About US
John Bakalian has come together with Eric Brandstad and Lorne Gertner to put northern California’s Emerald Triangle on the map internationally with a business model that is focused on bringing the most sustainable and highest quality, sun-grown cannabis to consumers in the United States and around the world.
John, Eric and Lorne bring together expertise in cannabis farming, politics, government, business and international relationships to make Emerald Triangle Brands a company at the forefront of the cannabis industry.
John Bakalian, President of Emerald Triangle Brands, Inc. has been a major player in the cannabis industry for the last 8 years working in partnership with Tim Blake, President and Founder of the Emerald Cup. Together with Tim Blake, Bakalian founded and formed eight cannabis companies. John served as Director of Business Development, managing all professional consultants including legal, accounting and compliance experts.
John’s interest in cannabis goes back to his college days in the ’60’s. When running for Congress in 1976 he made legalization of cannabis one of his key platforms supporting Prop. 19 that would have legalized cannabis in California.
He served as a Commissioner on Central Coast Regional Coastal Commission for three years. He was one of the first Land Use Consultants in the United States. Working with Landowners, Attorneys, governmental agencies he never lost a development application and was able to add hundreds of acres to California’s State Park system.
For eight years, John worked in China, forming Golden Allied Enterprises (GAE) with offices in California and Shanghai. Working with the California Trade Association’s Shanghai branch and key Chinese business leaders John’s projects were varied – from an 18-hole golf course to a 750-acre vineyard and winery to promoting the development of an electric bus; consulting in developing real estate and assisting cities in the US to form Sister City relationships with Chinese cities. GAE assisted US companies in setting up joint ventures with Chinese companies. Currently his business associates in China can assist any company with potential A+ Chinese partners.
John is now focusing his energy on the development of Emerald Triangle Brands, Inc.
Eric Brandstad has joined Emerald Triangle Brands as our Crop Certification expert. He is a greenhouse, farm and cannabis industry expert who has been in the industry for over 30 years. He is the owner of Greenhouse Advisory Group which advises farmers all over the world about efficient farming.
Eric is a 4th generation farmer – originally from the San Joaquin County, California where his family has been commercially farming since 1862. He has spent most of his life learning all there is to know about farming different crops successfully and now travels the world sharing his knowledge.
He has helped pioneer light deprivation techniques that are used throughout the industry today. He host educational events, podcasts and is an invited keynote speaker at industry Expos.
Eric teaches Greenhouse 1, 2 and Sustainability courses at Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California. His vast amount of knowledge and consulting services are sought after by famers in the United States and around the world.
“The Finest of The Finest”
Lorne M. Gertner, Emerald Triangle Brands International Advisor is a serial entrepreneur who has cut a highly successful and idiosyncratic path through the Canadian business world. An architect by training, Gertner has, for the past 50 years, applied his passion for design, creativity, and entrepreneurship towards building companies that are at the forefront of the consumer zeitgeist. Gertner has a knack for putting together teams that have the right measure of imagination and investment. From clothing to cannabis, he has a history of incubating unique, of-the-moment brands that epitomize style in both their products and service.
Tokyo Smoke, Cronos, BDP Quadrangle, Pink Tartan, and Toronto Fashion Week are just a few of the household names and Canadian success stories that Gertner has assisted to bring to life. In addition, Maclean’s magazine nicknamed him the “Godfather of Cannabis” for his early involvement and influence in the Canadian cannabis market. Through his private investment company, HG2, Gertner has facilitated over $1 billion of transactions and over $3 billion in value for shareholders in the real estate, cannabis, and retail industries.
For almost a decade, Gertner has been teaching at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto, imparting his strong belief in the intersection between architecture, design and entrepreneurship to make the world a better place.