Canna Connect Show
The Canna Connect Show provides an open window to the Canna Connect brand.
Episodes
32 episodes
Brandon Padget on Cannabis Banking, Compliance & Building Careers in Minnesota Cannabis
What does it actually take to bank a cannabis business in Minnesota?In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann talks with Brandon Padget, Chief Deposit Officer at Union Bank & Trust, about the realities of cannabis ...
Tony Beman on Cannabis Energy Costs, Grow Lighting & Minnesota’s Infrastructure Challenge
The cannabis industry in Minnesota is evolving quickly, and behind every cultivation facility is a major conversation about energy, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann...
Evolving the Industry with Don Raleigh III of Evolve Payment
Minnesota cannabis is no longer just an idea. It’s becoming a real industry in real time.In this special episode of The Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Don Raleigh III of Evolve Payment to talk about the evolution of...
THC Drinks, Cannabis Quality & the Ganjier Movement | Elizabeth Sage
Elizabeth Sage’s cannabis story starts long before the Ganjier Guild.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Elizabeth live from Lucky Leaf to talk about cannabis beverages, hemp regulation, product quality, education...
Building NativeCare: Community, Culture, and Cannabis in Minnesota
Cannabis in Minnesota isn’t just about business.It’s about people, culture, and creating something that reflects the community it serves.In this episode, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with the team behind NativeCar...
Inside Tokahe Distribution: Building Minnesota’s Cannabis Supply Chain
Before products hit shelves, before brands grow, before consumers ever walk into a store, there’s a system behind it all.This episode pulls back the curtain.Recorded at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with Chad Stout and Brock Friese...
From Banking to Cannabis Retail with Teresa Sorensen of Unwind
Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you never planned for.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Teresa Sorensen, founder of Unwind, to talk about how a 33-year career in banking unexpectedly led her into M...
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Building from the Ground Up with Bridgette Pinder of Grounded Gardens
Some people find cannabis. Others build their life around it.Bridgette Pinder has done both.In this episode, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with the founder of Grounded Gardens to talk about what it really takes to ...
Building Smarter Cannabis Retail with Ryan Ogorek of Sweed
Ryan Ogorek didn’t plan on building a career in cannabis, but once he found it, everything clicked.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, Ryan shares his journey from traditional sales into the canna...
Powering Cannabis Retail with Gus Sevastos of Dutchie
Cannabis markets move fast.One year ago, Minnesota was still asking basic questions about supply, access, and who would enter the space. Today, the conversation is evolving into something more complex.In this episode of The Canna ...
Why Cannabis Businesses Break: Payroll, People, and Poor Infrastructure | Shawn Worth
Most cannabis businesses don’t fail because of product.They fail because of what’s underneath it.The systems. The people. The infrastructure.Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Shawn Wirt...
Cannabis Accounting, Taxes, and What Operators Still Don’t Understand | Mark Waller & Betsy Morem
There’s a moment where every cannabis business has to get serious.Not about branding. Not about product.About the numbers.Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Mark Waller and Betsy Mooreham of SAX ...
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What Cannabis Operators Get Wrong About Risk | Cory Lake & Jim McErlean
Most people don’t think about insurance until something goes wrong.At Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, that conversation came to the forefront in a way that felt real, grounded, and necessary.Cory Lake of World Insurance and Jim McErlea...
Why Your Dispensary Website Isn’t Driving Sales (And What To Do About It)
Most dispensary websites look good. But they don’t actually work.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Dan Mondello and Alex Abrams of Rank Really High to unpack one of the biggest missed opportunities in c...
From Buffalo to Big Cannabis Markets: How Smart Marketing Wins in Tough Conditions
There’s something about operators from places like Buffalo and Minneapolis. They understand what it takes to build through pressure.In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Nate Geary of Range Marketing at Luc...
How Cannabis Brands Actually Reach Customers | Mackenzie Ziegler of Surfside
There’s a moment in every new market where things start to click.You can feel it in the conversations. You can see it in the rooms. And you definitely feel it at events like Lucky Leaf.Live from the Minneapolis C...
Banking Cannabis Without the Runaround | Union Bank & Trust at Lucky Leaf Expo
At Lucky Leaf Expo in Minneapolis, we sat down with Oliver Gutierrez-Garcia, Client Relationship Manager, and Paul Ranisate, AVP and Treasury Management Officer at Union Bank & Trust.Between the two of them, there’s a d...
Cannabis Banking Comes Down to Compliance | Scott Miller, United PrairIe
We sat down with Scott Miller, CEO of United Prairie Bank, for a conversation that gets into the realities of cannabis banking in Minnesota.This was our first time working directly together, and it was clear right away that th...
Minnesota Cannabis Energy Rebates Explained | CEE Interview
We sat down with Tony Beeman and Brad Obermueller from the Center for Energy & Environment at Lucky Leaf to talk about one of the most overlooked parts of building a cannabis business in Minnesota.Energy.From LED rebates to re...
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Drying, Yield, and Consistency: Ed Wells of Cannatrol on Post-Harvest Cannabis
We sat down with Ed Wells from Cannatrol at Lucky Leaf for a conversation that started with life and quickly moved into one of the most overlooked parts of cannabis production.Drying and curing.Ed breaks down how small inefficienc...
Local 49, Pensions, and the Future of Minnesota Cannabis
In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Benjamin Mike and Dan Gilbert of Local 49 at Lucky Leaf Expo 2026 in Minneapolis.With nearly 100 years of history, Local 49 is stepping into the Minnesota cannabis industry with...
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Building the Plane While Flying It | Carol Moss on Minnesota Cannabis Law
Minnesota cannabis is still being shaped in real time and few people are closer to that process than Carol Moss.In this episode of the Canna Connect Show, Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Carol from Hellmuth & Johnson to talk about w...
The Canna Connect Show Live from Lucky Leaf w/ Chris Hanna, Comcast Business
In this episode of The Canna Connect Show I sit down with Chris Hanna, Director of Sales Engineering at Comcast Business. During the interview we discuss his background as a North Saint Paul native, with hobbies that include cars, in-line skati...
The Jason Tarasek interview
Jason Tarasek is a knowledgeable cannabis partner at Vicente LLP. He has been working in the Minnesota hemp and cannabis industry since 2018. In 2019 he served as Minnesota’s Political Director for Marijuana Policy Project, where he helped o...
Staying in the Fight: Insurance, Volatility & What’s Next for Minnesota Cannabis with Cory Lake
In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Cory Lake, CEO of Lake Group Insurance, to break down the real challenges facing Minnesota’s cannabis and hemp businesses, from rising insurance premiums and compliance pressure to mar...