCO real estate
- Faye Coleman, founder of Pure Genesis and owner of Endo dispensary/consumption lounge in Atlantic City
- Mollie Hartman Lustig, chair of the Cannabis Law Practice at McLaughlin & Stern
- Matha Figaro, co-founder of CannPowerment and owner of But-A-Cake, a Jersey City-based company that specializes in infused cannabis edibles
- Ronald Mondello, municipal and land-use attorney for numerous New Jersey municipalities
- Tiyahnn Bryant is CEO and co-founder of Roll Up Life, and East Orange delivery and technology company
- Precious Osagie Erese, COO and co-founder at Roll Up Life
- Todd Polyniak, partner at SAX, cannabis accounting
- Warren Harasz, VP of Regulatory Compliance at Cannaspire
- Rob Mejia, author, entrepreneur and cannabis instructor at Stockton University
Topics that will be covered include:
- Best practices for working with a municipality
- What it takes to raise capital
- Navigating the real estate market
- What should conditional, conversions and annual license do now
- How to get the most out of government agencies set up to help you.
Sponsors and strategic partners so far include:
- Hance Construction, NJ Cannabis Insider presenting sponsor, was selected to build one of the first cannabis grow facilities in New Jersey, and has since worked on other cannabis projects big and small, offering consulting and site-location services.
- Longview Strategic provides advisory services and industry insights to public, private and not-for-profit entities throughout the country. With years of active experience, we’ve been able to provide top quality counsel, secure hallmark resources and connections, and contribute writing services for client projects and developments.
- Zenco, secure and cashless payment solutions for cannabis, offering a customizable transaction fee that allows merchants to decide what they want to charge their customers.
- Cannaspire (formerly CannaBeSecure), a certified woman-owned business, was founded in 2018 by leading business, cannabis, and Wall Street veterans with over 80 years of combined experience. Starting as a cannabis security service, Cannaspire expanded its offerings and team to meet the growing needs of the market at large for dispensaries, process-manufacturers, grows, and state and local policymakers.
- Cova builds innovative retail software solutions specifically for dispensaries. Its POS & Inventory Management platform is designed to simplify compliance, streamline complex dispensary operations, and empower dispensaries to deliver the best possible shopping experience. Based in Denver, Cova is powering more than 1,800 retail locations across North America.
- Stender is a family owned, promotional products supplier to the cannabis industry. While Stender is a new company, its parent company SHC Holdings recently celebrated its 50th year in business. Stender’s global sourcing, along with its fun and creative SWAG aims to leave an impression on anyone who receives a branded product.
- New Jersey Business Action Center, which was founded 40 years ago, has helped a range of businesses, from wineries, apparel manufacturers and medical device suppliers. With its new Cannabis Technical Assistance Program, it will now work on helping entrepreneurs in the space.
- New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, the Garden State’s largest trade group, operating as the state’s cannabis chamber of commerce.
- Stockton University, the interdisciplinary minor in Cannabis Studies offers students a foundation for understanding the burgeoning cannabis industry. Stockton recently opened The Cannabis & Hemp Research Institute, which will research hemp cultivation and develop lab testing.
- Women Grow the global leader in connecting, educating, inspiring, and empowering the next generation of women leaders in the cannabis and hemp industry.
- Cannabis Insider Jobs, in collaboration with NJ Cannabis Insider, is dedicated to helping individuals find a career in the cannabis industry, leveraging its digital presence through NJ.com’s parent company Advance Local.
To purchase tickets, visit NJ Cannabis Insider Live. A select number of discounted tickets also are available for social equity applicants.
NJ Cannabis Insider is a weekly subscriber-based online trade journal and events group produced by NJ Advance Media, which also publishes NJ.com, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated papers.
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