Cannabis

DIRECTOR OF SALES, CANNABIS

Shawn Williams has 20+ years of experience working in the lab & distribution industry. She prides herself on having a strong desire to serve customers by going the extra mile. Shawn has excellent networking capabilities and customer relationship development, and is strong in problem solving and solution focused. She joined the Thomas Scientific family in 2014 and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Cannabis team.

Contact Me:
  Email: shawn.williams@thomassci.com
  Phone Number: 856-341-6322

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, CANNABIS

After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports and Health Sciences from American Military University, Trevor VanTimmeren spent time as a health coach and fitness trainer while earning his MBA from Liberty University. He has more recently focused on product formulation, medicinal and recreational, using cannabinoids, terpenes, and other plant-based compounds/molecules. Trevor is great at networking and getting the right people connected, as well as figuring out solutions to problems. He is eager to share his industry expertise and support any of your organization's Cannabis needs.

Contact Me:
  Email: trevor.vantimmeren@thomassci.com
  Phone Number: 856-381-2671
 

Cannabis cultivators are exposed to a variety of safety risks including biological, chemical, and physical hazards. Personal protective equipment (PPE) gear can greatly mitigate these potential hazards and protect both the workers and the plants. PPE used in cannabis cultivation includes, but is not limited to, lab coats, coveralls, bouffant caps, beard covers, boot/shoe covers, gloves, eye protection, ear protection, masks, and helmets.

The best grow light is the sun! Yet, for growing cannabis indoors, the sun isn’t very practical for lighting. High-intensity discharge lights (HIDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been used for indoor cannabis growing for decades, with the former being the most popular. However, light emitting diodes (LEDs), while newer to the game, are the future of lighting for indoor grow operations. We’ve partnered with Philips (the original in lighting) to bring you the highest quality LED systems for your indoor grow lighting.

Mold is the biggest threat to cannabis plants just ahead of infections such as Botrytis and bud rot. During the drying and curing process, utilize racks or lines to hang plants upside down – you want to keep the rooms dark with air circulating and the humidity to 45-55%. Humidity/temperature controls and monitors are a must have. Or you can use a complete drying and curing system from CannSystems.

There are multiple methods that can be utilized for cannabis extraction (hydrocarbon, CO2, solventless, and ethanol extraction), and which method(s) is chosen ultimately depends on two things: Budget and desired end-product. Each method has differing capital extraction equipment investment costs, throughput/operating costs, and some are better for making specific products than others (i.e., hydrocarbon for dabs and shatter and ethanol for distillates/isolates).

Cannabis extraction using hydrocarbons (butane extraction, propane extraction, and iso-butane) requires a Class 1, Division 1 (C1D1) room. A C1D2 environment is required for less volatile extraction methods such as ethanol extraction.

Naturally occurring in cannabis are compounds called Terpenes and Flavonoids which are responsible for the aromatic and flavor profiles of the plant. These compounds also act with and upon cannabinoids in differing ways to bring about what’s known as the “Entourage Effect”. Outside of these compounds, natural flavorings such as cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, citrus, different herbs, and others can be added to end products to compliment or change the smell and taste.

Thomas Scientific works with a few high-quality chromatography equipment manufacturers for analytical testing supplies that can scale for any operation and required throughput. Specifically, Axcend has created the first ever handheld portable HPLC that has the throughput of larger stand-alone machines and uses 1,000 times less solvent. CannID, from Ionization Labs, is offering a cannabis application solution through software designed for Agilent 1220 and 1260 platforms.

There are many techniques for testing differing compounds within cannabis. However, QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) is the preferred sample prep technique that vastly simplifies the analysis of pesticide residues. Thomas Scientific offers a variety of products from multiple suppliers designed for this technique.