Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | March 6, 2023 15 Movers & Shakers Enfield ball valves manufacturer Conval Inc. has named Scott Allard president. Allard comes to Conval after holding a number of managerial jobs at different valve manufacturers, including Portland Valve, Crosby Valve, Hunt Valve, Consolidated Valve and General Dynamics Electric Boat. He replaces Don Curtin, who retired after 25 years at Conval. National accounting firm UHY Advisors announced the promotions of two local professionals, Stacy Farber and Neha Nathwani to managing director. Farber, who leads UHY's employee benefit plan center of excellence, works with clients to address their audit and consulting needs, while Nathwani advises clients regarding tax issues. Both are based in the firm's Farmington office and provide business guidance to clients spanning various industries and company sizes in the firm's northeast region. The Connecticut Science Center has announced the election of six new trustees to its board. Newly elected trustees are Carmen Cid, professor of ecology and dean of arts and sciences emerita biology, Eastern Connecticut State University; Kate Deurloo, global senior manager, LEGO Group; Michael Kalen, CEO, Covr Financial Technologies; Diane Kurtzman, executive vice president and chief human resource officer, Travelers; Maggie Libatique, chief financial officer, Daversa Partners; and Karen Staib, partner, Shipman & Goodwin. East Hartford-based electronics and print cartridge recycling company Environmental Office Solutions Inc. has named Matt Service its new chief operating officer. Service, a resident of Suffield, has worked for the company for over 10 years. In his new role he will concentrate on growing the company organically and through strategic acquisitions. Nonprofit the First Tee - Connecticut announced the appointment of a new chair and several new members to its board of directors. Ken Baldwin is the golf nonprofit's new board chair. He is an energy and telecommunications partner at law firm Robinson+Cole in Hartford. The new directors include Bess Barnes, vice president of programming at CBS Sports; Ken Gilbert, a board member for both Wendy's and iAnthus Capital Holdings; Rob King, senior vice president and executive editor-at- large at ESPN; and Tom Panczner, CEO and president of Bloomfield construction management firm Bartlett Brainard Eacott. Law firm Brown Rudnick recently elevated 11 lawyers across several offices to partner, including Hartford-based Jimmy Morrissey. Morrissey represents developers, owners and operators of real estate and energy infrastructure. The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS) has named Candy Iannucci-Guay its new director of national accounts for the social, military, education, religious and fraternal markets. Iannucci-Guay is working with meeting planners at national, regional and local associations that are considering Connecticut as the site of new or returning conventions, meetings and events. She comes to the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau from the Sheraton Hartford-South Hotel in Rocky Hill, where she was sales manager. Prior to that position, she spent close to 15 years at the Waterford Hotel Group Inc. Connecticut law firm Hassett & George P.C. announced that attorney Felicia Hunt has been named a partner. Hunt practices in the area of marital and family law and is a negotiator and collaborative divorce lawyer. The Connecticut Insurance Department has named Jane Callanan of Wallingford its new general counsel. Callanan has an extensive background in insurance law, including experience as an insurance regulator. Prior to taking on her new role, she was in private practice with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as special insurance counsel, where she represented insurtech companies and other insurance licensees providing guidance on insurance sales and business practices, innovative insurance products, and transactional matters. Stacy Farber Scott Allard Neha Nathwani Jimmy Morrissey Felicia Hunt Candy Iannucci-Guay were filed against Theraplant from customers who said they found mold and mildew in their cannabis flower, DCP records show. A Theraplant official responded by telling DCP that the company discontinued growing strains susceptible to mildew, records show. Protecting the crop Bugs found in cannabis flower could be alarming, but it's not a unique case in agriculture, experts said. Many crop growers use an "integrated pest management" program to control and manage bugs and insects in an environment, said Gerald Berkowitz, a plant science professor at UConn who teaches a cannabis grow course. One method, known as biological control, introduces beneficial insects to naturally prevent the destruction of crops from more dangerous bugs. This method is often used in lieu of chemicals or pesticides, and is a common practice across many levels of agriculture, from growing fruits and vegetables to marijuana, Berkowitz said. "It's a very important component of agriculture," said Berkowitz, who for years has conducted cannabis research. "All of the big cannabis companies do employ integrated pest management. … There are very few fungicides or any pesticides approved for use on cannabis." Following the December 2020 complaint, Curaleaf explained to regulators, records show, that rove beetles were introduced late in the vegetative stage, which could have allowed the bugs to climb up stalks and get stuck in the cannabis buds. In response, Curaleaf told regulators it modified its practices to release the beetles earlier in the grow process. Curaleaf didn't respond to requests for comment on this story. CTPharma in a statement said it also uses a form of integrated pest management based on "a set of agriculture best practices." CTPharma's techniques "are strictly monitored by internal experts to ensure our products continue to be of the highest quality," the company said. The state's two other growers didn't respond to HBJ's requests for comments. Cannabis remediation Connecticut has two laboratories — New Britain-based AltaSci Laboratories and Northeast Laboratories in Berlin — that test medical marijuana quality. Before going to market, cannabis products must pass tests that detect mold, yeast, pesticides, heavy metals, microbial pathogens and cannabinoid content, or the amount of THC, CBD and other compounds found in marijuana. To ensure products pass these quality-control measures, some cultivators expose their cannabis flower to various means of remediation — including radiation, ozone gas, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine dioxide — that eliminate contaminants found in the plant, according to Matthew DeBacco, another plant science professor at UConn who teaches a cannabis horticulture course. Some consumer advocates have taken issue with remediation efforts, arguing they offer growers a way to cover up mistakes. Cannabis advocate Duncan Markovich, who owns CBD store Better Ways in Branford, said companies don't make it clear to customers what type of remediation happens to their flower before it's tested and goes on shelves. "People don't have a clue," Markovich said. He also said he's "dumbfounded" that state officials would opt to increase the allowable limits of mold and bacteria. But DeBacco said he doesn't think remediation reduces plant quality. He also noted there are acceptable mold levels and a certain class of microbes called mycotoxins found in legal cannabis. As part of its approved changes last year, Connecticut no longer allows traceable levels of a mold breed called Aspergillus, which has been linked to lung infections. "Most of the issues you might be having that would be remediated or controlled by anything external, are going to be mostly your external fungal spores, diseases, whatever else is going to be on the actual flower," DeBacco said. "You want to know that you're consuming or purchasing a clean product versus having the unknown if you don't want anything applied to it." All four cannabis cultivators were asked by HBJ whether or not they use remediation techniques on their cannabis crops. By deadline, only CTPharma responded. "Due to the stringent processes we have in place, CTPharma has never utilized any remediation measures at any point in its history," the company said. Still, some policymakers said they'd like more information on how remediation and other quality-control measures work. "Overall, I feel like my conversations with advocates is that they believe that Connecticut can do better with our transparency effort," said Comey, the state lawmaker. Matt DeBacco Gerald Berkowitz

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