VANCOUVER,B.C., May 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A hundred and fifty years ago, Harry Barr's (President and CEO of Next Gen Metals) (CSE:N) (OTC Pink:NXTTF), ancestors began farming in the Ottawa Valley. As far back as pre WWII, the family farm was producing hemp, which in those days was used primarily for rope for the War Act.
At 23, a young Harry Barr graduated from the University of Guelph in Agribusiness and began a career that forged him into a global mining executive and financier. Barr notes that since 1985, every exploration company he has started is still in business today and managed from Vancouver.
Now, Barr's company has seized the opportunity to incubate and mentor those legal marijuana and hemp companies that have the technical savvy, but require the business acumen that any new or expanding industry needs; be it fundraising, complex negotiation skills, capital markets expertise, public company administration or IPO's.
Those tenets will take shape in a big way on May 7 th , when Next Gen's 100 percent-owned subsidiary, GreenRush Financial Conferences launches in Vancouver at the Convention Centre East and the Pan Pacific Hotel with the first of a series of global Medical Marijuana and Industrial Hemp conferences, bringing together stakeholders, investors, companies and the legal community. Simply put, these conferences intend to be the premier purveyor of investment education and finance for the Medical Marijuana, Industrial Hemp and Alternative Medicine industries.
"I applaud Mr. Barr for being a pioneer and recognizing the lack of Marijuana expositions in Canada that focus on finance," stated Mike Withrow, President and CEO of Abattis Bioceuticals Corp (OTC PINK:ATTBF). "We now have a forum to tell the world about our Grow Dry Extract Refine and Sciences model coined GDERS."
"The Medical Marijuana business is slowly recapitalizing the junior mining industry in Canada," stated Harry Barr, CEO of Next Gen. "But more than that, it is quickly bringing together the legal and industry forces necessary to give a complex, highly regulated market the visibility and transparency that investors require."
Barr's quote that the Medical Marijuana Industry is recapitalizing junior mining is a result of the fact that Canadian Securities Laws have allowed for thousands of Venture Capital companies to be formed. Given the mining downturn of the last three years, many of these entrepreneurs with proven fund raising and capital market abilities are now taking their shareholders into this new multibillion-dollar industry.
As well as discussing direct investment opportunities, the GreenRush Conferences will focus on the latest Medical Marijuana research, legal issues and give an overview of the industrial hemp market and the role of Alternative Medicines.
There is little chance that growth in this space will retreat anytime soon. The majority of support for the legalization exceeds 50% in Boomers and hits 65% for Millennials. From 1969 to 2013, legalization of marijuana supporters grew from 12% to 52%. Those wanting it to remain illegal dropped from 84% to 45% in the same period.
Barr was an early adopter who, using mining parlance, staked his claim in the Medical Marijuana space well before most others. Unlike some juniors, from Day One, his approach was not knee-jerk opportunism, but a well thought out business strategy utilizing decades of business acumen to add consistent shareholder value.
Management of Next Gen (as well as other entrepreneurs) is very good at raising capital. The Company intends to extend its brand to this industry and is actively seeking and reviewing new business plans. It intends to be a leader in the space and the go-to Company for legal marijuana and industrial hemp investments.
Barr is also the driving force of the International Metals Group (IMG), a brain bank of project acquisition, exploration and development professionals, including dedicated CEOs, geologists, engineers, corporate finance and investor relations experts, corporate managers, public company administrators, and regulatory and government affairs specialists.
To date, IMG companies (past and present) have completed over 300 option/joint venture agreements with major, mid-tier and junior companies and raised over $250,000,000 to advance their projects throughout 9 countries.
Barr could well be right in his assumptions, being a fixture on the mining scene for 29 years. As CEO, Chairman and Director of Pacific North West Capital Corp, he is also Chairman and CEO of El Nino Ventures, President of Next Gen Minerals (CSE:N) (OTC Pink: NXTTF) and Chairman of Southern Sun Minerals. Pacific North West Capital Corp is a controlling shareholder of Next Gen (22%), approximately 10% of El Nino Ventures and has a modest but important stake in Southern Sun Minerals.
Barr is not abandoning his mining roots and projects. In Ontario, Barr's Pacific Northwest Capital made a grass roots discovery on its River Valley Platinum Group metal property, which is now a multi-million ounce deposit. The Group's mining team is working hard to joint venture this advanced stage project with a company capable of financing this project to production.
As well, in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Mr. Barr's El Nino Venture's has two option agreements with Glencore Canada and Brazil's second largest mining company Votorantim. Earlier this year El Nino won a five-year international arbitration on its D.R.C. copper discovery freeing up this project for continued development.
The GreenRush Financial Conference Exhibitor Space opens at 7:00 am; the opening talk is at 8:00am and concludes at 6:pm on May 7 th at the Vancouver Convention Centre East and Ballrooms A/B/C/ in the Pan Pacific Hotel. The final hour hosts a discussion entitled; "The Great Debate: Legalization versus Prohibition," followed by drinks and informal networking and discussion.
As well as an impressive lineup of speakers, there is an exhibitor hall with representatives from the Medical Marijuana community, investment dealers, financial professionals, media and the legal profession. Investors, media and other interested individuals can register through the conference site at www.greenrushfinancialconferences.com .
Of the more than two-dozen speakers are Bruce Linton from Tweed Marijuana (TSX-V: TWD ), Harry Barr from Next Gen Metals, Chris Bunka from Lexaria Corp (OTCQB:LXRP), Craig Goodwin of Naturally Splendid (TSX-V: NSP ), John Conroy of Conroy & Company and Daniel L. Kiselbach from Deloitte.
While the Medical Marijuana market represents a unique investment opportunity, it is important for investors to arm themselves with the facts in this complex, burgeoning market. Highly regulated, the companies that do the stringent due diligence necessary and develop the most growth-oriented alliances and partnerships will undoubtedly be the names that rise to the top as the space matures and garners increasing investor interest.
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