Interview with Calum Hughes, CEO of Allied Corp
On May 1, 2019, Calum Hughes, CEO of Advanced Micro Biosciences (Allied Corp), will be speaking at Kahner Global's 4th Annual Cannabis Private Investment Summit West in Beverly Hills, CA. The event will host more than 150 industry leaders and investors for a day of collaboration and networking.
1. Tell me a little bit about your background, and how Advanced Micro Biosciences came to be.
With a humble approach, I founded Advanced Micro Biosciences, which is currently under binding LOI for acquisition by Allied Corp: OTC Exchange. Allied Corp.’s global strategy involves bringing forth medical cannabis technologies to support veterans and first responders suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This involves proprietary strains and full scope in person therapy augmented with a novel online community.
In the past, I enjoyed getting my medical grounding from spending 10 years in the hospital setting managing quality assurance teams in seven hospitals and as a director of a full scope 140 bed hospital in Canada. Through working towards my Doctorate degree and teaching at the University of British Columbia, I created some software that enabled legal cannabis producers in Canada to manage quality assurance audits. In doing this, I had the privilege to be a part of over 48 Health Canada applications and licensing processes. I got to know what was working and what was not for high quality premium Cannabis production. This is when Advanced Micro was founded.
Allied Corp has end stage licenses for Micro Cultivation and Standard Production in Canada. In addition to this, we have been able to negotiate acquisitions of low cost, high quality cannabis producers in Colombia. Allied Corp will be publicly listed on the OTCQB exchange and has a vision to meet the regulation listing requirements to advance quickly to NASDAQ.
Some of my clinical experience includes functioning as a health care provider for patients with co-morbid chronic diseases, acute disability and workplace health & wellness. Working as a clinician, I created Physical & Functional Diagnostic Tools and Chronic Disease Management Protocols for Cardiovascular, Orthopedic, Obesity, Respiratory, Brain Injury, and Cerebrovascular disease. I have created teaching resources and presented at top-level educational presentations regarding Change Management, Quality Improvement, Personality & Communication, Project Management and Lean Manufacturing Method for Healthcare.
2. On your site, you mention working with a network of micro-producers across Canada. Was this something that was needed, and welcomed, in the market, or was it initially a ‘hard sell?’
We have had too many requests from people wanting to adopt our micro cultivation approach. We have a dedicated approach to show the execution, then scale.
3. What is a ‘micro-production facility’?
A micro cultivation facility is a 4000 square foot micro cultivation facility that produces premium craft grown cannabis that is specifically grown for veterans and first responders. We also have a large scale production that is grown in Colombia and Uruguay and then finished processing in Canada.
4. What is ‘craft cannabis?’
Craft cannabis is cannabis that is grown in a more of a controlled environment. Within this environment we can custom breed certain strains to have the unique cannabinoid and terpene profile that is best suited for PTSD in first responders and veterans.
5. What makes you different from your competitors?
We have a unique approach and major access to veterans and first responders. In addition to this, our 20 years of craft cannabis growth and development of novel strains.
6. What successes have you seen with your process as compared to other processes you may have used before, or are used by other cannabis companies?
We have the unique ability to grow premium, craft-grown cannabis in Canada as well as large scale cannabis production and processing in Colombia. This is what make us unique: our diversified, vertically integrated strategy.
Why is your business model ‘uniquely scaleable’?
The micro buildings are produced by our manufacturing partner and can land within 60-90 days. There are no long-winded construction timelines. Our buildings are modular and can be scaled as large as needed.
7. What do you see as the future of the Cannabis Industry in the US and Internationally?
I believe that we are just starting to scratch the surface on the medical benefits of cannabis. We have several concurrent discovery projects on-going. I also believe that this industry will become a commodity and the lowest cost highest quality product will have the best margins and profitability. Our cost of production in Colombia is as low as 10-15cents per gram. When compared to the $1.50-2.00 in Canada, this is a significant advantage. Everyone is waiting and watching what is happening with the US market and imminent legalization. This will be a massive market that we will be ready for when it legalizes.
8. What’s next for Advanced Micro?
We will be public as Allied Corp on the OTC exchange in the US, and will be taking action towards the most efficient path to NASDAQ.
Follow Allied Corp On:
Website: Allied.health
The Cannabis Private Investment Summit showcases the best and brightest cannabis entrepreneurs in the industry and is the premiere summit for institutional investors, family offices, and ultra high net worth investors. For additional information on Advanced Micro Biosciences/Allied Corp, please contact ir@allied.health
To sign up for Kahner Global’s 4th Annual Cannabis Private Investment Summit West, being held on May 1, 2019 in Beverly Hills, click here.
