INTERVIEW: Gregory Flores
CEO & Founder/ Industrial Processors Corp – Colorado, USA
Gregory Flores is CEO and founder of Industrial Processors Corp., a privately held industrial hemp crop processor headquartered in Denver, Colorado. He was formerly with Bowery Investment Management, LLC, a distressed debt-focused hedge fund based in New York City, where he was a debt sourcer and bankruptcy claim analyst.
HT: There seems to be a serious buzz around industrial hemp again. Generally, how do you see hemp’s PR these days? What’s the key to building industrial hemp’s image, and what are the most important targets for the message?
GREGORY FLORES: PR around the fledgling hemp industry in the U.S. is in dire straits. When first mentioned in conversation, most people are quick to compare industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) to marijuana, its psychedelic cousin. In addition to that, companies operating in the industry use branding and terms which can be loosely associated with marijuana, further confusing consumers.