By Barbara Fallon
Americanna Laboratories, based in Jacksonville, Florida, was established in 2018 as a division of ADPEN Laboratories. Americanna Laboratories are pharmaceutical grade performing advanced analytical testing on all hemp and cannabis related products using leading edge instrumentation for greater accuracy and faster turnaround. ADPEN has been a global leader in Agrochemical, Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Food Safety testing for over 30 years.
In compliance with federal and state regulations, the Americanna Lab Certificate of Analysis (COA) is an assurance of their commitment to scientific excellence. As with many green industries, the business side of an organization is often an afterthought for owners seeking to test, treat and heal. Not so at Americanna!
Security and Safety … Support for Business Success
A crucial business task often overlooked in a suite of operations is security and safety protocols.
Jason Butz, Director of Corporate Security & Logistics explains, “Scientists passionate about the science of cannabis and ethical reporting are not necessarily thinking about environmental, physical or cyber threats. These concerns are not at the forefront of a scientist’s mind as they conduct their daily operations. Our security professionals, therefore, are critical to business operations.”
A misstep during product transportation, natural disasters, data breaches or internal threats could cause a damaging blow to the service we provide our clients. Ultimately the reputation of a company can suffer unless we develop a strategy to mitigate these situations, according to Butz.
“We have adapted security and safety best practices to specifically address risks we face in the cannabis industry. Our use of surveillance techniques, recording protocols, disaster preparedness, monitoring of product transportation and assets, as well as strategic testing of our physical and cyber security, ensure a proper response to any number of potential threats. Americanna’s security professionals play offense, while also preparing a strong defense to keep our executives aware of potential risks. This strategy allows for informed decision making at all levels of the organization to avoid potential catastrophes,” Butz explained.
‘Left of Bang’ Strategy
According to Butz, the foundation of a quality security strategy is planning – no matter the industry. As the guardhouse to Americanna’s assets, people, property, and reputation, he endorses a proactive and responsive plan of action that is “left of bang.”
“We plan for and monitor all risks on a timeline to keep us ahead of (left of) an incident (bang). Whether an internal threat, which exposes a vulnerability, or an external threat, such as cybersecurity breaches, supply chain disruptions, power failures, or a natural disaster; anything which may jeopardize business continuity; we devise a game plan to proactively avoid, resolve, or work through each and every issue,” he explained.
“We provide comprehensive cannabis testing for potency, homogeneity, and terpenes as well as contaminant testing for microbial contamination, heavy metals, mycotoxins, residual solvents, and pesticides on all forms of cannabis from flower to edibles,” Americanna’s CEO Steven Perez explained. “But beyond that, we pull from our vast experience in the pharmaceutical industry to offer our global clients other capabilities to allow them to reach into other more traditional markets. Our friends in cultivation, extraction, and manufacturing are formulating with nutritional and herbal supplement manufacturers – each with individual demands – all have access to our tremendous capability.”
Additionally, laws and regulations vary widely according to individual states, oftentimes presenting a host of unique challenges which can add a layer of complexity to security operations.
Perez notes Jason’s 25+ years of experience in security and networking allow him to tap into a rolodex network of connections who can advise on the logistics of loss prevention, data breaches, or impending disasters – unique to both the laboratory and clients – and fast track solutions to protect people, property and product.
Butz added, “Predators are looking to find a hole in any business operation and the role of security is to provide a barrier to those bad actors and plug any holes that are discovered in physical or cyber operations to maintain business continuity and weather any storm.”
For more information, visit americannalaboratories.com or call (904) 549-5948.
