NuWu Sessions: Evan Marder, President of Fleur Cannabis

Welcome back to NuWu Sessions! In an inspirational episode, we are delighted to have president of Fleur Cannabis, Evan Marder, on the show to discuss his extensive career in the local Vegas cannabis industry. Marder made his mark on the map when he founded popular brand Matrix back in 2014, gambling his life savings away with no guarantee that the company would even pass the rigid application process set up by a newly established Nevada Cannabis Board. If you know about Matrix, then you know the gamble paid off massively - making Evan Marder a commonly known name in the local cannabis scene.

We start off the stoney smoke session with a round of delicious canna-cocktails, infused with sugar free, gluten free and vegan Canna Lean THC syrup. Our lovely Tasting Room host Raven delivers our guests a mouthwatering selection of drinks, including the Ocean Water, Strawberry Mango Cannarita, and the brand new Shark Bite, all available for purchase in Las Vegas first and only cannabis consumption lounge, the Vegas Tasting Room. The drinks themselves earned the seal of approval from Evan, a seasoned flair bartender with over fifteen years of experience on the Strip. Evan discusses that while he enjoyed the job, he wasn’t passionate about it, and he didn’t want to age into one of the seemingly depressed, burnt out older men that he worked alongside. When Nevada announced recreational marijuana plans, he knew it was time to dedicate his time and effort to his dreams - running a cannabis company.

We talk to Evan extensively about the lengthy, stressful process of starting a cannabis company back in the early, formative days of recreational cannabis in Nevada. The amount of roadblocks Evan faced was unprecedented - but nevertheless he stood on, persistent in his goal of starting Matrix. Even after lawyers told him there was simply no way he was going to be successful, Evan kept moving forward, working on extensive application paperwork, completing extensive research online in grower forums, contacting license specialists, attorneys, and real estate agents, only a fraction of what was required. Eventually, Evan had completed the treacherous process - securing enough investors and money, as well as completing the over 800 page application. His lawyer at the time, who also worked for Steve Wynn, recounted that it was the most difficult deal to close in his entire career. The truly inspirational story is just another example of dreams becoming true if you keep staying persistent towards your goals.

Eventually, Evan decided to move onto Fleur, working in sales for the company, before taking it over completely, becoming director of cultivator and now president. The company, in desperate need of a reinvention, was overhauled - taking about six months for the soil to get to a preferred state, and a full year to develop a new line of revolving strains. Fleur has truly turned things around, becoming one of the only organic cultivators in the state. Evan describes having to overtake the corporate mindset his predecessor left behind - truly enforcing an anti-corporate, mom & pop business outlook on Fleur, a new positive ethos for the company. Recent strains brought into the rotation include a crossbreed Bushido OG (Wookies n Cream x Lemon OG), as well as the famous black market strain BTY OG (Better Than Yours). The future is looking bright for Fleur, as we are told to expect new strains, as well as new segmented brands within the Fleur family.