Aaron Riley: CEO Of CannaSafe Drills Down Into Five Questions

Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me who you are? Where you are from, and where you are now? What is your favorite part of working with the plant? 

Aaron Riley=AR: I’m Aaron Riley. I’m an entrepreneur, originally from a small town in Indiana. I moved to Florida when I was in my teenage years. I grew up playing team sports and was able to earn a full ride football scholarship to college. I started at Furman University and ended up at Jacksonville University, where I played Defensive End. I’m currently quarantined in Los Angeles. My day job is CEO of CannaSafe, and when I’m not doing that, I’m probably hanging out with my French Bulldog, Penelope, or enjoying nature. My favorite part of working with cannabis are the senses that are invoked by the plant—the smell, the look, the feel. That combined with the former outlaw component keeps me excited to this day. I still remember the first time I went into a cannabis grow. I’ll never forget feeling the heat from the lights, seeing the beautiful buds, feeling the sticky resin, and smelling the pine and gas smells from that particular strain. It made the hairs on the back of neck stand up and since that moment, I’ve been hooked.

WB: How did you get into the cannabis industry? What was your path? Did you study horticulture in school? Work in a nursery? Scientist? Do you prefer organic/biodynamic outdoor to indoor?

AR: I got into the cannabis industry after being introduced to cannabis as a teenager. But my experience was a little different. By the time I was 16, I had seen a very sophisticated garage grow that had been featured in High Times. Now we laugh about garage grows, but to this day it is probably still the nicest home grow I have ever seen. I was a user of cannabis until I decided to start selling it on campus my sophomore year of college, which didn’t work out so well for me. I ended up in jail with a black eye from the police. It did open my eyes to the commercial opportunity of cannabis though, as I was able to turn $3k into $75k in a matter of 4 months. Unfortunately, it was all confiscated. After getting in trouble and proceeding to get my life back on track, I still found myself obsessed with cannabis and the idea of participating in the industry.

The first business I opened was a car dealership when I was 22. At the time, I had no guidance or mentor and just went for it. After a couple years, the dealership business started going well and I took on a number of other projects ranging from flipping real estate to consulting for a wide range of small businesses. After several years of business experience, I decided to turn my focus on finding an opportunity in the cannabis industry. I spent 18 months looking at all different business types in the space ranging from retail, cultivation, product creation, brand creation, testing, etc. Ultimately, I decided to focus on testing as the best combination of my resources and skills. I majored in Sociology and earned an MBA. Funny enough, my grade in chemistry was a C- in college. When I first showed up at CannaSafe, I didn’t even know what an HPLC was. My ability to get this far is rooted in my work ethic, passion, and competitive nature. I believe strongly that you can achieve anything you set your mind too if you are willing to focus and dedicate yourself to constant improvement.

In terms of consumption, I am a fan of all different styles; indoor, greenhouse, outdoor, living soil, all the way to rock wool. There are certain strains that do better within each environment, and I have been spoiled by getting the best of the best. I definitely have a list of my favorite strains and brands.

WB: Tell me about your company? What is your six and twelve-month goals? What about new markets? Obstacles? How do you propose removing them?

AR: CannaSafe was the first ISO accredited Cannabis testing lab in the world. We are currently the #1 provider in California and work with many of the top brands in the state. Our mission is the pursuit of safe cannabis and hemp for all. Our future goals revolve around expanding our lab network across the country. We currently have our LA location and are in development/ licensing process in Oregon and Florida. We plan to add several other additional locations this year and have built a corporate team to manage the expansion. The obstacles will involve traveling with the COVID environment. We are going to have to use technology to have meetings and interact at a level necessary to successfully execute our expansion plans.

WB: Do you cook? Who taught you if yes? Favorite food memory of your childhood? What is your favorite comfort food? Have a recipe idea to share? 

AR: Yes, I do cook. The current quarantine has rekindled my cooking interest, as well as time available to cook. My favorite food memories of my childhood would be cooking and eating as a family. Some of my favorite meals were Thanksgiving and Christmas, and my favorite dinner items were Artichokes and Crab legs. We would all pitch in and be responsible to make something whether it was a side or a main. My favorite comfort food is sushi. My favorite recipe at the moment is for the Ludo Lefebvre Omelet. All you need is eggs, butter, Boursin cheese, white pepper, chives and salt. It’s a little tricky to make but well worth it, check out the tutorial on YouTube if you are interested—it’s the world’s best omelet.

WB: What is your passion?

AR: Cannabis, cars, business, and dogs. Since I was kid, I was always interested in business. I spend 2-4 hours a week reading about other entrepreneurs and businesses. It’s very cool to read about how people solve problems and add value to society and create successful businesses. My car business was formed out of passion, but I ultimately decided to focus my professional career in a place with more opportunity for growth. Some of my favorite cars of all time are the Ferrari 275 GTB, 1969 Mustang GT500, Lamborghini Diablo GTR, all of which I hope to one day experience. I’m very fortunate to have my professional and personal passions align, and I believe that is what allows me stay motivated and committed through the ups, downs, and long hours. I’m not here for the money, the cool factor, or the notoriety. I’m here to make an impact.

Aaron Riley is the owner and CEO of CannaSafe, the first ISO accredited cannabis testing lab in the world. He holds a bachelor’s degree & M.B.A. from Jacksonville University, where he earned his way through college on a football scholarship. Aaron’s experience with cannabis has come full circle. In college he was arrested and charged for felony intent to distribute amongst six other charges. His record was eventually expunged, but he turned to entrepreneurship as his criminal record proved to be a problem with employers. After starting two successful businesses in Florida, Aaron moved to California and re-entered the legal cannabis space by taking ownership over Cannasafe in 2016. Aaron is a well respected subject matter expert in the field of cannabis and hemp safety testing and appeared twice on NBC Nightly News to shed light on the breaking vaping health “crisis” (EVALI). He remains active in cannabis and hemp regulation and frequently participates in discussions with the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC).

Aaron has become a fervent and outspoken advocate for social equity and consumer safety issues