Bet The Farm On Cannabis Overcoming Challenges Met In A Budding Industry

Written by Chaplain Ashton F. Otey and Dr. Blanco-Knezovich. Chaplain Ashton F. Otey is a custom home builder, Class A Contractor, and 3-D home architect designer for greater than 20 years. He is known in the industry for his attention to detail and development, as he designs all his own work and coordinates the creation of homes and commercial buildings from the ground up. He is a respected entrepreneur of ten diverse businesses, including retail jewelry, creative media, construction, business financing, and hemp farming to name a few. He is co-founder of the global patent company Yeto International Inc., which is based in Japan, and has been supporting inventors for 20 years. He is also an interfaith chaplain that supports multiple ministries throughout Southeastern Virginia. He serves as the Director of Faith Based Relations on the board of Promethean Group, a 501(c)3 mobile medical clinic that services the homeless and vulnerable populations. Through his coordination, hundreds of homeless and uninsured have accessed healthcare at local churches, and with his patronage received their prescribed medications at no cost. His ability to foster others to reach their highest potential has made him a groundbreaker in organizations and a mentor to many. His gift of uniting different people from different walks of life has impacted communities with positive change. He founded OATS Global (www.oatsglobalgroup.com), to cultivate a cannabis industry that sparks solutions to reach global sustainability, and focuses on innovating quality cannabis products, promoting the preservation of natural resources, and providing pathways to empower individuals and organizations to minimize their carbon footprint.
Dr. Blanco-Knezovich, established the first family practice set fee clinic in her area in 2010 within a retail space that was beautifully designed and built by Chaplain Otey. Since the set fee clinic, she has aided in the opening of multiple clinics in her area. She is a graduate program director for health sciences at South University, and has been a mentor and preceptor for bachelorette, masters, and doctoral students for multiple universities in her state. She founded Promethean Group (www.prometheangroup.org), a 501(c)3 mobile medical primary care clinic that services the homeless and vulnerable populations. The clinic incorporates volunteers and students of multiple professions to provide a holistic experience for neighbors in need, and focuses on providing all levels of health and well-being through inter-collaboration. To further increase access to healthcare, Promethean Group partnered with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore to provide a weekly bridge clinic within the centralized food hub in Norfolk, Virginia. She has lectured internationally at multiple symposia on her work for vulnerable populations. She is currently on track to earn her Certification of Specialization for Strategy from Harvard Business School, and she is more easily known in her community as "Dr. BK".