Alan Gandelman began his career as a high school teacher where he immediately noticed a huge issue: the lack of fresh, nutritious food for his students. Dedicated to fixing the problem, he founded Main Street Farms in 2010, an organic vegetable farm in Cortland, NY and began providing local food to school districts in Central New York. In 2017 Gandelman co-founded New York Hemp Oil, a CBD processing company and Head & Heal, they are one of the first CBD brands to grow, process, and bottle their products entirely in New York State. Passionate about organic agriculture, Gandelman’s goal is to support the health and livelihoods of the people in his community. As Founder and President of the New York State Cannabis Growers and Processors Association, he has been leading the way on hemp legislation in New York and has long been a champion of small farmers. Allan played a key role in passage of the Hemp Extract Bill during the 2019 legislative session.

Kaelan has been in the New York hemp industry since 2015 as the founder of Sovereign Vines, America’s Only Hemp Infused Wine and Castetter Sustainability Group (CSG), receiving the first issued hemp processor license in 2017. As CEO, he has developed CSG as a leader in helping New York hemp companies, and farmers navigate the complex supply-chain, regulations, and compliance on a state and national level. He strives to make CSG a leader in political, regulatory, and compliance advisement throughout the state and helping small businesses succeed in all sectors of the cannabis markets.

Kaelan is also a co-founder of NYCGPA and helps to lead the discussion around adult-use cannabis legalization and legislative efforts. He played a key role in negotiations over the Hemp Extract Bill during the 2019 legislative session. the founder of Sovereign Vines: America’s Only Hemp Infused Wine and Castetter Sustainability Group (CSG), receiving the first issued hemp processor license in 2017. As CEO, he has developed CSG as a leader in helping New York hemp companies, and farmers navigate the complex supply-chain, regulations, and compliance on a state and national level. He strives to make CSG a leader in political, regulatory, and compliance advisement throughout the state and helping small businesses succeed in all sectors of the cannabis markets. Kaelan is also a co-founder of the New York Cannabis Growers & Processors Association, a group that was heavily involved in discussions around adult-use cannabis legalization and helped to write the Hemp Extract Bill during the 2019 legislative session.

Andrew’s company, HR Botanicals, LLC, obtained one of the earliest licenses to grow and process hemp in New York State. Andrew takes a horticultural approach to growing his crop, hand cultivating all his plants with the goal of maximizing cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Andrew strives to connect people who use his brand, Source Botanica, with the source of its goodness–the sun, soil and nutrient rich earth. His work also crosses into research on the use of cannabis medicines in clinical settings. He works with a team of clinicians and research scientists in understanding how cannabis medicines effect our bodies. Andrew worked for over ten years as a healthcare attorney where he advocated on behalf of individuals and organizations involving a range of healthcare access issues. As a Co-Founder of the New York State Cannabis Growers and Processors Association, he now uses his skills as an attorney to legalize and improve access to safe cannabis products. He played a key role in developing language and strategy for the Hemp Extract Bill passed during the 2019 legislative session.

Daniel Dolgin is the Co-Founder of Eaton Hemp, an organic hemp wellness company specializing in premium hemp seed snacks and CBD products. He is also the Co-Owner of JD Farms, a cutting-edge, sustainable organic farm sitting on over 3,000 acres in Central New York. In March 2016, JD Farms became the first and only private farm in the state to receive an industrial hemp license. Dan was instrumental in helping write the initial legislation allowing NY to become the epicenter for the hemp industry it is today. He sits on the Governor’s Industrial Hemp Working Group and on the board of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association. Prior to joining JD Farms, Dan worked for both the Bush and Obama administrations in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and at the National Counterterrorism Center, where he managed complex interagency plans designed to achieve specific US counterterrorism objectives. Dan received his Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and his BA from the Gallatin School at New York University.

Owen Martinetti is a Co-founder of Potency, Level Up Sciences and Naturae. Owen left Baruch College to start Naturae after receiving a license to cultivate and process industrial hemp in 2017 in New York. In 2018 Naturae cultivated 30 acres of hemp, constructed a 15,000 sqft greenhouse and built a 10,000 sqft processing facility that specializes in Co2 produced CBD extracts. At the beginning of Covid, Owen co-founded Level Up Sciences to work with several state agencies to import over 2.5 million medical masks and produce 1 million hand sanitizers. More recently Owen Co-founded Potency, an Adult Use Recreational Dispensary with its first location opening Q4 in Massachusetts.

Damian Fagon is a 3rd-generation farmer with a background in international development and agriculture. He has led development initiatives with castor farmers in Jamaica, rice growers in Sierra Leone and coffee exporters in Guatemala. Since 2017, he has launched and advised commercial cannabis operations in South Carolina, New York and the Caribbean.