Why Cannabis Leaders Shouldn’t Miss NCIA’s Fall Leadership Mixers
September 19th, 2025
8 min read
By Clarke Lyons
At Paragon Payroll, we’ve always believed that the cannabis industry moves forward when its leaders come together. That’s why we’re excited to uplift and support the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) as they bring Cannabis Industry Leadership Mixers to cities across the country this fall.
These gatherings aren’t just networking events — they’re opportunities to learn, share, and collaborate with peers who are navigating the same challenges and opportunities you are.
Where It’s Happening
Ohio Cannabis Industry Leadership Mixer
Presented by Sweed & Vertosa
📍 Cleveland, OH
📅 Friday, October 3, 2025
🕠 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (EDT)
Description
NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Leader Mixer is an invitation-only gathering designed to cultivate local community while connecting to the broader national movement shaping cannabis.
Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with fellow business leaders, expand your network, and strengthen the relationships that move our industry forward.
NCIA Ambassadors from our regional membership network and national leadership will be on-site to share the benefits of membership, while trusted member service providers showcase products and solutions that support the growth of your business.
Unwind with us over light appetizers and beverages following the first day of the Ohio Health & Cannabis Business Summit in downtown Cleveland, just before the official after-party, the Green Tie Affair. Venue details will be shared upon registration.
Sponsorships are available for businesses looking to expand brand awareness while demonstrating support for NCIA’s advocacy efforts. Contact Brooke@TheCannabisIndustry.org for more information.
Pricing
Free for select invited guests and NCIA members only
New York Cannabis Industry Leadership Mixer
Presented by Sweed & Vertosa
📍 New York, NY
📅 Tuesday, October 7, 2025
🕠 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (EDT)
Description
NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Leader Mixer is an invitation-only gathering designed to cultivate local community while connecting to the broader national movement shaping cannabis.
Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with fellow business leaders, expand your network, and strengthen the relationships that move our industry forward.
NCIA Ambassadors from our regional membership network and national leadership will be on-site to share the benefits of membership, while trusted member service providers showcase products and solutions that support the growth of your business.
Connect with fellow industry leaders over light appetizers and beverages on the eve of Hall of Flowers NYC, hosted at a new and bustling member-led dispensary in midtown Manhattan. Venue details will be shared upon registration.
Sponsorships are available for businesses looking to expand brand awareness while demonstrating support for NCIA’s advocacy efforts. Contact Brooke@TheCannabisIndustry.org for more information.
Pricing
Free for select invited guests and NCIA members only
Minnesota Cannabis Industry Leadership Mixer
Presented by Sweed & Vertosa
📍 Minneapolis, MN
📅 Tuesday, October 28, 2025
🕠 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (CDT)
Description
NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Leader Mixer is an invitation-only gathering designed to cultivate local community while connecting to the broader national movement shaping cannabis.
Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with fellow business leaders, expand your network, and strengthen the relationships that move our industry forward.
NCIA Ambassadors from our regional membership network and national leadership will be on-site to share the benefits of membership, while trusted member service providers showcase products and solutions that support the growth of your business.
Unwind with us with tasty appetizers and adult beverages (THC & alcohol) at a modern restaurant & distillery in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood. Venue details will be shared upon registration.
Sponsorships are available for businesses looking to expand brand awareness while demonstrating support for NCIA’s advocacy efforts. Contact Brooke@TheCannabisIndustry.org for more information.
Pricing
Free for select invited guests and NCIA members only
Why It Matters for Your Business
Every cannabis vertical has something to gain from being in the room. NCIA brings the national perspective, connecting you with leaders who share what’s working across the country. Paragon complements that by serving each group with payroll and workforce solutions tailored to the realities you face every day. Together, the takeaway is twofold: you’ll leave with new insights from NCIA peers and know you’ve got a partner in Paragon to put those lessons into practice.
-
Dispensary / Retail: Learn from NCIA how other retailers are training budtenders, tightening compliance, and elevating customer experiences. At Paragon, we back that up with scheduling, payroll, and compliance tools that make it easier to manage seasonal crews and reduce turnover.
-
Cultivator / Producer: Hear what cultivators across the country are doing to overcome labor shortages and scale smartly. Paragon helps growers translate those lessons into reality by streamlining payroll for complex crews in remote or greenhouse environments.
-
Manufacturer / Processor: Discover from NCIA peers how to break through extraction and packaging bottlenecks. Paragon supports processors with compliance-first payroll, workforce classification guidance, and transparent reporting to keep production running smoothly.
-
Lab / Testing: Stay ahead by hearing how labs are balancing efficiency with compliance at NCIA events. We complement that with precise payroll systems and HR tools designed for specialized, highly regulated lab teams.
-
Distributor / Transporter: Learn from others tackling logistics, security, and compliance challenges in distribution. Paragon provides the back-end support — from compliant wage tracking to route-specific payroll solutions — so transporters can focus on safe and efficient operations.
-
Vertically Integrated Operators: NCIA mixers show how integrated businesses are unifying operations across cultivation, processing, and retail. Paragon is built for that complexity, offering a seamless system to handle payroll, compliance, and reporting across the entire seed-to-sale pipeline.
-
Hemp / CBD & Tribal / Indigenous Businesses: Hear at NCIA how these groups are navigating equity, access, and shifting regulations. We serve them by offering fair, cannabis-committed payroll solutions — no inflated “cannabis tax” pricing, just reliable systems that respect sovereignty and support growth.
The takeaway? NCIA helps you learn from your peers. Paragon helps you apply it. Together, you leave with both the inspiration and the infrastructure to strengthen your business.
Why Paragon Supports This
We know firsthand how isolating cannabis leadership can feel — especially when you’re trying to balance compliance, payroll, workforce challenges, and growth all at once. NCIA’s mixers create the kind of space where leaders can learn from each other, spark new collaborations, and feel part of the larger movement shaping the future of cannabis.
Beyond Networking: Building Your Inner Circle
Building Equity Through Connection
Equity is one of the most urgent and ongoing conversations in cannabis. Too often, underrepresented groups — including women, BIPOC, and justice-involved individuals — are left behind as the industry matures. These mixers create intentional spaces where leaders can share what they’re doing to create equitable hiring practices, build inclusive training programs, and open doors for those historically excluded.
The conversations happening at these events are not abstract. They are grounded in real business practices: how dispensaries are moving budtenders into management positions, how cultivators are diversifying their crews, and how vertically integrated operators are creating pipelines of opportunity. Attendees will walk away with examples they can model in their own organizations.
Most importantly, these discussions reinforce that cannabis success is not measured by revenue alone, but by how many people benefit as the industry grows. Equity through connection means ensuring that as leaders build their businesses, they also help build pathways for others.
Advocacy in Action
NCIA has always been the industry’s most vocal advocate in Washington, and these mixers provide a front-row seat to the advocacy work that shapes our future. Attendees gain access to real-time updates on issues like tax reform, banking access, workforce protections, and compliance rules. For many businesses, these policies dictate what’s possible in their daily operations.
The value lies in the dialogue: NCIA shares its policy insights, but operators also get to voice the real challenges they’re facing. This feedback strengthens the advocacy effort by connecting lawmakers with the lived realities of cultivators, retailers, manufacturers, and distributors.
By attending, leaders not only strengthen their businesses but also contribute to the broader movement for reform. Advocacy becomes less about something happening “to” the industry and more about something shaped by the industry, with the voices of real operators driving the conversation.
Education for Every Vertical
Education is the backbone of sustainable cannabis growth. At these mixers, every vertical — from retail to testing labs — can access new ideas and best practices. Retail operators might hear how peers are rolling out compliance-friendly training modules. Cultivators might discover lean operation techniques that help cut costs. Manufacturers might learn new strategies for packaging and safety.
The most powerful part is that this education comes directly from peers. The people in the room are not theorists — they’re operators solving the same day-to-day problems you face. That makes the insights immediately practical and adaptable to your business.
For many leaders, it’s rare to step away from daily operations long enough to learn. These mixers make that investment possible, offering actionable knowledge that pays off in efficiency, compliance, and workforce success.
Expanding Your Network, Expanding Your Reach
Relationships are the lifeblood of cannabis. Regulations shift quickly, consumer tastes evolve, and new competitors emerge — but strong partnerships can help businesses weather those changes. These mixers provide a curated environment to build those relationships.
Attendees will find peers, potential partners, solution providers, and advocates all under one roof. The value isn’t only in finding new business opportunities; it’s in building a community of support that extends beyond the event itself. These relationships often become the foundation for collaborations, resource sharing, and long-term growth.
Even for seasoned leaders, networking in this space is critical. No one succeeds in cannabis alone. These mixers reinforce that the future of the industry is built not by individual companies, but by a connected, collaborative community.
Insights Into the Future of Cannabis
Cannabis is an industry defined by rapid change. Between shifting federal conversations, new state markets opening, and evolving consumer behavior, the ability to anticipate what’s next is critical. These mixers offer a space where future-focused conversations happen.
Attendees will hear about emerging product categories, workforce trends, and operational strategies that are shaping the market. It’s an opportunity to benchmark your business against where the industry is headed, not just where it’s been.
Rather than reacting to changes after they happen, leaders who attend these events leave with a forward-looking perspective. That foresight allows them to adapt early, stay competitive, and seize opportunities before others do.
Turning Conversations Into Action
What makes NCIA’s mixers so valuable is that they don’t end when the event does. The conversations started in Cleveland, New York, and Minneapolis become the seeds of real collaboration and innovation. Attendees often leave with specific next steps: a new partnership to explore, a training idea to implement, or a compliance strategy to test.
This action-oriented design reflects both NCIA’s and Paragon’s belief in practical progress. Networking and dialogue are valuable, but only if they lead to real outcomes for businesses and communities.
By showing up, attendees commit to turning insight into action. It’s a reminder that leadership in cannabis isn’t just about running a business — it’s about helping shape an industry that thrives together.
How Paragon Aligns with NCIA
Shared Commitment to Continuous Advocacy
At Paragon, we know that payroll, compliance, and workforce solutions don’t exist in a bubble. They’re shaped by the policies debated and passed at both the state and federal levels. That’s why we see our alignment with NCIA as more than a partnership — it’s a shared commitment to continuous advocacy that empowers cannabis businesses to thrive.
For us, advocacy isn’t just about lobbying; it shows up in the way we serve clients every day. We push back against the “cannabis tax” mentality that inflates prices unfairly, we navigate the complexities of IRS 280E with clarity, and we fight to ensure employees can be paid reliably even when banking restrictions create roadblocks. These are acts of advocacy, woven into our service model.
By supporting NCIA’s mixers, we stand with other leaders who share this long-view perspective: that industry success requires more than compliance checklists — it requires structural change. NCIA amplifies those efforts nationally, while Paragon applies them in real time to payroll, compliance, and workforce practices.
Together, our work creates a feedback loop. NCIA drives reform at the policy level, and Paragon ensures that when those reforms reach operators, businesses have the right tools and support to implement them successfully.
Why Advocacy and Operations Go Hand in Hand
For cannabis businesses, advocacy and operations are inseparable. Tax reform directly impacts payroll strategy. Banking access changes how employees receive their paychecks. Shifts in labor or compliance rules influence how teams are classified, scheduled, and supported. This is why Paragon’s alignment with NCIA is not optional — it’s essential.
NCIA gives cannabis leaders a seat at the policy table. Paragon makes sure those policy changes are translated into workable, everyday solutions for operators. It’s a partnership that bridges the gap between theory and practice, legislation and lived reality.
Many operators don’t have the bandwidth to track every policy update or anticipate every compliance shift. By working alongside NCIA, Paragon helps fill that gap, turning advocacy updates into clear, actionable strategies. This allows leaders to move confidently from awareness to implementation without missing a beat.
Ultimately, we believe operational excellence and policy reform are two halves of the same whole. Advocacy ensures cannabis businesses have a fair playing field, and operations ensure they’re equipped to succeed on it. That’s why Paragon’s alignment with NCIA matters — it means that as the industry advances, no operator is left without the tools or knowledge to thrive.
Choose your city, secure your spot, and step into the conversations shaping cannabis this fall:
Topics:
