Monday, January 29, 2018

Trenton 365 The NJ Marketplace of Cannabis

Cannabis like many things easily excites people into various emotions.  
I am learning most of those emotions have to do with a widely distributed message from decades ago.


In my opinion it also has a lot to do with ignorance and the
“kick the can down the road” mentality with the expectation to let someone else will deal with it.


Representing the Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce - CRMCC,
I attended the Mid-Jersey Chamber of Commerce event “The Business of Cannabis”
held at the Forsgate Country Club.






The event drew hundreds of people from the region who wanted to learn more about Cannabis
which included a Keynote Address from former Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Professional Athlete
Riley Cote.  


Riley Cote known on the ice as an “enforcer” is on one of the co-founders of
Athletes for CARE as well as the NHL-National Hockey League Ambassador.   
He is also the Founder of the Hemp Heals Foundation a 501(c)3 non-profit promoting
various aspects of hemp including agriculture, health and natural medicine.




Shortly following began a Panel Discussion: How to Build a Viable and Sustainable Cannabis Business
moderated by Scott Rudder a former NJ State Legislator and a Mayor with a
Fortune 100 corporation background.  
He is the President of the board for the New Jersey Cannabusiness Association.


Panelists included;
Dave Berndt who grew up in an “insurance family” and has knowledge about Cannabis Insurance.


Peter F. Kelly is an experienced corporate attorney part of the
multidisciplinary team at Fox providing services and guidance to legal marijuana businesses
in the areas of licensing, shareholder and partnership agreements and venture capital.


George Schidlovsky is responsible for managing and leading all aspects of a
vertically integrated medical cannabis facility including cultivation, processing,
extracting, production, sales and distribution.


Stacey D. Udell CPA/ABV/CFF/CVA is the Director of Valuation and Litigation Services
for the Mid-Atlantic Region of HBK Valuation Group, LLC.

Portions of the above were taken from the Mid Jersey Chamber materials distributed at the event.


Have a listen to a portion of the Riley Cote Keynote Address


Have a listen to a portion of the Q and A Session


The marketplace of Cannabis appears to be on the way to the Garden State.  
I was particularly fascinated by the amount of funds needed to enter this marketplace
and question if this will be another industry driven by “Big Business” or Corporations.


As with most things do your research, seek as much information as possible
and make informed decisions about how to proceed.  

Here are a few links I picked randomly to get you started.











Monday, January 15, 2018

MLK Day of Service Social Clean Up 2018



MLK - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. represents many things to many people.  This international figure is well recognized as a “good man” who had high expectations for humans.

Annually in Trenton NJ a group of people come together for a service project known as the MLK Day of Service Social Clean Up.  


The idea behind the clean up is to bring people together for a service project that will encourage networking and community building.  Like past events, the intentional communal residence the Bethany House of Hospitality served as the HQ’s with restrooms and refreshments.  

Today ~30 people battled the temperatures that felt like the high teens, low twenties to pick up debris, rake leaves and to remove illegally dump household appliances in Columbus Park.

Thank you to everyone who participated, shared the event through various outlets and encouraged the efforts.