Investor Connect - 415 - Smoke Wallin of Vertical Wellness

In this episode, Hall welcomes Smoke Wallin, CEO of Vertical Wellness. Vertical Wellness is a leading, vertically integrated, consumer-focused health and wellness brand company with innovative hemp cannabinoid solutions. Their mission is to help people by bringing the most innovative and effective portfolio of cannabinoid (CBD and others) brands to the market. Initial VWEL brands include Kathy Ireland Health & Wellness, Taos, Lap Dog, Par5, Halogenix, Wingra Farms, Neutrate, USMCC, and Hemp-Moji. VWEL Services leverages their extensive investment and team knowledge by helping the entire industry with strategic, financial, branding, sales and hemp processing solutions. Vertical Wellness has operations in California and Kentucky and has cultivated over 1,800 acres of hemp on partner farms in 2019. The Company is one of the largest processors of Hemp globally with over 20 million lbs processed or contracted in 2020. Smoke is a chairman and multifaceted CEO and industry leader in beverage, distribution, hemp and technology. He built >$1 billion alcohol beverage distribution company before merging into now $11+billion company. Smoke was the Chairman & President of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, industries. 25+ acquisitions, multiple successful turn-around situations, and startups with successful exits. Successfully raised $500+ million in debt & equity for direct ventures. Served(s) on multiple public and private boards. YPO, EY Entrepreneur of Year, Distinguished Alum Award Vanderbilt, MBA Vanderbilt University, BS Agricultural Economics Cornell University. Smoke shares with Hall how he sees the cannabis industry evolving, the sector's current growth rate - despite COVID-19 - the challenges in the space, what accelerated and decelerated during COVID-19, and much more. You can visit Vertical Wellness at www.vertical-wellness.com. Smoke can be contacted via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/smokewallin/, via Twitter at www.twitter.com/smokewallin?lang=en, and via email at [email protected].