Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) May 19, 2015
Visionary Seneca leader Ross John, Sr., announces today the formation of a joint venture agreement to research and develop complete and appropriate cannabis economic business models ideal for Native peoples and their territories. The joint venture is designed to use Native sovereign status as a unique development asset that can help streamline and nurture cannabis related projects and programs. “Sovereignty is an asset,” said Ross John Sr.
Longtime Seneca businessman and community leader Ross John is a Councillor for the Seneca Nation and is the former Chairman of the Seneca Economic Development Commission. John was appointed by past President Snyder and accepted by the Seneca Nation’s Council as the Commission’s first chairman. The Seneca Nation’s Economic Development Commission is seen by many as an important step in building a better economic relationship and building diversity.
“We want people to understand we’re Indian Country’s best chance for economic development,” John states. “Seneca sovereignty should be viewed as an asset for the entire region, and our job is to be out there and be active and available for a conversation with anybody and everybody on the topic of medical marijuana.”
It doesn’t end there. Also targeted are projects with ties to area universities and colleges and those with industry-specific backgrounds such as tourism, hospitality, medicine and technology. The focus will be on projects on sovereign lands in Salamanca, Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
“It’s about diversification. There’s a lot more to the Seneca Nation than casinos and cheap gas and cigarettes,” John said.
The commission’s roots go back to Seneca Nation past President Barry Snyder Sr., who said, “The Seneca Nation’s economy has grown significantly in the past several decades into a successful engine for regional economic growth.”
The focus of the joint venture is to use the Ross John’s private sector business experience and individual Seneca sovereign status to help evaluate and fast-track targeted business ventures in the cannabis space. All ventures will be vetted by the team including, Ross John, Lisa Sundberg and Cheryl Shuman. “We’re not your enemy,” Ross John said. “We’re here to be an asset. There’s nothing better than seeing Western New York benefit from our sovereign status.”
He said he could envision the joint venture using Native sovereign status to participate in the existing and emerging legal cannabis industry and help with medical tourism-based initiatives or developing companies to play off the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
“We couldn’t have had this conversation a year ago,” John said. “With our on-going push to our assert sovereignty and the gains made in the shifts of federal policy, we can now exercise our sovereignty and lead Indian Country to create the ideal business models for cannabis economic development on our own lands. The Cole Memo issued by the Federal Government on December 11, 2014 provides guidelines for Indian Country to develop their own regulation business model. The direction points to a strategy employing the top cannabis policy experts lead by Lisa Sundberg and Cheryl Shuman to meet with both the U.S. District Attorney and Seneca leadership to implement best standards and practices from successful business models like Colorado’s Amendment 64. “With a coordinated and organized effort, we are 100% confident that we can develop a successful strategy for all Indian Nations for cannabis policy,” states Ross John.
Lisa Sundberg is Yurok and a member of the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, located in Humboldt County along the Pacific Ocean. She comes from a medicine family and is active in her local native ceremonies, is a visionary, entrepreneur and advocate in her community, and serves on the legislative committee for her tribe and advocates for economic development and self-sustaining communities.
Her company helps companies that want to do business with Native people in North American. Having served as a former appointee to the Secretary of Interior under the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act, mandated to study and investigate tribes across the country, and being the daughter of one of the longest seated female Indian leaders in the country, she has amassed a network spanning over 30 years in her field. She keeps her ear to the ground for new waves of opportunity that can benefit Indian Country.
Cheryl and Lisa have signed a letter of Intent with Ross John, an individual member of the Seneca Nation, whose goal is to lead the way for his people and the country and to provide products and services his surrounding communities are begging for.
“Working with Cheryl and Lisa is historic and exciting, “ said John. “We are taking the lead to make sure that the hurdles that must be crossed be done in the proper way, and bringing the top industry leaders to provide best practices, so we can help the people in our communities.”
Ross John, is from the Seneca Nation and he makes it very clear that his territory is surrounded by the state of New York and NOT “in” the state of New York. Ross is an elected official and founder of the Seneca Economic Development Commission. A visionary in his own nation, he is no “front man” to any project. He is an active business person leading the way in innovation technologies, energy, hydroponics, and green energy etc.
Ross believes Seneca’s have a unique status as a sovereign nation and pushes the state and federal governments to stop fighting them and get behind them. “People don’t have to look to foreign county to find a sovereign nation, we are a nation and a neighbor with many of the distinct regulatory and other advantages sought after in outsourcing to foreign countries. We want to provide a place where true testing and research can be provided without having to go to a foreign country to do it.” As with any other things Senecas do, they can get things done a lot easier as things don’t get boxed up with outside party politics or special interest groups. The cannabis industry can have the necessary research it truly needs to help people instead of the Federal Government wanting oversight without humanity.
Cheryl Shuman brings her 25 years skills of public relations, media, product branding, and business development to the budding organization. Shuman was recently featured on the cover of Adweek as Pot’s First Marketer, in Elle Magazine as The Most Powerful Women in the Pot Industry, named The Cannabis Queen of Beverly Hills by The New York Times Sunday Magazine as well as gracing The Cannabis Queen of Beverly Hills in The London Times Magazine.
Ross John said, “Cheryl has accomplished so much extraordinary progress in Cannabis reform, reaching millions of families through the utilization of mainstream media. Cheryl is leading the entire cannabis movement making history in the media as well as developing successful cannabis businesses.”
Shuman said, “Working with Ross John and Lisa Sundberg, I have always been inspired by their vision and dedication to Indian Country. It’s an honor to lead such a dynamic and ambitious organization, with such a clear and focused mission—improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable, women and children. Our partnership creates a wonderful opportunity for Native Nations around the world to follow in the visionary footsteps of Pauline Sabin from the 1930’s who led a group of dedicated women to overturn alcohol prohibition. Today, we are making history working towards the end of cannabis prohibition.”
Cheryl Shuman states, “Women are the secret to creating the ideal business model for cannabis legalization. We are the family decision makers and influencers in society. After all, women buy 85% of all household and consumer products, according to Adweek. Now we can use that influence to change laws, save lives, families and introduce parents to new possible careers in the green rush. As an entrepreneur, it’s exciting to be on the ground floor of the cutting edge of making news and witnessing the convergence of Seneca and cannabis development.”
“The right leadership team is everything. Working with Lisa Sundberg and Ross John, it was evident immediately that it was a perfect fit in terms of values, integrity and personality. The leadership executed with Ross John, Lisa Sundberg and our team elevates Seneca leadership stature in the cannabis industry, adding prestige and thus creating a positive ‘halo’ around the organization. The value of our combined teamwork’s ability to provide global celebrity and media exposure for our organization are priceless,” said Cheryl Shuman.
The possibilities are limitless from Cannabis Friendly resorts, medical clinics, clinical trials as well as laboratories. The cannabis industry is estimated to generate over $ 32 Billion in revenue by 2020 making it more valuable than the NFL, according to the Washington Post and GreenWave Advisors Research (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/10/24/the-marijuana-industry-could-be-bigger-than-the-nfl-by-2020/) “We plan on making certain that Indian Country can benefit from these revenues and are fully committed to making it happen,” exclaims Cheryl Shuman. Stay tuned for further announcements, event schedule and media tour.
About Ross John:
Ross L. John, Sr. is Seneca. Mr. John was born and raised on the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation, where he continues to reside with his family and operate his businesses.
In 1983 Ross L. John, Sr., together with his family and community, began to establish a group of interrelated companies, now collectively referred to as Ross John Enterprises (“RJE”). RJE is 100% owned and operated by Mr. John, who serves as President and manages all aspects of its day-to-day operations. Today, RJE essentially serves as a holding company for more than 16 interrelated businesses: Each of which is majority owned and operated by Mr. John, who serves as President and manages all aspects of those companies’ day-to-day operations.
About Cheryl Shuman Inc. :
Cheryl Shuman’s TV reality started by age seventeen, she had made several television appearances and was offered to appear regularly on The Bob Braun Show on WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, which led to a national recurring segment on PM Magazine. At age twenty-three, Cheryl relocated to Los Angeles to become know as the “Optician to the Stars” and created a new business, Starry Eyes. As CEO of Starry Eyes, Cheryl worked on some of the biggest films, TV, and music properties generating multi-million dollar revenues. This success led to her own show on the QVC network and a mutually rewarding seven-year relationship that included product placement, production and branded entertainment divisions.
After years of following failed allopathic medicine treatments, she opted for medical cannabis in the form of raw juice and oils as an alternative. Her success using medical cannabis led her to found the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club. Today, Cheryl is the most visible and recognizable woman in the medical marijuana reform movement, recently receiving the 2013 Activist of the Year Award at Seattle Hempfest. Cheryl Shuman, Inc. has generated over $ 1 Billion worth of earned media worldwide while appearing on such mainstream shows as CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, The Katie Couric Show, The View, ABC’s 20/20, Good Morning America, Fox Business News and many other media outlets. Cheryl Shuman is represented by the prestigious William Morris Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills. For more information, please visit http://www.CherylShuman.com and http://www.BHCClub.com.