20 Years Of Experience In The CBD Industry

Founded in 2016 by Kate Povondra & DJ Petz (soon to be husband and wife). Kate discovered CBD through DJ when she severely injured her back in a fall. Once very active, she was faced with crippling pain and a drastic change in her lifestyle. She was doing everything she could to find relief but what she found was fleeting- until she found CBD through DJ. As a massage therapist of 14 years, she became fascinated with what she was experiencing so she did extensive research to see what was causing these results and began using it on her massage clients to see how CBD can work with the body and help people. Once she started using it on others, she really understood what an amazing, beneficial compound CBD was. DJ had known about CBD for a long time, he had been growing cannabis for 10 years and moved out to the North Fork Valley of Colorado to learn how to refine his technique and how to grow plants without using any harmful or toxic chemicals, which is still the norm for most cannabis. He quickly learned that great hemp starts with great soil & by using natural methods, you don’t have to sacrifice the yield of the plant to keep the quality high.

The pair started to formulate products that kept true to their values as individuals and that would help people have access to pure, clean, cost-effective CBD products. What started as a grassroots company 4 years before hemp was federally legalized, gained a popular following in Colorado. In Dec 2018 when the Farm Bill federally legalized hemp, Kate & DJ brought their company nationwide and found an overwhelmingly positive response. Through the years, they have grown a husband & wife company to a team of 5 managing partners, 44 employees and nationwide recognition of authorities in the CBD Industry. Their vales are at the core of the company and they have refused to sacrifice them for profits- and their customers have notice the difference time and time again. We know if you try a Happy Buddha Hemp product- you will notice the difference.

Happy Buddha Hemp Team

Kate Povondra

CO-FOUNDER / DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kate Povondra has been a licensed massage therapist since 2006, she has devoted her life to understanding how the body functions and heals through holistic modalities. When she was introduced to CBD through DJ, she saw the immense therapeutic benefit of the hemp plant, began researching how CBD interacts with the body and how it helps promote wellness and healing on a cellular level. She makes sure all the products at Happy Buddha Hemp are effective, powerful and don’t contain any harsh chemicals, preservatives or parabens. She knows what the wellness industry is looking for.

DJ Petz

CO-FOUNDER / DIRECTOR OF SALES

DJ had known about CBD for a long time, he had been growing cannabis for 10 years. He was part owner in the largest edible marijuana company in Denver and moved out to the North Fork Valley of Colorado to learn how to refine his technique and how to grow plants without using any harmful or toxic chemicals, which is still the norm for most cannabis.

Art Wisehart

DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION

Art Wisehart has always been at the leading edge of new technologies in the architectural and energy fields. His professional career has always centered around bringing ideas to life. His design and architecture company Phoenix Rising has serviced both the commercial and residential industries in Chicago and Colorado. In 2018 he received the Acanthus Award for Excellence in Allied Arts and Craftsmanship for his work in residential design. As part of the Happy Buddha Hemp Team, he has designed and built Happy Buddha’s Hemps Spagyric extraction machine and manages the relationships with local businesses and farmers. He currently resides at his home, Wisehart Springs Inn. An iconic castle landmark in Paonia’s Valley.

Wayne Veldsman

MARKETING / SOCIAL MEDIA

Wayne has been an online business owner and digital marketer since launching his first company in 2013. He first started working with the cannabis industry in 2014 when the founders of “Nugg: Marijuana Delivery Service” approached him to help in developing their influencer and affiliate marketing programs. Since that time, Wayne has worked with 4 different businesses in the cannabis space, the largest being “W Vapes” out of Los Angeles, California. More recently, Wayne launched, grew, and exited a full-service digital marketing agency valued at ~$5 million. His passion and experience in helping both start-ups and developed business to scale has made him the perfect addition to Happy Buddha Hemp.

Diego Garcia

MARKETING / PROFESSIONAL NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

Diego’s experience in the marketing and sales world began 2 years ago with HomeAdvisor. Over the years as an online marketing consultant, he established himself as a top representative at the Golden, Colorado corporate office where he would help contractors grow their business online. He left HomeAdvisor in May of 2019 to become an independent insurance agent as well as pursue his interest in the hemp industry. He makes a great addition to the team by making important business connections within the US and internationally. When he is not focused on his businesses, he enjoys rock climbing and playing his instruments.

April MacGregor

OFFICE MANAGER / PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

April MacGregor has had a lifelong passion for herbalism and natural skin and body care. She is currently in a certification process through the Colorado School of Herbalism. As part of the Happy Buddha Team, her passion and knowledge are behind some of our most loved products. Being a mom has helped her develop an unmatched organization and foresight for our shipping and production teams. She is able to see our systems and help us develop them so they function seamlessly. She is married to her lovely husband Colin and lives in Crawford, CO. When she isn’t busy multitasking like a pro- she’s cross country skiing, canoeing, camping and creating herbal remedies.

Brett Seagal

SALES/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT

Brett brings almost a decade of commercial and enterprise sales experience to the Happy Buddha team. Over that time, he has generated over $8m in revenue for a restaurant-marketing analytics startup firm both as an individual contributor and later as a Director of Sales. In addition to Happy Buddha, Brett leverages his sales and negotiation skills for one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in Colorado. He strongly believes the foundation of any successful company is based on product quality and trust, which is why he is especially excited to join the Happy Buddha team. When he’s not making calls or heads down in spreadsheets, Brett enjoys running, baseball, live music, and sour beers. Reach out if you’d like to crack open one (or a few) with him!

Experience matters

Happy Buddha Hemp is a family-founded company committed to providing high quality spagyric full-spectrum CBD products cultivated from organically grown hemp. Now with over 43 employees and 5 managing partners, Happy Buddha Hemp brings the expertise that comes along with spending the last 6 years onboarding wholesale CBD clients. What other company can say that?