Sponsored by:

Complimentary Virtual Conference

March 23, 2021
12:00 Noon - 5:00 PM EDT

Cannabis Cultivation Virtual Conference

The Cannabis Cultivation Virtual Conference is back! We are hosting this complimentary collection of webinar presentations, designed to help attendees better understand some of the more technical aspects of operating a cultivation operation. We will take a deep dive into cannabis cultivation facility design, integrated pest management, growing organically and more. Take a look at the presentations and speakers below for more information.

Attendees registering for this complimentary series of webinars will get access to seven veterans of the cannabis cultivation industry, who are all available for Q&A after each presentation. In addition to getting the opportunity to chat with these subject matter experts on March 23, a recording of the presentations will be made available to all who register.

Practical and educational information from experts in the cannabis cultivation industry, all on the same day and all from the comfort of your home or office. Want real inside knowledge on growing? Sign up today!

Who Should Attend:

Cultivators
Multi-state Operators
Vertically Integrated Companies
Growers, processors, extractors, dispensary managers
Distributors, designers and stakeholders in the cannabis cultivation market

Agenda

12:00 PM - Welcome & Introductions
Aaron Biros, Editor, CannabisIndustryJournal.com - Host and Moderator

12:05 PM - Why CBD Companies Should Go Organic
Brad Kelley, COO, Socati

Why consumers want organic products
Why going organic is good for the CBD industry
What would it take to become a certified organic brand

12:55 PM - Rapid Potency Screening by Fourier Transform near/mid Infrared Spectroscopy - TechTalk sponsored by PerkinElmer
Melanie Emmanuel, Sr. Sales Specialist, PerkinElmer

NIR spectroscopy is a remarkably versatile and robust analytical technique. Its non-destructive nature, fast analysis time, and relative ease of use has led to the development of many applications in a broad array of fields including as a rapid potency screening method for cannabis. The NIR spectrum of a cannabis flower can be thought of as an immediate status or potency update as to where it is in it’s bioprocess. Screening for these status updates throughout the growth process can give timely information regarding expected product yield, THC/CBD ratios, and when to harvest, while bringing the potency screen directly to the grow site reduces the amount of sample that is sent out for 3^rd party testing and ultimately gives cultivators a better understanding of their processes.

1:10 PM - A Guidance on an Integrated Lifecycle of Designing a Cultivation Operation
Gretchen Schimelpfenig, PE, Technical Director of Resource Innovation
Brandy Keen, Co-Founder & Sr. Technical Advisor, Surna, Inc.
Adam Chalasinski, Applications Engineer, Rough Brothers/Nexus Greenhouse Systems/Tetra
David Vaillencourt, Founder & CEO, The GMP Collective
Kyle Lisabeth, Vice President of Horticulture, Silver Bullet Water

Back by popular demand, this panel discussion is returning with the same cast of subject matter experts to foster a longer, more comprehensive dialogue on cultivation facility design. Designing a cannabis cultivation facility that can produce consistent quality cannabis, meets the demands of the business objectives (profit, time to market, scalability) and consumers and stays within budget and timelines has been a major pain point for new and seasoned business owners and growers. What appears on the surface as a simple proposition – build a structure, install HVAC and fertigation systems, hire a master grower, plant some seeds and watch the sea of green roll in — is anything but.

2:40 PM - Infusing Equity! - Sponsored TechTalk by S.E.E.N.
Belicia Royster, Co-Founder & Vice President, Social Equity Empowerment Network

2:55 PM - Break

3:00 PM - The Beginner's Guide to Integrated Pest Management
David Perkins, Founder, Floresco Consulting

Planning and designing your cultivation facility to minimize pest pressure
How to apply pesticides safely and lawfully
Pest identification, choosing the correct pesticides

3:50 PM - Starting from Scratch: Launching a Hemp Farm in Georgia
Reginald "Reggie" Reese, Founder & CEO, The Green Toad Hemp Farm
Dwayne Hirsch, President & Chief of Business Development, The Green Toad Hemp Farm

This presentation will detail how The Green Toad Hemp Farm started with an empty lot with no water, power or structures and turned the space into a productive vertically integrated hemp cultivation operation.
Learn how to work with local and state regulations from this case study in Southeast Georgia.
Learn how to operate with friends, not enemies: How building partnerships with your community can ensure business success.

4:40 PM - Wrap Up

SPEAKERS

Brad Kelley
COO
Socati

As COO of Socati, Brad is responsible for implementing the company’s strategy across the company’s operations and supply chain while ensuring the highest ethics, safety, quality, and efficiency standards. Brad joins Socati with more than 25 years of executive and operational experience in flavors, ingredients, and chemicals. Over the last eleven years, as V.P. Operations, Chief Operations Officer, and President, his leadership was instrumental in the rapid growth of Mane’s U.S. flavor division. Before joining Mane, Brad worked for Givaudan in the U.S. and in Switzerland, where he held various operations leadership positions. He started his career with Monsanto in Pensacola, Florida. Brad holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University. Brad and his wife reside in Austin.

Gretchen Schimelpfenig, PE
Technical Director
Resource Innovation Institute

Gretchen Schimelpfenig is Technical Director of Resource Innovation Institute, a role in which she leads RII’s Technical Advisory Council activities, articulates RII’s science-based positions, writes technical guidance on resource efficient cultivation, and supports PowerScore users with benchmarking analysis and reporting compliance. She recently authored RII’s Best Practices Guides on Cultivating Cannabis with LED Lighting and HVAC. Gretchen is also a licensed Civil Professional Engineer - Construction in California and Vermont. She has a MS in Civil Engineering, Sustainable Design & Construction - Energy from Stanford University and has published research for the U.S. Green Building Council on the topic of ground-source heat pumps. Gretchen is a home cultivator and is constantly using her HVAC and lighting knowledge to optimize her grow environment.

Brandy Keen
Co-Founder & Sr. Technical Advisor
Surna, Inc.

Brandy Keen has been designing and consulting for environmental systems in indoor agricultural facilities for over fourteen years. In 2006, Ms. Keen co-founded Hydro Innovations where she served as its Director of Operations. At Hydro Innovations, she developed a sophisticated knowledge of the controlled environment agriculture industry and established herself as an expert in the garden and indoor climate. Currently, Ms. Keen is the Co-Founder and Senior Technical Advisor for Surna Inc., which acquired Hydro Innovations in 2014. A trusted resource for environmental design and management, Ms. Keen has had varying levels of involvement (from consulting to full scale design) with over 800 unique grow designs ranging from small cultivation operations to facilities in excess of 100,000 square feet.

Adam Chalasinski
Applications Engineer
Rough Brothers/Nexus Greenhouse/Tetra

Being raised in the dirt of his grandparents garden, Adam had a passion for local horticulture to produce fresh vegetables. He joined the hydroponic scene in his early teens and pursued a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. During his studies, he began designing, testing, and selling home hydroponic systems. Along the way, he began designing commercial greenhouse irrigation and environmental control systems for Rough Brothers, Inc. and Nexus Greenhouse Systems, two of the largest greenhouse manufacturers in the US. He has experience designing CEA projects stemming from vine crops, leafy greens, and cannabis.

David Vaillencourt
Founder & CEO
The GMP Collective

David is the Founder and CEO of The GMP Collective where his team services the cannabis and life science industries with supply chain and operational best practices support from concept to consumer. David brings 15 years of experience in education, project management, and quality control work to the industry. He has served as an expert witness for hemp lawsuits, developed international consensus standards, and worked previously as the Director of Quality for a multi-state cannabis operator. Committed to advancing the industry through sound science and education, David serves as an Officer on ASTM International's D37 Cannabis Committee, where he was recently awarded for his contributions in developing the first Laboratory Standard for Cannabis Test Method Validation. He also serves on the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Facility Design Committee. When not enjoying the 3 L’s of life, Leadership, Learning, and Listening, you can find him out in the mountains with his dog.

Kyle Lisabeth
Vice President of Horticulture
Silver Bullet Water

Kyle Lisabeth has focused his career on developing strategies and programs that enhance water use and reuse efforts. He has been involved with several domestic and international ventures focused on industrial, municipal, and agricultural applications. His personal time equally supports conservation and environmental sustainability efforts related to river and watershed management. Kyle joined Silver Bullet Water Treatment in 2016 as a member of the company’s research and development team. As Silver Bullet expanded, Kyle established Silver Bullet’s Horticulture Division. Upon being appointed to the position of Silver Bullet’s Director of Operations and Business Development for the Horticulture industry, Kyle has exponentially grown the business unit’s install base, product portfolio and service offerings, as well as cultivated a nationally known water treatment brand for many controlled environment agriculture applications.

David Perkins
Founder & Cultivation Manager
Floresco Consulting

David Perkins is a cultivation manager and consultant with over 20 years of experience in the grow room. From build out to cultivation, cloning to processing, he has done it all. David can help you succeed in the grow room, and likely save you money along the way. David is the founder of Floresco Consulting, a full-service cultivation advisory company that helps companies create & integrate processes that increase productivity & profitability.

Reginald "Reggie" Reese
Founder & CEO
The Green Toad Hemp Farm

Georgia resident Reginald Reese is the visionary founder of Green Toad Farms! Reggie had a stellar career of over 25 years as a retail corporate executive along with logistics and Restaurant retail service, with service as an executive at WalMart, Ross, Sears, Shopko and other great American retailers. Reggie has managed Billions in annual revenue and thousands of employees. The knowledge and experience gained in Fortune 1 retail provides a significant strategic advantage for Green Toad as a Farm. His knowledge of logistics and distribution gives us the ability to deliver a Farm Fresh Smokable product to the market. This is an enormous advantage over other producers and distributors. His understanding of massive scale allows us to build a plan from the start that is ripe for growth and scale. Reggie has prepared for this opportunity by working with the University of Georgia and the State Dept of Agriculture to learn the required information and he has received a certification from the US Hemp Authority. Reggie is an Alumnus of the University of Alabama.

Dwayne Hirsch
President & Chief of Business Development
The Green Toad Hemp Farm

Chicago Native Dwayne Hirsch is a powerful addition to the GTF team! As one of Chicago’s best known professionals, Dwayne has extensive experience in business development through both Real Estate and consumer packaged goods. I have a 17 year old son on the Autism Spectrum.In looking for ways to assist my son as he moves toward an independent, adult future, I have looked into promising information from the Cannabinoid spectrum. For my son, my aging Mother and the needs of people everywhere, and even family members who have passed on, I have taken on this assignment because I believe that the means to better health has always been denied to the people overall. The re-emergence of hemp as a regenerative environmental plant and my ability to activate effectively in this space creates a dream opportunity to still be a pioneer among my peers in an industry that is old, yet very new again, and bursting with rewards. My family and I look forward to serving your family’s needs for generations to come.

Belicia Royster
Co-Founder & Vice President
Social Equity Empowerment Network

Belicia hails from Chicago, IL where she has returned to her hometown to be a change agent for communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. Recognizing that this war didnt launch an attack on drugs. But in fact, the actual war was on people, ultimately leaving families and communities devasted. Growing up on Chicago's South Side as a student at Chicago Public School's Belicia had the opportunity to see the joy and the pain of the city. These experiences only fueled the passion to engage and impact her community. After earning her bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University @ Edwardsville and attending St. .Johns in NYC. She returned to Chicago to do just that... Through her continued activism in her Sorority Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and several community-based projects . She became deeply rooted in social justice and community activism. Upon seeing the disparities in the newly trending cannabis industry across the nation. She saw fit to begin a social equity driven organization. Today Belicia works as a Risk Manager of a global resource renewal firm and as the Co-Founder and Vice President of the Social Equity Empowerment Network. Although her professional background consists of investigations , legal and insurance. Her passion for True Equity in America , Economic Empowerment for marginalized communities and providing resources for misguided youth. This movement has brought her to this miracle plant and at the forefront of the newly emerging cannabis industry as to become a catalyst for socio-economic change.

Melanie Emmanuel
Sr. Sales Specialist
PerkinElmer

Experienced Sales Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the Chromatography world in such industries as Cannabis, Hemp, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Customer Service, Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Industry. Currently delving deep into the world of Cannabis and Hemp to understand the challenges in testing and regulations so that we can better support those doing the front line testing.

Aaron Biros
Editor-in-Chief
Cannabis Industry Journal

Aaron Biros is the Editor-in-Chief of Cannabis Industry Journal.com (CIJ), an online business-to-business trade journal focused on the legal cannabis industry. Biros started CIJ in 2015 when he officially joined Innovative Publishing full time. Through editorial coverage of the cannabis markets, Biros has developed a familiarity with regulatory compliance, quality and safety issues as they relate to the burgeoning cannabis industry. Biros covers science and technology updates, breaking news, regulations and emerging markets from his office based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Share This