Who are the cannabis accounting experts at Buds Group?

Rick LaNeve is the founder of Accounting Buds and the Founder and CEO of Buds Group. He is a senior executive, board member and consultant with over 25 years of experience.

Rick works with C-level executives, owner-operators, legal counsel and key business personnel to perform analysis, drive decisions, build companies and implement change. He is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in developing and implementing strategic plans for organizations of every size. He has led process re-engineering and transformation, merger integrations, project management, internal controls and team building at global organizations, and has helped smaller organizations build their businesses from the ground up.

Rick has presented to boards and audit committees, worked on a large corporate bankruptcy, participated in two initial public offerings, led three global merger integrations, investigated a major fraud, and provided written and verbal communication to the Chief Accountant in the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance.

Professional roles

• Past Chairman, Cannabis Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs (June 2022 to May 2024)
• Instructor, NY Office of Cannabis Management Legacy to Legal Program (2022)
• Guest Lecturer, Rutgers University Certificate in Cannabis Law & Business
• Advisory Board Member (Finance Expert), Premier Consulting & Integration

Speaking and media

• Speaker, Woodard Scaling New Heights 2024
• Speaker, NECANN (multiple years)
• Speaker, CannaOne 2022 and Xpo Cannabis 2022
• On-air accounting and finance expert, Pro Cannabis Media
• Podcast and radio guest on cannabis shows including DopeCFO and Cannabis A-Z Radio

Bruce Andersen has 30 years of experience as a CPA in California and a deep understanding of the cannabis industry from seed to sale. He has worked with dozens of cannabis and hemp operators.

Bruce presents and sits on panels about the tax implications for the cannabis industry. He has presented to numerous groups of CPAs and attorneys, and was a panelist with the Chief of Tax Policy for the CDTFA at the annual Cannabis Symposium hosted by the California Society of CPAs in South San Francisco in August 2019.

He was also a panelist on a cannabis tax webinar with De Lon Harris, IRS Deputy Commissioner of Examination for Small Business and Self Employed, and Scott Irick, IRS Director of Examination, sponsored by the National Association of Cannabis Accounting and Tax Professionals.

Bruce is an educator as well. He has authored and presented more than twenty topics on cannabis and accounting systems through the National Business Institute, and taught accounting, finance and business systems in the School of Business at the University of Phoenix for over 15 years.

Memberships

• National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Banking & Financial Services Committee
• National Association of Cannabis Accounting & Tax Professionals
• VIP Pro, Dope CFO

Recognition

• Top 50 Practitioners for Representation before the IRS, CPA Magazine
• Top 100 Most Influential CPAs, CPA Magazine (four years)
• Top 100 Technology Pacesetters, Accounting Technology Magazine (five years)
• Speaker, Woodard Scaling New Heights 2024

David Rabinovitz brings deep financial expertise in strategy, debt workouts and restructuring, turnarounds, succession planning, ownership transitions, deal structuring and M&A support.

He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and an MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School. He began his career in equipment leasing and finance as a Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP), funding transactions across many industries.

After earning his MBA, he consulted for architecture and engineering firms on succession, ownership transitions and expansion, M&A, shareholder matters, restructuring and strategic planning. He has led complex workouts, including a Midwest media company restructuring, and managed distressed asset acquisitions, including a quick-service restaurant.

David helps clients build investor-ready financial models, value businesses, set pricing and design investor terms. He advises cannabis startups and writes regularly on cannabis market economics. Over a 40-year career he has become known for bridging opposing interests in troubled businesses.

Cannabis roles

• Co-Founder, Stones Throw Cannabis Dispensary
• Massachusetts Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board and Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board
• Technical Advisor to the City of Boston Social Equity Program via the Boston Cannabis Board
• Trainer, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Social Equity Program (Cohorts 1 and 2)
• Past Director and Treasurer, MassCann

Speaking and media

• Host, Pro Cannabis Media, “Green Rush, the Business of Cannabis”
• Recurring author, Talking Joints Memo
• Speaker, NECANN (multiple years), NCIA Conference, CannaOne 2022, Xpo Cannabis 2022