The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

THE cannabis industry is beginning to take shape in The Bahamas with the imminent Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2021 set to be tabled in Parliament.

While the kinks are being worked out and the cries are being made for fairness to the common man and to groups like the Rastafari movement, there are some taking the bull by the horns and preparing to stake their claim in the industry. One such visionary is Valin Bodie.

Valin is said to be the youngest soil scientist in the cannabis industry in the United States – and the only black one. This 26-year-old Bahamian owns and operates Environmental Soil Solutions (ESS), a soil company with a 6,000 sq ft warehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a second warehouse being built in Oklahoma City. There, he works from his research and development tent, monitoring all progress and prepping and mixing soil.

Valin sources pure organic resources to create his soil blends. He uses his vast knowledge of these organic components garnered from his hands-on experience at leading grow companies to create transformative products. His soil has been so successful in the growing of cannabis and other plants that he has been dubbed ‘the Soil Guru’, and the name is sticking as he has crafted a movement towards environmental sustainability around the brand.

There was a buzz surrounding the Soil Guru’s booth at last week’s CannaCon – one of the largest cannabis conferences in the hemisphere. It was held at the Oklahoma City Convention Centre and is considered a must-attend for anyone working in the realm of cannabis or thinking of entering it.

CannaCon was an interactive gathering of industry professionals, entrepreneurs and experts discussing the latest industry developments. There, Valin was interviewed by local media houses who saw there was something special about this passionate entrepreneur operating from his core value, which is to leave the Earth better than when he was on it.

He takes that value, in conjunction with his scientific knowledge and desire of sustainability to create a sustainable soil company that is making moves in the industry.

As a soil scientist, Valin has carefully studied the Bahamian soil he grew up on, taking into consideration that it is limestone and very unique, and has created a special blend. This blend will allow for cannabis planted in The Bahamas to be successful – which is a key to the sustainability of the industry that is brewing in the country.

“I can help The Bahamas be a more sustainable nation by assisting with soil quality and just overall land quality,” Valin said.

“That encompasses many facets such as prohibiting land degradation and increasing land conservation through the looking glass of sustainability and soil management.”

As he presented his company to hundreds of potential partners and clients just days ago, he was supported by his mother, Mia Campbell and publicist, Lia Head-Rigby. He is the CEO of ESS and his wife, Keisha, is the General Manager. Together with their daughter Iva Rayne, they are proving that families can come together and work together in the agriculture industry and aim for self-sufficiency.

“Food security is something that people are now realizing that you are what you eat,” he said.

“So if you can save your body long-term and your pockets short-term, I think that’s an overall sustainable lifestyle.”

With his Oklahoma event complete, Valin is now planning to tour in California and Florida as he promotes his special soil blends.

According to CannaCon, Oklahoma has become the “wild west of legalized cannabis markets”, surpassing the rest of the United States in medical licence carriers and licensed cannabis businesses. In 2020, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Association reported their patient count at almost 10 percent of the state’s entire population.

“CannaCon was a huge success in respects to giving the knowledge I have as education to the industry through the contacts made - whether they were exhibitors or attendees,” Valin said.

“I made lots of contacts to big companies like Grow Generation and celebrities like Jim Belushi! I’m looking forward to the exponential growth that my company will take on in the coming months.”

For Mia and Lia, Valin’s success is exciting as they have watched him grow from the little boy playing on the streets of Johnson Road, to becoming a soccer star in his country, to becoming a trendsetter in the cannabis industry ahead of its birth in The Bahamas.

“You don’t have to bring in all these foreigners to the industry in The Bahamas when you have Bahamians who are already of value to the cannabis industry” Lia pointed out, noting that she personally knows of other Bahamians making strides in cannabis throughout the United States.

When Valin attended St Augustine’s College in Fox Hill, he knew that he wanted to pursue studies that would allow him to make a valuable contribution to planet Earth. He believes that soil is one of the most important things on Earth, next to water and oxygen. When he graduated, he went on to attend Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey. He then transferred to Oral Roberts University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with concentration in Global Environmental Sustainability. There, he met his college sweetheart who became his wife, and together, he and Keisha set out on their mission to make an impact in the cannabis industry.

They brainstorm and research together, and they put the recipes to paper. Then, Valin begins mixing the recipe by hand, then he sends it off to laboratories for testing. He then tinkers with the soil as needed to reach the required level of nutrients desired. He is currently excited about a new trend – the growing of bonsai cannabis.

“I one hundred per cent support the legalization of cannabis because I was one that used cannabis as a means to overcome one of the worst concussions one could ever have,” he shared.

“I do think that there needs to be more education about cannabis to relieve the societal stigma of it as a plant. The government needs to ensure that they close the loopholes in the laws they are fixing to pass and ensure that it’s done in a sustainable way for the country long-term. I think it’s great to create much needed revenue for the country as well as have an export that we can benefit from.”

Valin calls himself “a tinker of soil, a visionary of resources, a curious soul and a man of intent”. He shares his keys to success with young people when invited to speak at his alma mater and at other institutions.

As he climbs to greater success, he is ever mindful of the trials he will face: “God has to increase my capacity for blessings before He increases my blessings, so I’m good with the struggle even though it gets hard.”

Long before entrepreneurial success, Valin, a Lyford Cay Scholar, was used to winning. He is an athlete whose success in soccer gained him publicity along the way. He has played for the Bahamas National Football Team and Cavalier Football Club. He played under the direction of Hugo Pierre at Essex County College where he led the team to Region 19 playoffs, and he went on to play for Oral Roberts University. He also played for the 2017 Bahamas National Beach Soccer Team.

His national pride extends to his soil business and he aims to make valuable contributions to the industry here. Customer service and product knowledge has helped him grow his business.

“They work hand in hand,” he explained.

“If you know your product, believe and stand by it, you’ll help growers understand it more which, in turn, allows you to sell your product. Imparting knowledge feeds the funnel.”

Valin’s feature on Face to Face comes weeks after we captured the story of Dr Robert Taylor, a veteran soil scientist in the US and a Bahamian son of the soil. Dr Taylor pointed out that the Bahamian limestone-filled soil could become very viable with the right organic components.

Valin is now proving that and is set to make a major announcement in the coming weeks.

Reach out to Valin by email at: lia@mediamavensgroup.com