Meeting recap

We had a bit of a Google Chat bungle today so we’re posting the meeting recap on the blog. Enjoy!

• Welcome and call to order
  Click here for agenda. We’ve got a lot of new members in the group, including new distributors, brands, and service providers. Check out our website to see the full list of brands, distributors, ingredient providers, can/label/package makers, co-packers, supply chain partners, professional service providers, retailers and associations.

• Treasury Department reporting requirements for small businesses
  Brian Wolski gave a presentation on important requirements from the Department of Treasury. This is a new law with potentially significant penalties. We encourage everyone to be aware of this issue and talk with your legal counsel about it (HBA does not provide legal counsel or advice). Click here for Brian’s presentation.

• Trade show branding opportunities
  Matt Strumpf/Strike Visuals are new members but have already been very active in helping folks out with trade show materials and other visual elements. Matt gave a great overview of best practices in trade show presentations. He’ll send out some information later this week to everyone so you can see what they can do for you.

• State advocacy
  Ted W. gave an update on California (still plugging away), Adam T. gave an update on New Jersey (nothing new from last week), Eapen and others weighed in on Iowa (lawsuits will be decided end of the week). Missouri advocates have a call on Thursday July 25 @ 10am if you want an update on what’s going on there. To participate in this call, fill out this Google form.

  Up-to-date information on these and other states can be found in our Slack channels. Shoot me a note if you want to discuss in further detail.

• Midwest Hemp Fest
  Tara Falk invited Midwest brands to participate in the Great Midwest Hemp Fest in Madison, Wisconsin - September 28 & 29. Tara expects several thousand people to attend this event, which will include a hemp beverage pavilion/tent showcasing drinks from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota. Click here for an application to participate. Email tara@rrproductionsgroup.com to learn more.

• Benzinga Capital Conference
  Javier Hasse spoke about Benzinga’s event in Chicago on October 8 & 9. They’re organizing a hemp/THC beverage contest and are offering $100 off for HBA members. Click here for details. Email javierhasse@benzinga.com for details and to get that $100 code.

• Data gathering
  There is an increasing need for real data on the size of the hemp beverage industry. Matt Kurtzman talked to the group about moving forward with a strategy to aggregate data from HBA brands and put it to good use for advocacy, marketing, and investors. The first step is to fill out this form to determine who is interested. From there, we’ll fashion a strategy to make this happen.

• Membership
  Please renew your membership if you haven’t already. Be sure to fill out the form that you’re directed to after you pay. Please note: We’ve heard from a few folks that Chase credit cards may bounce back with a “fraud alert.” Let us know if you’re having trouble paying and we’ll help you resolve. If you need a proper invoice sent first, you can email accounting@hempbeveragealliance.org. Todd Miller (“Miller”) is our bookkeeper and can take care of that. If you want to mail us a check, please send to PO Box 12664, Denver CO 80212. Just give us a heads up so we know it’s coming.
  
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