Hemp, Inc. shared its excitement today via a press release as North Carolina residents await Governor McCory’s signature to cement the legalization of industrial hemp in North Carolina. Last week, Industrial Hemp Senate Bill 313 was passed by both the House and Senate and stated the industrial hemp industry can “expand employment, promote economic activity, and provide opportunities to small farmers for an environmentally sustainable and profitable use of crop lands that might otherwise be lost to agricultural production.” In fact, Hemp, Inc. has already injected over a million dollars in North Carolina’s economy with the purchase of the Temafa decortication machinery, related items and the workforce needed to build the infrastructure of the only commercial hemp processing facility in the United States.

The company’s subsidiary, Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC, has also begun receiving applications from residents for future employment. “While we can not, at this time, quantify the amount of jobs our plant will create, we suspect hundreds of jobs will be created either directly and indirectly within our industry. Our presence in Spring Hope, North Carolina is already stimulating the local economy,” says David Schmitt, COO of Hemp, Inc.’s subsidiary, IHM. “From seed to sale, from farmers to the manufacturers, to the retail stores… this ripple effect could potentially create hundreds of jobs.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, “North Carolina’s agricultural industry contributes $78 billion to the state’s economy, accounts for more than 17 percent of the state’s income, and employs 16 percent of the work force. The state’s 52,200 farmers grow over 80 different commodities, utilizing 8.4 million of the state’s 31 million acres to furnish consumers a dependable and affordable supply of food and fiber. The state ranks seventh nationally in farm profits with a net farm income of over $3.3 billion. Net income per farm in the state is over $63,000.”

Hemp, Inc.’s processing facility is certainly the catalyst for an economic boom in not just Nash County, but the state of North Carolina, say executives. “We have kenaf growing in three different counties… we support the small family farm,” said Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc.

Now, the state is abuzz with an imminent reality of growing, not importing, industrial hemp. Kat McReynolds of Mountain Xpress NC reports…

NC’S HEMP BILL AWAITS GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Kat McReynolds

North Carolina farmers may soon be the newest competitors in the worldwide hemp market, pending a signature from Gov. Pat McCrory. Growing industrial hemp, as opposed to simply importing and processing it for use in derivative products, would be legal in North Carolina under Senate Bill 313 — which originally pertained to license plates and registers of deeds until a subsequent addition by sponsor Rep. Jeff Collins, R-Nash County. McCrory’s approval is the last step after speedy affirmative votes in both the N.C. House (101 votes to 7) and Senate (42 votes to 2).

“From all indications, the governor is going to sign it,” says Blake Butler, hemp advocate and organizer of Asheville’s recent HempX festival. “He’s in support of it.”

If the bill is enacted, an industrial hemp commission will be tasked with managing a statewide pilot program to monitor the inaugural cohort of commercial growers and researchers of the versatile crop, which is used to make thousands of products.

Carolina cannabis

Hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant, but smoking it doesn’t produce a high. By definition, industrial hemp must contain less than 0.3 percent of THC — the substance responsible for weed’s psychoactive effects — while marijuana’s average THC content has climbed from about 10 percent THC by weight to 30 percent over the past 30 years, according to a study by Colorado-based research lab Charas Scientific.

Despite containing only trace amounts of THC, the federal government lumps hemp in with marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning the plant’s production and use fall under the watchful eye of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA’s main concern surrounding hemp is that “commercial cultivation could increase the likelihood of covert production of high-THC marijuana, significantly complicating DEA’s surveillance and enforcement activities and sending the wrong message to the American public concerning the government’s position on drugs,” according to a 2015 Congressional Research Service report prepared for Congress, titled “Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity.” Hemp advocates, however, claim that cross-pollination between hemp and marijuana would actually lower the THC content of the latter, devaluing the harvest.

Still, the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79) allows states to enact their own regulatory systems surrounding industrial hemp cultivation. Until now, North Carolina law remained silent on the subject, even as other Southern state governments accommodated the controversial plant. Currently, 20 states have adopted Farm Bill-compliant laws to accommodate cultivation under varying circumstances.

If signed into law, North Carolina’s new bill will call for the formation of an industrial hemp commission to manage the state’s pilot program. The commission will issue paid permits (their number and geographic distribution are still to be determined), establish a reporting system for growers and ensure compliance with federal law. Also included in the industrial hemp bill is a plan to establish research partnerships with N.C. State University and North Carolina A&T University, as well as to conduct studies on economic potential and best agricultural practices.

Growing business

To be clear, it is already legal, with the correct paperwork, to process hemp in North Carolina into any of its thousands of derivative products, such as food products, hygiene items, textiles, building materials and biofuel. But for decades, North Carolinians have been forbidden to grow hemp. Instead, companies have relied upon neighboring states and other countries, including leading exporter China and dozens of other nations, for their hemp needs. To capitalize on the new legislation, then, will require action from North Carolina’s farming community.

“Between thousands of acres of unused farmland and vacant textile mills in every county, this is a true, unrecognized economic opportunity for our region,” Butler says, but “it’s not even on [farmers’] radar.”

Aspiring grower Claudia Townsend says she has applied to attend the Organic Growers School’s new year-long Farm Beginnings course with hopes of launching a hemp farm, despite the school’s current lack of hemp-specific expertise. Until now, local landowners have been hesitant to discuss leasing her a space for the venture, but Townsend is hopeful that legalization will legitimize her proposals.

Butler says he hadn’t heard any interest from WNC farmers in growing hemp until his inaugural HempX festival last month, but “farmers are starting to engage,” he says, noting an uptick in hemp-related inquiries since news of the legislative progress.

Molly Nicholie, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s local food campaign program director, reports a similar silence in ASAP’s network, adding: “I think that a lot of [farmers] don’t want to put time into thinking about it until it’s legal [and they] will sit back and watch other folks do it until they see if it’s worth their time.”

Meanwhile, Western North Carolina companies that are particularly hip to hemp have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to tighten the geographic spread of their supply chains.

Smiling Hara Tempeh co-owner Chad Oliphant, for example, sourced hemp from Canada for the company’s pilot batches of Hempeh before partnering with farmer Mike Lewis‘ Growing Warriors Project in Kentucky. Oliphant says Smiling Hara will be looking to purchase from North Carolina growers as soon as it’s feasible, but he expects that to take a few years.

“I have been involved with hemp farmers in Kentucky, and we are still figuring out logistics such as processing, transport and pricing,” he says. “It will be interesting to see how quickly the industry will be able to develop in North Carolina.”

Similarly, Plant chef Jason Sellers says buying regional hemp would “inspire me to use more of it in the kitchen.”

Asheville’s Alembic Studio LLC designs and implements hempcrete buildings across North America and in New Zealand using hemp from the latter, but “we have long anticipated the opportunity to be able to source this product from our own state,” says Timothy Callahan, Alembic technical design analyst and master builder.

Sara Day Evans, founding director of Accelerating Appalachia, says aspiring hemp entrepreneurs are inquiring about participating in her organization’s next nature-based business accelerator program. “We have applicants from Kentucky, West Virginia and North Carolina — all doing hemp. Most of them are actually small processors, which is good,” she says.

Notably, publicly traded organization Hemp Inc. recently purchased one of the nation’s only decortication machines — a specialized piece of equipment used to break hemp into fiber and hurd for further processing. The company then relocated the asset to a subsidiary in Spring Hope (located in Nash County, which the industrial hemp bill’s sponsor Collins represents).

In light of the disparity in interest to date between WNC farmers and local commercial users, Butler says his team may soon hold information sessions on potential hemp opportunities.

BREAK IT DOWN: A decortication machine at Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC in Spring Hope — the largest such piece of equipment in the states, according to the company — breaks raw hemp into its component parts for further processing. The plant is located in Nash County, the district Industrial Hemp Bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Collins represents.

To plant or not to plant

Even if they are interested in pursuing hemp as an auxiliary or main crop, farmers will find it difficult to unearth conclusive figures on hemp’s demand and profitability, due to piecemeal studies. Further, differing strains of hemp are better for different end uses, meaning aggregate hemp figures may not be meaningful for each submarket.

Allowing for limited data, the previously mentioned CRS study “Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity” estimates nearly $36.9 million in U.S. imported seeds and fibers (predominantly used as manufacturing inputs), which represents a sixfold increase since 2005. Annual sales for U.S. hemp-based products made with those seeds and fibers, along with other hemp-related imports, exceed $580 million.

After Kentucky took advantage of the 2014 Farm Bill’s deferral to state laws, Lewis became the first person in the country to legally grow hemp. He says his crops are “well-adjusted and perform just fine without any fertilizer,” although fertilizer was used as part of trials.

Strains for both food and fiber performed well on his land, but he says other farmers growing strains with high levels of CBD (a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid being researched for potential medicinal applications) had trouble with spider mites.

With proper planning, growers can get multiple harvests in a single year, but Lewis notes that his back-to-back plantings drew twice the nutrients from the soil. “The economic feasibility still needs to be determined,” he says.

The National Hemp Association’s website, meanwhile, credits the plant for requiring few pesticides and returning nutrients to the dirt, reading: “Hemp has been grown on the same soil for 20 years in a row without any noticeable depletion of the soil.”

Despite hemp’s attributes and his belief in the potential for profits, Lewis says he’s still traversing the learning curve.

“I don’t anticipate making any real farm gate income from my crops for another two years,” he says. “The problem we currently have is a bottleneck of [general agriculture product] processors. The only processors are very large in scale, many requiring 50,000 acres of product a year.”

“That type of production level ultimately keeps family farms as price-takers,” he continues. “If we are really going to see the real economic potential of this crop realized, it will need to be grown, processed and sold as locally as possible. Otherwise we are playing into the commodity markets, and that doesn’t usually equal profits for a small-scale producer like me.”

For more information on hemp and hemp legislation, visit nationalhempassociation.org or ncindhemp.org.

From entertainment and food to overall guest experience, Latitude 360 is all about a multi-dimensional approach that increases corporate and shareholder value. Latitude 360 is an award-winning pioneer of a dining and entertainment venues that blend premier upscale casual dining with a variety of entertainment choices such as luxury bowling, dine-in movies, high definition sports and more.

In addition to the key offerings mentioned above, each 360 location include Las Vegas-style live performance showroom, a feature bar hosting the area’s top musicians and/or DJs, game arcade, and luxury cigar lounge, and many choices of private meeting space. Through agreements with Monster Beverages (NASDAQ:MSNT) and Pepsico (NYSE:PEP), and paired with an impressive menu (http://latitude360.com/menu/) from its Latitude 360 Grille, Latitude 360 is committed to creating a branded “360 Experience” that encourages customer loyalty and word of mouth marketing.

The company also recently added dimension to its payment options via partnership with MyCheck, a mobile payment technology platform. The Latitude 360 mobile app, scheduled for launch in October, will allow guests to easily order beverage and dessert items off the menu, reorder other items already on their check, and then easily view, split their bill with friends, and pay using multiple linked payment methods such as Apple Pay (NASDAQ:AAPL). Guests will also be able to view their status and redeem benefits from their Latitude 360 Membership and Rewards program — all from the Latitude 360 app their smartphone.

Launched in 2014, Latitude 360’s monthly club membership program provides guests with a cache of monthly entertainment assets at a value price, as well as exclusive access to a 360 Club Concierge service – all for a monthly fee. The program has quickly grown to more than 5,000 monthly paying members.

Latitude 360 also recently expanded its entertainment offerings with the recent partnership and pending acquisition of Major League Fantasy (MLF), a leader in the daily fantasy sports industry, and concurrently launched its own branded daily fantasy sports service: “360 Fantasy Live” (www.360fantasylive.com). By adding yet another dimension to its existing locations, “360 Fantasy Live” enables Latitude 360 to drop anchor in the rapidly growing fantasy sports market, which is expected to reach $6 billion-$10 billion by year-end 2016. With this offering, Latitude 360 is now one of the first live, multimedia venues to offer in-house, high-stakes, competitive daily fantasy events.

How do you house such a multi-dimensional operation under one roof? Lots and lots of space. Latitude 360’s current venues range from 35,000-85,000 square feet packed full of eating and entertainment options that appeal to a broad base of guests, private events and corporate clients.

You’ll find a Latitude 360 location in Jacksonville, Florida, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis, Indiana, each of which is highly focused on providing a branded “360 EXPERIENCE.” Latitude 360 also currently operates two additional locations under management agreements in Syracuse, New York, and Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania, under the Revolutions brand – www.revoutionsbowl.com. These locations will be rebranded as Latitude 360 venues in the fourth quarter of this year.

Topping off its multi-dimensional approach to brick and mortar expansion, increased corporate and shareholder value, and growing entertainment options, is a visionary management team with a diverse line of experience. Under this leadership, Latitude 360 anticipates opening additional 360 venues in major cities overseas and domestically.

For more information visit www.latitude360.com

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Cherubim Interests, development-stage alternative construction and real estate development company, this morning reported its partnership with consultation and research and development firm Dgrass Enterprises. Based in Eugene, Oregon, Dgrass will assist Cherubim and its BudCube Cultivation Systems (“BCS”) subsidiary with their growth strategy to further develop the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for BCS technology.

Dominic Grasseth, CEO of Dgrass Enterprises, is a successful professional business owner, entrepreneur, consultant, master gardener and horticultural expert within the cannabis industry. Specializing in cultivation, production, extract, grow room design, consultation, and industry wide retail and wholesale equipment sales, Cherubim said Grasseth brings “a highly focused, well rounded and unique amount of hands-on experience to the industry.”

Grasseth has more than 16 years of combined indoor and outdoor growing experience, and in 2010 opened The Greener Side of Life, a retail and wholesale garden supply company in Eugene.

“We are thrilled and honored to have Dgrass Enterprises and as partners in this venture” said Cherubim CEO Patrick Johnson. “Dominic is one of the most skilled businessmen that I know in the industry and has the skins on the wall to prove it. We are excited about the bright future that lies ahead for us.”

For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com

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Following its legalization of cannabis for recreational use at the beginning of 2014, the performance of Colorado’s recreational and medical marijuana markets have exceeded expectations. Last year, the state recorded just shy of $700 million in total sales, beating market forecasts by more than 20 percent, according to the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly. This sharp increase in demand produced a similar spike in cultivation figures, with more than 500,000 plants being cultivated each month as of December 2014. Cherubim Interests, Inc., through wholly-owned subsidiary BudCube Cultivation Systems USA, is primed to capitalize on this cultivation boom through its unique mini-storage business model.

While the term ‘mini-storage’ probably brings to mind small garages packed full of antiques and holiday decorations and owned by companies like Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) and AMERCO (NASDAQ: UHAL), Cherubim’s innovative approach to the concept could be the perfect solution for meeting the rising demands of Colorado’s cannabis industry while maintaining a low barrier of entry for startup cultivation operations. Through its single tenant ‘micro’ units, Cherubim plans to enter into agreements with individual tenants to acquire and develop an affordable solution to cannabis production. Likewise, the company will offer ‘macro’ solutions to larger clients that can then be subleased to individual tenants.

“Even though we will first market test leasing units in the legal cannabis industry, there are many other practical applications for this technology,” Patrick Johnson, chief executive officer of Cherubim, stated in a news release. “Across the globe, massive food shortages exist due to extreme drought conditions and this application will serve this market niche as well in the future.”

Reaffirming the viability of Cherubim’s strategy, the industrial real estate market in Colorado is currently thriving as marijuana merchants scramble to locate ample space in which to house their legal cannabis cultivation operations. This demand is illustrated by the current leasing rates for industrial space in Denver, which are roughly four times the national average at $17 per square foot. This demand is expected to continue its climb in the coming months, with state budget officials predicting recreational sales of $613 million over the next year.

As Cherubim continues to utilize a hybrid business model that capitalizes on the performance of legalized cannabis markets around the country while maintaining a focus on the acquisition and development of residential and commercial rental properties, the company is in a favorable strategic position to promote sustainable growth. For prospective shareholders, this positioning makes Cherubim an intriguing investment opportunity moving forward.

For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com

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Targeting rare, or underserved conditions, where the potential exists for disruptive innovation has long been a successful inside track strategy for the biopharma sector. A person doesn’t have to look any further than the niche market for a drug like Sabril® (vigabatrin), approved for human use by the FDA in 2009, as well as during the late 1980’s in the EU for treating infantile spasms and refractory complex partial seizures. Sanofi’s (NYSE: SNY) Sabril, the North American rights to which have been out-licensed to Lundbeck (OTC: HLUYY), raked in $120 million last year, and saw a 35 percent appreciation in revenues when compared with 2013.

And yet Sabril’s NCE (New Chemical Entity) exclusivity has expired and its orphan drug exclusivity expires in August of next year, opening the door wide to innovators like Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CPRX). Catalyst has a vast amount of experience with its own version of vigabatrin (gamma-vinyl-GABA), CPP-109, and is rapidly developing an improved antiepileptic indication known as CPP-115. CPP-115 acts to inhibit GABA-aminotransferase (GABA-AT), much like vigabatrin, but has also shown itself to be some 200 times more potent when tested via both in-vitro and animal model, where its use resulted in much higher levels of the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Given that some 30 percent of the 3 million Americans who either experience an unprovoked seizure each year, or who are diagnosed with epilepsy, find themselves wracked with seizures despite the best modern medicines and surgical techniques, a powerful antiepileptic like CPP-115 could be a real godsend.

Catalyst’s decision to strike while the iron is hot and develop a generic version of Sabril, given that that there are no listed patents and the company believes its processes do not infringe on any unexpired patents, is a shrewd move that sets up CPP-115 for more widespread adoption across its potential indication spectrum. Already granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for infantile spasms, as well as orphan medicinal product designation in the EU for a severe form of epilepsy involving infantile spasms known as West Syndrome, CPP-115 is also being developed for other neurological conditions associated with reduced levels of neuronal excitability regulator GABA, such as PTSD, and Tourette’s syndrome (TS). CDC estimates put the number of TS patients each year in the U.S. alone at somewhere north of 138,000 and PTSD, once understood as only a battlefield-induced ailment, is now thought to impair as much as 7.8 percent of all Americans at some point in their lives. What all of this really means is that the upside for an effective broad-spectrum antiepileptic treatment, without the side effects typical of the current standards of care, could be considerable.

In fact, CPRX reported top-line results just this June for an open-label, proof-of-concept trial of CPP-109 in treatment-refractory TS patients, where one quarter of those taking CPP-109 exhibited a clinically significant reduction in tics. The company’s massive, established body of clinical trial vision safety data from previous work with vigabatrin, including a 2007 bioequivalence study of its formulation against the European equivalent of Sabril, places CPRX out in a leadership position here to develop a generic, and should help the company nail the FDA and institutional review board bioequivalence study. CPP-115 may address one of the primary concerns with chronic use of vigabatrin, visual field defects, and the significantly enhanced potency also means CPP-115 could be administered using methods and dosages that could potentially make a world of difference for patients. Moreover, the development of CPP-115, for which the less-potent, riskier vigabatrin analog CPP-109 is currently acting as a kind of temporary research surrogate (to demonstrate the efficacy of GABA-AT blockade), aligns nicely with CPRX’s overall vision of developing novel treatments for a variety of rare neurological and neuromuscular conditions.

After all, Catalyst’s main focus is on its flagship candidate, a neuronal potassium channel blocker known as Firdapse®, for which the company recently initiated a rolling NDA submission to the FDA. Firdapse has already been granted orphan drug designation and breakthrough therapy designation for treating the rare muscle weakening autoimmune disorder commonly associated with SCLC (small-cell lung cancer), known as LEMS (Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome), as well as a group of muscle weakness conditions known as CMS (congenital myasthenic syndromes), and the most common form of central vestibular nystagmus (involuntary eye movement), downbeat nystagmus. Firdapse has been marketed in the EU since 2010 for LEMS and has been put forth by the European Academy of Neurology as well, as a frontline symptomatic treatment for this potentially severely disabling disease.

Originally in-licensed for North America via a strategic collaboration with BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, which has CPRX spearheading the clinical development, Firdapse’s main target is treating the roughly 3,000 patients each year who are stricken with LEMS, half of whom have cancer – most predominantly SCLC, of which there are around 33,180 cases each year according to the American Cancer Society’s 2015 estimates. Firdapse has shown statistically significant improvements for a whole host of independent neurological functions in LEMS patients across numerous randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, as well as in one double-blind study with an active comparator. Recently having completed pivotal Phase 3 safety and efficacy clinical trialing via a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized discontinuation trial that yielded positive top-line results (followed by an open-label extension period), Firdapse has also been made available by CPRX on a compassionate use basis under an Expanded Access Program in the interim preceding FDA approval, where it provides treatment to seriously ill patients for whom no other treatments are available.

Moving forward, CPRX remains squarely focused on the Firdapse NDA, while also pursuing CPP-115 as a candidate for future treatment refractory TS trials, and the company looks to be on track for approval of Firdapse sometime next year. Firdapse represents a distinct alternative to other attempts at managing the symptoms of LEMS, including monthly immunoglobulin IV infusions and medications like amifampridine capsules or corticosteroids, which are only marginally effective.

Substantial experience developing antiepileptic drugs and a rapidly advancing pipeline where its lead candidate is in Phase 3 are great signs of health for CPRX, which could be winding down the capital burn rate-intensive phase typical of development-stage biopharma companies within the very near future as Firdapse commercialization looms large on the horizon. Investors will want to keep a close eye on the company for news about its generic Sabril development and FDA approval of Firdapse.

Or, take a closer look right now by visiting www.catalystpharma.com

Sunken shipwrecks filled with lost treasures and tales of human history have captivated imaginations for generations. Few vessels illustrate this fascination more than the Titanic, the 46,000-ton ‘unsinkable’ ocean liner that drifted to the bottom of the North Atlantic during its maiden voyage, where it remained, undiscovered, for nearly three-quarters of a century. Despite its mystique, the Titanic is far from the only wrecked ship steeped in history and treasure that’s been stranded on an ocean floor awaiting discovery by bold and courageous adventurers.

Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ: OMEX) demonstrated the marketability of subsea exploration when, in 2003, it recovered more than 64,000 coins and artifacts from the SS Republic, which had been missing since the Civil War. Blue Water Ventures International, Inc. (OTC: BWVI) reaffirmed this fact when, from 2006 to 2011, it successfully utilized proprietary new technologies to recover more than $16 million in rare and extraordinary treasures and artifacts from the widely dispersed shipwreck trail.

Monetizing priceless treasures and artifacts can be a difficult endeavor, particularly when it comes to one-of-a-kind items. For this reason, BWVI has traditionally utilized third-party auction settings in order to sell its most valuable treasures. Most recently, the company announced the sale of three signature pieces recovered from the wreck of the Santa Margarita, realizing gross proceeds of nearly $400,000. While these sales demonstrated the vibrant market for these unique treasures, BWVI is preparing to make a significant change to its monetization strategy. In a recent news release, the company announced its intentions to take a more hand-on approach to the rare treasures market through newly-created subsidiary Blue Water Treasures, Inc. (BWT).

BWT’s efforts will be focused on the marketing, sale and monetization of treasure and artifacts recovered by both BWVI and outside firms, as well as the commercialization of high-quality replicas derived from such items. The company also intends to acquire marketable pieces through the auction process in order to capitalize on the steep discounts that are regularly available to educated buyers.

In support of its new subsidiary, BWVI plans to update its online presence by expanding its social media footprint and improving its website design. Similarly, BWT is currently developing its own website and social media presence, which it plans to launch in the coming months. When complete, BWT’s site is expected to include an online store stocked with treasures, nautical-themed jewelry, historical artifact replicas and related items that are available directly to the public. As of its latest update, BWVI estimated that both projects will be substantially completed in time for the busy holiday season.

For more information, visit www.bwvint.com

Giggles N’ Hugs, owner and operator of a trio of family-friendly restaurants in Century City, Glendale and Woodland Hills in Southern California, is preparing to grow to dozens of locations in key markets around the United States.

As it enters this next phase of growth, Giggles N’ Hugs is seeking to duplicate the winning formula that has brought its first three locations success. At each of these locations, adult-friendly organic food are offered hand-in-hand with kid-friendly play and entertainment in order to create a trendy, family-friendly atmosphere.

The restaurants’ location in Southern California, which is known for its sunny climes and fair weather, has certainly been a factor in their success but management is anticipating even better results in markets where the weather is less than sunny. During the rare instances of inclement weather that the restaurants have experienced in Los Angeles, management has observed that it gets an influx of customers who seem to prefer to spend the time indoors at a Giggles N’ Hugs location rather than outdoors.

Plus, with birthday parties making up a significant portion of the company’s business, it often gets a sales spike on rainy days because of families who wish to rebook their backyard or park birthday parties and to move them indoors. By expanding to markets like rainy Seattle and foggy San Francisco, management expects that this unique aspect of its business will result in an increase in revenue, profits and shareholder value.

Giggles N’ Hugs has been actively negotiating for its expansion with several giant mall owners in the nation. General Growth Properties, Simon Property Group and Westfield Group are among those names and, collectively, own more than 500 properties around the globe. At this time, these negotiation talks are focused on expanding the Giggles N’ Hugs imprint on the West Coast. The goal is to initially target five properties that are similar in size to the company’s current locations in Los Angeles in markets that include Seattle in the west, San Francisco in the north and San Diego and Orange County in the south.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Canadian-based Legacy Ventures International was founded on the idea of seeking out creative companies with game-changing potential, allowing Legacy Ventures to provide the capital, oversight, and connections necessary to bring all the innovation and passion to fruition. To this end, Legacy Ventures has announced the acquisition of all outstanding common stock of RM Fresh Brands, Inc., based in Toronto. Through the Share Exchange Agreement, Legacy Ventures issued two million shares of common stock to the shareholders of RM Fresh in exchange for all the issued and outstanding shares of RM Fresh. As a condition of the agreement, 35,800,000 shares of Legacy Ventures were cancelled, leaving Legacy with 28,180,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Legacy Ventures will file a Current Report with the SEC on Form 8-K within the required period.

RM Fresh Brands services food and beverage retailers and distributors who are looking for innovative, trend-setting products across North America and in international markets. With a focus on sustainable, category changing consumables, RM Fresh Brands represents an extensive portfolio of highly desirable brands, including Boxed Water. The principals of RM Fresh, Ron Patel and Mirwan Ferris, will remain as officers and directors of RM Fresh.

Upon closing of the transaction, Rehan Saeed resigned as the President and CEO of Legacy Ventures, and Evan Clifford was appointed by the Board of Directors as the new President and CEO. Mr. Clifford has extensive experience in entrepreneurial start-ups in both the private and public sector. Over the last fifteen years, Mr. Clifford has built and maintained extensive relationships throughout many different industries, and has earned a platinum record managing some of Canada’s top music artists, while playing a leading role in building one of the world’s foremost electric car companies. He has been a speaker at the world renowned Idea City Conference, and has coached companies and individuals to achieve personal and professional success throughout the last decade.

For further information on Legacy Ventures or RM Fresh Brands, visit www.LegacyVenturesInc.com or www.RMFreshBrands.com

You could assume plenty of reasons someone may not be a fan of going to the hospital. Fears of doctors, needles and tests aside, many people simply cringe at the aftermath of a hospital: recovery and bill management.

MIT Holding provides professional outpatient medical care with ambulatory infusion therapies, home infusion services and medical equipment delivery. At the core of its operations, MIT Holding is addressing the mayhem associated with hospital discharge and subsequent at-home recovery, working through its growing network of accredited agents, facilitators and contractual obligations to operate as a single-source provider of the aforementioned services.

From the time of patient discharge from the medical facility, MITD handles everything pertaining to the at-home recovery phase, including in-home medical equipment, infusion services, medications, follow-up appointments, organize therapy sessions, wound dressings, transportation. This saves the patient and their caretakers with significant convenience and assistance through what might otherwise become a burdensome task that delays full recovery.

MITD’s goal here is to make sure there is no lapse in patient care or communication. Furthermore, the digital paperwork MIT maintains in order to monitor the patient’s recovery contains all the information the hospital and doctors need to comply with the industry rules.

Another advantage is that MITD meets and/or exceeds major U.S. health insurance requirements and is therefore able to direct bill and receive payments from carriers on behalf of the patient its agents and its facilitators. This ability marks an important step in the company’s goal of developing the first-of-its-kind seamless transition for patient needs from hospital discharge to complete home recovery. Because the company handles insurance inquires and professional insurance claim billing, mounting claims, bills and calls to insurance companies are no longer an insurmountable task.

The company also provides expert legal, accounting, advisory and educational services to physicians, medical centers, hospitals, small and large businesses regarding the Affordable Care Act; offers travel and transportation services of medically challenged patients for medical needs and personal travel; and through its contracts is approved to, conduct and administer FDA clinical trials.

Revolutionary to the broader healthcare industry, MITD’s sails are starting to catch wind as it sees the fruition of its reorganization strategy implemented in 2014. The company last month reported that sales for the first six months were $851,724, an increase over sales of $473,153 for the same period of 2014. Adjusted net income for the period was $265,967, or $0.0027 per diluted share. In a GAAP basis, MITD’s first six months of 2015 earned a gross profit of $631,725 compared to $312,240 for the comparable period of 2014.

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, MITD produced a per share profit on 202% increase in revenues, as compared to the same period of 2014, reflecting a 37% increase in receivables.

“We are pleased with the strong financial and operational performance of our reorganization strategy. The first six months of profit and growth validate our strategy and approach to our business model,” MITD Chief Executive Officer Walter Drakeford stated in a previous news release. “The unabated growth in the medical industry is creating headwinds, contributing to our continued growth and profitability. The MITD concept of bringing together all necessary services and products under one umbrella for a patient’s post-medical event recovery is, to our knowledge, the first in the industry.”

For more information, visit http://mitholdinginc.com/

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Hemp, Inc. this morning expressed its favor of proposed Senate Bill 313, which earlier this week passed the House and the Senate with a vote of 42 to 2. Upon final approval by Governor Pat McCory, the bill will authorize an industrial hemp pilot program within the state of North Carolina and establish the Industrial Hemp Commission (IHC) to implement and oversee the university research program for the cultivation of industrial hemp.

IHC will collaborate with the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association (NCIHA), of which David Schmitt, COO of Hemp, Inc.’s North Carolina-based Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC subsidiary, is on the board of directors.

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc., in the news release stated, “We couldn’t be more excited. Just one day after the House approved the bill, it was approved by the Senate. This is a major accomplishment for the state. Years ago, the Senator Stan Bingham attempted to pass an Industrial Hemp bill but North Carolina’s law enforcement opposed it and that buried the bill. Now, there are no objections to it. People are being educated on the myriad benefits of industrial hemp, including how it can help the economy. I believe we’ll see less objections across the country as more people begin to understand what hemp is and how it can benefit them as an individual and how it benefits their community. Our multipurpose hemp processing plant is the only one in the state, so we are thrilled.”

Despite snags in legislation, the U.S. market for hemp products was valued to be at least $620 million, according to the non-profit trade association Hemp Industries Association (HIA). This includes hemp food, body care products, non-diary milk, shelled seeds, soaps, lotions, clothing, auto parts, building materials and various other products.

Per Senate Bill 313 (which can be viewed here), the general assembly declared that promoting and encouraging the development of the industrial hemp industry will benefit North Carolina residents by promoting economic activity, expanding employment, and providing opportunities “to small farmers for an environmentally sustainable and profitable use of crop lands that might otherwise be lost to agricultural production.”

“This is exciting news for North Carolina farmers who will be able to cultivate industrial hemp again for the first time in 71 years,” said Thomas Shumaker, executive director for NCIHA.

Passage of the bill through North Carolina’s House and Senate is also exciting news for Hemp, Inc., whose multipurpose industrial hemp processing plant in Spring Hope, North Carolina, is 80% complete. As previously announced, German engineer Jens Kleinert of Temafa Machines, the manufacturer of Hemp, Inc.’s decortication machine, is visiting the plant to monitor the re-installation and has since derived a list of final tasks that need to be done in preparation for maximum operational efficiency.

Once the facility is operational, Hemp, Inc. will process kenaf until Senate Bill 313 goes into effect. Kenaf, known as “cotton’s cousin,” is a fibrous hibiscus cannabinus plant with a growing number of uses, including paper, carpet backing and padding, roofing felt, fire logs, cardboard and more.

“Even with the kenaf, we expect it to produce millions of dollars in revenue a year, which is already legal and very lucrative,” he stated.

For more information on Hemp, Inc. visit www.hempinc.com

For more information on current hemp laws, visit www.VoteHemp.com

Let us hear your thoughts: Hemp, Inc. Message Board