Meet our speakers

Our speakers will focus on learnings from a brand that has evolved from a 110-year-old family farm to a well-known market leader in the hemp and cannabis industry, including the perspectives of the business owners/operators and a retailer. Meet our panelists:

Shawn Kurz
Full Name
Shawn Kurz
Job Title
President & Co-owner
Company
Retail
Speaker Bio
Eddie is president of Beak & Skiff/Beak & Skiff Research, a five-generation family business founded in 1911 and a grower/processor based in Upstate NY. For the past several years, the business has operated a vertically integrated hemp processing facility and grown upwards of 5-7 acres per year and taken the crop all the way from drying to final products. Ayrloom is our family brand comprised of THC infused beverages, vapes and edibles and has built one of the largest cannabis extraction facilities in the state with a keen focus on quality and consistency.
Lance White
Full Name
Lance White
Job Title
Turtle Island Corporation
Company
Turtle Island Corporation
Speaker Bio
Lance White is a Mohawk cannabis entrepreneur from the territory of Akwesasne. White is the founder and president of Turtle Island Corporation and recently obtained a “first of its kind” Four Tier license from the tribal government in the New York portion of Akwesasne, which allows cultivation, extraction, retail sales and consumption under one roof.
Dave Vautrin
Full Name
Dave Vautrin
Job Title
Operating Partner
Company
Union Square Travel Agency
Speaker Bio
As Operating Partner at Union Square Travel Agency, a cannabis store, Dave supports a range of strategic functions as well as lead the procurement and portfolio for our retail operations. Dave has been in cannabis since 2016 and was recruited by a Canadian investment firm CannaRoyalty to start-up the US Operations in California. From start-up in 2016 to sale to Cresco in 2020, they built, acquired, funded, and operated a range of cannabis operations including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. With anticipated opening of the recreational cannabis market, Dave returned to his home state of New York in August 2022, and joined as an Operating Partner for Union Square Travel Agency, a cannabis store.

For the full agenda, click here.