The Ganjapreneur Podcast

In this compilation episode of Highly Enlightened, host Jon Purow hits the road—capturing quick, insightful interviews with leading voices across the cannabis industry. Recorded at MJ Unpacked Missouri 2024, the WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025, and the Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight, this lineup showcases perspectives from founders, marketers, security experts, and more. Featured Guests: Jordan Mackenzie Whittaker The Weedaker Group Mitch Pfeifer Director of Community Relations, Active Sheila Fey Marketing Director, Elevated Roots Ian Powell Founder, Loud Minds TV Paul Vancea Kosmik Brands

When cannabis fails a microbial test, the consequences can be costly—lost product, damaged reputations, and in some cases, a total recall. But what if the entire process could be de-risked? In this episode, Jeff Adams, founder and managing director of XR Pure, and national sales manager Joseph Bancheri join TG Branfalt for a conversation about how their X-ray-based decontamination tech is offering a clean, consistent solution for cultivators. With deep roots in X-ray engineering and cannabis sales respectively, they make a compelling case for proactive remediation as a standard step in cannabis operations.

In this episode of The Ganjapreneur Podcast, host TG Branfalt speaks with Laura Trujillo and Amanda Terpstra, co-founders of BestBuds, a woman- and Hispanic-owned dispensary based in Woodbury, New Jersey. Lifelong friends turned business partners, Laura and Amanda share their remarkable story of bootstrapping a licensed cannabis retail business from the ground up—navigating community pushback, lawsuits, zoning battles, and a grueling fundraising process along the way. Together, they break down how their complementary skills, entrepreneurial drive, and deep community engagement helped them overcome early resistance in a small-town setting. The conversation touches on fundraising challenges for women and minority founders, the changing product landscape in New Jersey, and why staffing and personality fit are critical to cannabis retail success. It's an inspiring and highly practical look at what it really takes to open—and sustain—a dispensary in today’s regulated environment.

Kevin Brooks, former CEO of Cookies Management and Connected Cannabis, identified plant health as a key vulnerability in the cannabis supply chain based on his experience leading vertically integrated cannabis operations in California. This insight led him to establish Conception Nurseries, a Sacramento-based company that provides commercial-scale tissue culture services to the cannabis industry. In addition to maintaining a large catalog of cultivar clones, Conception offers remediation, cold storage, and exclusive production services. Brooks brings prior leadership experience and successful exits from the regulated tech sector to his role at Conception.

In this fast-paced compilation episode of Highly Enlightened, host Jon Purow hits the road—capturing quick, insightful interviews with leading voices across the cannabis industry. Filmed at MJ Unpacked Missouri 2024, the WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025, and the Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight, this lineup showcases perspectives from founders, marketers, security experts, and more. These "One Hitters" may be short, but they pack a punch—perfect for a snapshot of where cannabis is going next. Featured Guests (in order of appearance): 1. Precious Osagie-Erise Founder, Precious Cannabis Co. 📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025 2. Corey Bix Director of Business Development, Silverstar Protection Group 📍 Filmed at MJ Unpacked Missouri 2024 3. Tawnie Scarborough Principal, Fox Foot Inc. 📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025 4. Amna Shamim Director of Content Marketing, The Cannabis Community 📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025 5. Tor Hamer CEO, Green Nexus 📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025 6. Ben Burstein Corporate Development Manager, LeafLink 📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight 7. Sarah Trent Founder & CEO, Valley Wellness NJ 📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight 8. David Zelinger Partner, Canis Major Partners 📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight 9. Bran Noonan CEO, OGeez! 📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight