March 31, 2023 - Surrey Leadership Series: Cannabis Industry Dialogue

The Surrey Board of Trade invites you to be a part of the upcoming Surrey Leadership Series: Cannabis Industry Dialogue. Hear from a panel of experts in the cannabis industry to understand the benefits of legal cannabis stores, and to learn how the City of Surrey can make use of models of operation utilized by other cities in Metro Vancouver.

About the Panelists:

Vikram Sachdeva: Vikram is the founder of Seed & Stone and brings over 22 years of retail experience in marketing, business development, and customer relations with leading retailers such as Subway and BC Liquor Distribution Branch. He has owned and operated Subway franchises in BC and was a member of the Subway FaF board which oversees marketing spend for all franchises in BC. Vikram has laid the roadmap for Seed & Stone's success in cannabis retail. For his work in the cannabis industry, Vikram was awarded the 2021 Top 100 Innovation CEOs Award by World Biz Magazine

Spensir Sangara: Spensir is an award-winning multi-passionate entrepreneur with a commitment to setting high standards in the direct-to-consumer space. These values have led him to build a profitable and iconic retail blueprint that was recently recognized back-to-back as the Best Independent Cannabis Retail Brand in Canada (Adcann, 2021 & 2022). As the founder of THC Canada and Co-Founder of Dank Mart, Spensir works hard to create profitable cultural hotspots that exceed expectations and create a Legendary customer experience.

Joyce Hayne: Joyce Hayne is the owner, publisher, and editor of EMC Publications, which publishes several B2B print and digital publications in the cannabis and hospitality industries including Cannabis Retailer, Canadian Cannabis News, The Quarterly Pour, and InnFocus and recently celebrated her 32 years in business. She started Cannabis Retailer in 2018 and has since developed it into the voice of Canadian cannabis retailers. This national publication reports news and trends and also provides business advice to store owners and staff in the rapidly growing retail cannabis marketplace. Joyce's insights from a national and provincial perspective are read by thousands of professionals in the cannabis industry.

Harp Hoonjan: Harp Hoonjan is the owner of Platinum Projects and a proven and successful senior executive who owns 5 Licensed Cannabis Stores in Vancouver, Tsawwassen, Ladner, Coquitlam, and Courtenay, BC. His past 3+ years have been spent consulting retail cannabis store operators through the municipal and provincial approval process. 2 years prior, Harp spent time with a private and vertically integrated CBD company across North America and Mexico in acquiring knowledge and experience in CBD genetics, high-quality CBD extracts/formulations, and sales. The previous 20-plus years of experience includes land development, consulting, and project management roles related to real estate development, multi-discipline project sites, multi-stakeholder negotiations, governmental approvals, and construction for projects ranging from several million dollars to multi-million dollars. Working alongside Harp is his wife and partner, Harinder, they have successfully run their own construction management and real estate development business for the last 20+ years. Harp has sat on the board of directors for the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation for the past 9 years and has supported his community and has given back in many ways.

Randy Tingskou - Randy is the owner and CEO of A Little Bud which has 5 locations across British Columbia employing over 40 people. With nearly a decade of experience in the retail and automotive industry his goal is to create a safe and supportive workplace where employees can thrive while providing a high-quality cannabis shopping experience for the customers. His passion for the industry stems from his desire to help grow the market, end negative stigmas, and make positive changes in the communities that support the cannabis industry. In the past year, he has positively impacted the community by setting up information booths at community festivals, hosting education sessions to change how people view cannabis and cannabis users, having A Little Bud White Rock established as a registered Safe Space with the city, and pledged over $100,000 in donations to the community.