An interview with David Feldman, Partner at Hiller PC and CEO of Skip Intro Advisors. 

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

It has been a difficult time for sure, my fiancé and I are used to extensive business travel, speaking at conferences, and business development focused on in person meetings. It has required a rethink of the marketing approach, much more online and on the phone, as we wait for the return to whatever the new normal will ultimately be. That said, it’s been great to have the time together. My son is a Broadway star and luckily finished his one year run a few weeks before the shows shut down, but again a stressful time for us all.

Tell us about you, your career, how you first found work in the cannabis industry.

How much time do you have? Lol… Seriously, I’m a Wharton grad, former chair of the school’s worldwide alumni association, went to law school at Penn as well. I spent 7 years at giant law firms then had my own firms for almost 20 years, and we were the #1 firm in the country in the world of “private investments in public equity” (or PIPEs) for seven of those years. I u...more

Hi everyone, just joined here! We at Avantpay are hosting a conference (www.avantpay.io) in Washington DC, Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2019 and are looking for speakers who are experts in payments, cannabis, & cryptocurrency. Please check us out and let me know if you are interested in participating in some way (speak/attend/sponsor). Expecting 500+. Thanks!

Joshua M. Radbod 

ISO-certified companies all say the cost and effort to become certified is well worth it! 

As the cannabis industry becomes more competitive, a growing number of cannabis companies are looking for ways to differentiate their operations, whether that means offering value-added services or implementing the latest lean techniques. 

One best practice that many of today's leading shop's tout is ISO 9001 certification. The ISO standard is based on implementing seven quality management principles, including a strong customer focus, Evidence-based decision making, and continuous improvement. 

The basic goal of the ISO 9001 standard is to help companies provide customers with consistent, good quality products and services, which, in turn, often brings business benefits like improved financial performance. 

ISO standards are certain to help you increase profitability by

• Improving the quality of your goods and services
• Enhancing your credibility and build consumer confidence
• Cutting the business costs of poor service and reduce customer complaints 
• Processes will be aligned and understood by everyone in the business which increases productivity and

By J.B. Woods, Greenpoint Insurance Advisors, LLC  © 2017 All Rights Reserved  (This article was originally published in Trusted Choice of Colorado)

The most recent election captured the attention of the insurance industry when states like California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine voted to legalize marijuana along with medical marijuana initiatives being approved in other states such as Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas.  Over half of the United States has some form of marijuana law.  According to Arcview Market Research, the marijuana industry resulted in $6.7 billion in sales for 2016 and made it one of the fastest growing industries.1

With the amount of growth in the marijuana industry, most insurance brokers are inclined to believe that insurance companies would be eager to offer commercial products such as commercial liability, product liability, directors & officers, property, and workers compensation.  This has not been the case, as insurance carriers have grappled with the notion of insuring a product that is federally illegal.  The result has been disappointing, as insurance companies have eagerly entered, but then later exite...more

The Golden State Could Be a Game Changer for the Marijuana Insurance Industry
©2017 Greenpoint Insurance Advisors, LLC

Breaking news out of California when The Californian reported California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones wants admitted insurance carriers to insure marijuana.  This will not be an easy task for Commissioner Jones considering the fact Lloyds of London does not offer insurance to the marijuana industry. 

For those who may not know, admitted insurance carriers are well known companies approved and  subjected to regulation by the state in which they operate.   Admitted insurance carriers are typically companies like Travelers, Hartford, Farmers, and State Farm to name just a few.   Historically, these companies have no interest in insuring marijuana. 


Currently, the cannabis insurance industry purchases insurance through the non-admitted insurance markets.  There is less competition, more stringent underwriting, and limited coverage offerings.  For example, product liability and directors and officers insurance is extremely difficult to procure.  The few insurance carriers offering the coverage ...more