Southern Hemp Expo 2019

Preston’s roots were planted in North Carolina on his family’s tobacco farm where they experienced the economic struggles during the decline of the industry. From his early burdens budded an understanding of how hemp and cannabis could change the landscape of agriculture for the better. Preston has since dedicated his life’s work to educating and campaigning to amend outdated laws using his background in agriculture and construction to influence on an extraordinary level. His work to champion the North Carolina Hemp Bill, SB 313 was validated with it’s passing in 2016. In 2017, his dreams came to fruition when he and his family planted the first legal cannabis plant in their state since prohibition on their North Carolina Farm. Preston contributions as the Program Director for the NOCO Hemp Expo has exposed him to the bottlenecks within the Hemp Industry and has made it his mission to create seamless paths to bring crops from farm to market.
In collaboration with the Colorado Governor and governmental agencies, Preston has been chosen as an Industry Stakeholder in the CHAMP Initiative, (Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan) to establish a blueprint to manage and advance the Hemp Industry by examining the supply chain from cultivation to market. Preston continues to speak internationally about his experiences in an effort to remove barriers and solidify the global Cannabis market and to utilize the attributes of the entire plant.