RE:QUESTION FOR EARL - CEO/CONSULTANT/CO-FOUNDER?Hello,
This is not a new company. It went public in 2014 as Vodis Pharmaceuticals Inc. I am CEO, Director, Responsible Person, and Head of Security for the Health Canada licensed subsidiary Vodis Innovative Pharmaceuticals Inc.
The website is incorrect. I have writen Mark Lotz instructing the website to be fixed. Stay tuned.
I came in as an activist investor in 2017 and took the reins to get the company a licence. It was a real struggle. Let me be very clear, this company would never have got licensed had I not come on board. This company would not have had one of the most successful brand launches in Canada had I not come on board. This company would be bankrupt, and shareholders would have nothing had I not come on board.
I call myself a co-founder of Gnomestar because I built it through hard work. I practically live at that site, and my journey to turn this company around has been well documened on social media (Twitter). I took the community on the journey figuring that I would succeed or fail in public view. The company has received a lot of support from the community as a result of my transparency. The 'Founder' on the website was only on site once last year. He filled coco pots, and I paid him $100 out of my own pocket for his services. He didn't even do a very good job and smoked my Whistler weed in the parking lot while Mike and I cleaned up, but I paid him out of my own pocket nonetheless while not being paid myself. If a daytrader wants to call himself a founder, that's on him and for the community to form judgement. My accomplishments speak for themselvs. I have created close working relationships in the Canadian cannabis industry and earned the respect of my peers, while the 'Founding' team of Gnomestar (formerly Vodis) is the laughing stock in the industry and the butt of many jokes.
I accrue a monthly salary of $15,000 + GST. I demanded this in 2019 when Ivan finally resigned. This was what they were all paying themselves, so I required the same. I am accruing approximately half of what I can make in cash elsewhere given my education and skill set - PhD in Computer Science. To date, I am owed $569,917.46 from the company for expenses, loans, and accrued salary. If I leave the company it is unlikely that I will ever see this money without a legal fight. I sincerely hope it never comes to that.
For your, and all other investor's information, I desperately wanted my mountain of debt converted to equity back in July. The company refused and would only convert $100k (about 2/3 of the cash I had loaned the company). In effect, shareholders have failed to align their interests with my own since my equity position is only a small fraction of the debt I am owed. The company had a subsequent opportunity to align my interests with the interests of shareholders through stock options, but again, I was only allocated a small fraction of what I deserve. It was a slap in the face really, and I have become indifferent to increasing the share price.
I hope that answers your questions. I'm quite transparent about how the company treats me. I wish shareholders were more active in support of the success of the company. In the meantime, I do my best to put out the best product we can.