Ransel Potter, Founder & Managing Partner of the C3 Summit International was host to “Transforming Hemp To Healthcare and CBD to Commerce” sponsored by Erba Verde at the historical Union League Club of New York.

THE SETTING

The Union League Club of New York City is one of the few private clubs in America with a history of unwavering commitment to our nation through deep civic involvement, charitable contributions, and military support. Hosting many outstanding speakers from policy makers to notable authors, the Club will elevate your ideals of American citizenship through art, culture, and discourse.

HISTORY & TRADITION

Founded in 1863 by a group of concerned citizens to help preserve the Union, The Union League Club has built, over ensuing years, a record of distinguished service to our country. Many prominent civic, state, and national leaders have enjoyed the fellowship of the Club, including fifteen Presidents, seven Senators, many Congressmen, diplomats, cabinet members, and scores of chief executive officers of major corporations. These members include Theodore Roosevelt, who managed his early political career from the Club’s chambers, as well as J. Pierpont Morgan, John Jay, William Cullen Bryant, Chester A. Arthur, and Thomas Nast.

THE CONFERENCE

 by Cheryl Green
A diverse group of men and women in business, C-suite executives, international dignitaries and political representatives had the opportunity to co-mingle after each round table session, getting questions answered and forming alliances during the all day fact-gathering event.

The conference began at 8:00 am  with a 4-topic round table discussion, starting with “The Marketing and Branding Challenges Facing the Cannabis Industry” with Ryan Kocot, Director of Compliance and in-house legal counsel at ikänik Farms and Derek DuChesne, Chief Growth Officer, EcoGen Laboratories, followed by  “The Role and Use of Technology in Production of Hemp” with George Likourezos, Partner, Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP, Jay Yonamine, Head of Data Science, Ops and Quality, Global Patents at Google, “CBD Everyday Secrets: A Lifestyle Guide to Hemp-Derived Health and Wellness” with Shira Adler, CEO/Synergy by Shira Adler and author of “The ABCs of CBD” and wrapping up with “From Clothing to Cars: The Commercial Evolution of Hemp” with Geoff Whaling, Chairman, National Hemp Association.

At 8:50 am Anthony Pepe, Founder & CEO of Erba Verde Group  and Ransel Potter, Founder & Managing Partner of the C3 Summit International, gave their welcoming remarks to a packed room of those anticipating the day to come. The Keynote Address, “A Conversation with Mark Zekulin, CEO of Canopy Growth an Kevin Murphy, Chairman and CEO of Acreage Holdings” was moderated by Robert Carp, Esq. and author of “Marijuana Business Operations Guide”. Shortly after, was “Opening Plenary: Introduction to Hemp and Cannabis: Facts vs. Fiction” with Axel Bernabe, Assistant for Health to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, followed by “Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role In Sustaining CBD as a Natural Medicinal Alternative” moderated by Tom Zuber, Managing Partner, Zuber Lawler speaking to Dr. Jayashree Mitra, Managing Parnter, Zuber Lawler. Other topics of discussion were “Hemp vs. CBD vs. Marijuana: The Differences Explained” with Hilary Black, Chief Advocacy Officer, Canopy Growth and Axel Bernabe, Asst. for Health to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

During the sit down luncheon, Dr. Armando R. Lampe, Minister of Education, Science and Sustainable Development of Aruba addressed “Hemp and Medical Marijuana – The New Economic Pillars in Global Innovation“, explaining how cannabis as a commodity can save the slumped economy in Aruba and how its climate has the perfect conditions for growth of healthy plants. Aruba plans on being a global provider of cannabis and recommended that we invest in them. 

There were traditional physicians present and interested in what Dr. Andre Ragnauth, CEO Unifi Biotechnologises, Dr. Kamal Kalsi, Lt. Colonel/US Army, Laura Lagano, MS. RDN, CDN Clinical Nutritionist and Sonia Gomez, Founder, Hemp Revolution Podcast and Medicalsecrets.com had to say about the “Benefits of Using CBD for Treatment of Depression and Disabilities”. The day ended with a talk that those in finance benefitted from by Richard Carleton, CEO of the Canadian Securities Exchange called “CBD: Hemp In Capital Markets” where he discussed what it means to producers, investors and how it affects business practices. 

The Networking Reception that followed, gave everyone an informal opportunity to create business alliances, converse and exchange information after a day of education about health, legalities, the business of cannabis and where we will go from here.