CEO Monthly August 2017

4 CEO MONTHLY / AUGUST 2017 , Our special 2017 Cannabis CEO of the Year award went to the Chief Executive Officer of Quantum9, Michael Mayes. The firm is an international hemp and cannabis consulting company, based in Chicago, IL. We interviewed the man at the helm to learnmore about the wider cannabis industry today, as well as the work of Quantum9 and their growing number of expert consultants. Flying High The primary objective of Quantum 9 is to help connect patients with the necessary resources - while aiding investors, entrepreneurs, employees and potential patients into the cannabis industry. The firm’s specialist areas include employee training, staff augmentation and permit acquisition. Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Quantum 9, Michael Mayes begins by giving an insight into the US cannabis industry today, and how many states are using it legally and the number who are using it for recreational purposes. He also tells us who in the cannabis industry today he admires. “There are currently 29 states that have medical marijuana programmes. There are currently eight states and Washington DC that have recreational or adult use programmes. As a firm, Quantum 9 are expecting a few more over the coming months. “In terms of who I admire in the cannabis industry, I would say hands down Ed Rosenthal. He is a long-time friend of mine and is one of the main reasons why we have medical cannabis in the first place here in the USA. For me, he has been an amazing mentor and has helped Quantum 9 as a firm, since it began here in Chicago, IL over four and a half years ago.” Staying on the subject of Quantum 9, Ed then reveals the next steps for Quantum 9 and how their clients perceive the firm’s work. “I think we will continue to do cannabis license acquisition work, but we aim to focus more on building the Greenwave brand. Greenwave is a dispensary that was founded in Michigan and now in Maryland. “On how our clients rate our work, I would like to say that most of Quantum 9’s leads can be attributed to our SEO expert, Kevin Mahoney. As Quantum 9’s director of operations, Kevin has worked diligently to get the firm to the number two spot for many of our key search terms. In some cases, I am proud to say that he’s got us to the number one spot.” In closing, Ed is keen to tell us what it takes to win a cannabis license and how Quantum 9 explains their high success rate. He also reveals if the firm is currently hiring and reveals what it takes to be a Quantum 9 cannabis consultant. “We usually only take on clients that have a good chance of winning. Our projects typically take between six and ten months. When people call us super later in the submission window, we simply turn them down. It is very difficult to win these types of licenses, because of the time required to build a team, design the facilities and answer the state or federal questions in a way that puts the client in the perfect position to win. “I would also like to say that as a firm, we are always seeking to hire good people to come and work for us. Our cannabis consultants usually go through a very in-depth interview process. Our cultivation marijuana consultants are asked three levels of questions, that increase in difficulty for each level. Their score, along with a writing sample and references, are reviewed by Quantum 9 subject matter experts. We have 45 cannabis consultants that work for us now at the firm, so they are certainly growing in number.” 1703CV19