Heylo Cannabis to Join Green Flower and GF Institute as Founding, Steering Committee Members

VENTURA, Calif. and SEATTLE, Sept. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Green Flower announced that Seattle-based cannabis extraction specialist brand Heylo Cannabis and its CEO, Lo Friesen, are joining GF Institute (GFI) as both Founding Members and Steering Committee advisors.

"Education is one of Heylo's core pillars - with access to educational resources cannabis industry members and consumers alike can propel the cannabis industry forward and together fulfill the Heylo mission: To help anyone get more out of life," continued Friesen. "Heylo emphasizes the importance of training, best practices, and process control within our facility. The GFI certificate program formalizes this knowledge and ensures that the Heylo team is in-sync with foundational cannabis industry standards and best practices.

Many employers in the cannabis industry simply don't have the time or resources dedicated to developing employees, which leaves the cannabis industry collectively facing a host of painful and costly problems stemming from a lack of training, including: high turnover, poor customer service, unsafe products,  costly compliance mistakes, and much more. Even when there are resources available and dedicated to employee development and training programs, building out a robust training and instructional design team often introduces a number of sharp operational complexities that can result in lost profitability and focus on other strategic business imperatives.

"Heylo creates access to resources for consumers to learn about cannabis and how this plant can help anyone get more out of life," said Friesen. "We place a high value on education and professional development and the GF Institute affords our organization the opportunity to offer continued education opportunities for our team. The cannabis industry was in need of a credible resource for industry standards and education. GFI Institute and its programs have created access to a wealth of cannabis industry best practices and expertise all in one place - for the industry, by the industry."

The GF Institute is overseen by an independent Steering Committee, composed of 30+ leading cannabis employers who approve the curricula for each job role, champion education and professional development, support social equity and community initiatives, and are committed to raising the overall knowledge and quality of professionals in our industry.

Specifically, members of the GFI Steering Committee:

• Provide independent oversight to the development process of the credentials
• Validate the syllabi and learning objectives for real-world application in cannabis
• Approve that the final assessment adequately tests the defined curriculum
• Suggest topics for future developments
• Meet every 6 months to ensure the continuing integrity of the credentials
• Commit to offer these Credentials to their own teams

"Heylo's mission of creating greater education and transparency in cannabis extraction makes them an incredible partner in the Green Flower Institute as a Founding Member," said Max Simon, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Flower. "GFI will address many of the challenges in the cannabis workforce and help leading employers like Heylo Cannabis train and develop their employees in the necessary skills, knowledge, and credibility they need to succeed."

GFI is launching with 3 credentials: Dispensary Associate Certificate, Cultivation Technician Certificate, and Manufacturing Agent Certificate, to focus on the largest sectors of people growth in the industry. On successful completion of a credential, an individual is automatically granted membership to GFI. The post-graduate GF Institute community will offer its members exclusive access to continuing education content, networking and career development opportunities, and more, with additional credentials and benefits already scheduled to be released in 2022.

To encourage industry-wide adoption, GF Institute invites every Licensed Cannabis Operator across the United States to join this historic push to bring credibility, equity, and professionalism to our industry and become Founding Members of GFI.

For more information on GF Institute or the GFI Cannabis Credential program, please visit the GF Institute website and download the complete program documentation, review course syllabi and find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

About Green Flower:
Founded in 2014, Green Flower is the industry leader in cannabis education, empowering thousands of consumers, regulators, and professionals with the knowledge they need to succeed in the emerging cannabis industry today.

Green Flower's content and technology platform powers the cannabis programs of top universities and colleges across the country, provides customized learning and compliance solutions for cannabis businesses of all sizes, and equips individuals with the skills and credentials necessary to make an impact in the modern cannabis industry.

Contact: Adam Summers
e: [email protected] p: 708.223.2336

SOURCE Green Flower