Exclusive: Lifted Made CEO & Founder Nicholas Warrender Talks “Urb” With The Hype
Lifted Made is a premier producer of innovative hemp-CBD products known for cutting-edge aesthetics and packaging, and wide-ranging appeal. It’s a rapidly expanding company that has managed to retain its personal, small business ethos, as their products are crafted in small batches from hemp grown locally by Midwestern farms. Lifted Made is poised to take the industry by storm thanks to the determination and resilience of its Founder and CEO, Nicholas Warrender.
Prior to founding Lifted Made, Nicholas Warrender was a former high school basketball star and DJ. He ultimately overcame an autoimmune disorder and other harrowing hardships, and that journey helped him towards his discovery of CBD. Via Lifted Made, Warrender and team are dedicated to making CBD more accessible and approachable for consumers of all ages and backgrounds.
Under Lifted Made and their new Urb brand, the company is offered a variety of wellness-focused items infused with broad spectrum hemp-CBD oil including lotions, body sprays, bath balms, smokeable products and CBD treats. I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Nicholas Warrender himself about all of this on behalf of The Hype. More on Warrender, Lifted Made and the newly-launched Urb label can be found online by visiting the official Lifted Made website at www.liftedmade.com.
Lifted Made is a top producer of innovative hemp-CBD products. But to you, what makes Lifted Made stand out from other producers within the field?
Nicholas Warrender: Lifted Made remains true to our mantra of Quality Over Everything, all the while staying creative, innovative and rolling out new brands and products. We cater to discerning consumers who demand the highest quality products, quickest delivery systems, and lasting effects.
I believe Urb is your newest label. How would you describe Urb to someone who hasn’t yet tried it?
Nicholas Warrender: Urb is a premium hemp flower brand showcasing rare strains grown by Midwestern farms combined with vibrant, eye-catching packaging. It offers an unmatched experience for flower connoisseurs and the canna-curious alike. In addition to CBD, Urb also includes products highlighting CBG, which is sometimes referred to as the “stem cell” of all cannabinoids because CBG is the precursor from which all other cannabinoids are synthesized. Consumers across the country can purchase Urb flower and pre-rolls online at UrbFlower.com, or at LiftedMade.com as well as in retail stores. Urb will be launching some first-to-market products in the next couple of weeks as well. Please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Instagram @Lifted_Made for more exciting news.
Do you have a favorite of the Urb products?
Nicholas Warrender: That’s a tough question because we have several unique varieties, but the first one that comes to mind is the White Wale, a Sativa (Crawford Brothers White strain). It has 2.09% CBG and 15% CBGa (cannabigerol acid, the precursor to CBG).
When in your life did you first become introduced to CBD?
Nicholas Warrender: I first became introduced to CBD in my 20s when I began using it as a treatment for a viral autoimmune disorder I contracted as a teenager that had me in and out of the hospital for six years and derailed my budding basketball career. The positive effects of CBD were startling, and I’ve been a proponent ever since. Lifted Made’s mission is to help people, and a way that we do that is by making effective, safe, reliable, accessible cannabinoid-infused products. We specialize in creative cannabinoid products, and are constantly pushing ourselves to produce the next best thing.
When did you first notice it to be normal and not at all taboo to be interested in cannabis-related culture?
Nicholas Warrender: The mainstreaming of cannabis — both CBD and THC — has really accelerated the last couple of years. I wouldn’t say cannabis has been totally accepted yet, but it’s getting better.
You were a DJ and stand-alone athlete before finding success with Lifted Made. But do you still have ties to the basketball or DJ worlds?
Nicholas Warrender: Yes absolutely, especially the latter. Performing DJ sets all around the country allowed me to forge meaningful connections and relationships within the music world that paved the way for additional exposure for Lifted Made and helped build the company’s following. We also have musicians on staff – one of our sales executives is an accomplished guitarist who has toured the United States, Asia, South America and Europe with his band. And beyond basketball, opening this question to athletics as a whole, my business partner Jake Jacobs is a former national champion snowboarder – he won the 2015 USASA Snowboard Nationals in Boardercross in the Men’s 23-29 division. I like to associate with people who accomplish things!
The world is currently in flux, but what is planned for your company in the coming months and years? Lifted Made has big plans for 2020 and beyond. Our team is stronger than ever, as we recently merged with the publicly-traded Acquired Sales Corp., which will allow us to extend our reach even further. On the brand front, we are launching our new premium hemp flower brand, Urb, and we’ve got some one-of-a-kind products being launched under that brand; we are also launching a luxury cannabis confections brand called Levé, and we recently signed an exclusive agreement to manufacture CBD-infused products for American Top Team, the leader in MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu training. We love creating and making stuff happen!
Is there a Lifted Made accomplishment you’re most proud of?
Nicholas Warrender: I am so proud of the people we have on our team. We have become a magnet for talented people. People are seeing what we are doing and are coming to us because they want to be a part of it. We don’t operate in the screwed up “command and control” structure that hinders most other companies. Our people are goal-focused and results-driven. Do you get your work done right, on time? Are you a free thinker? Do you have a good attitude? If you answered “yes”, you might be a good fit for our team — hit us up!
We’ve also established Lifted Learning, our year-round internship program, to find the best of the next gen. Don’t worry if you aren’t in college or don’t have a degree. If you have skills and a good attitude, and want to learn and work smart with us, you might want to check out Lifted Learning at LiftedMade.com. Our whole business comes back to the people, and we want to continue attracting more people with the attributes I described.
When not busy with Lifted Made, where does your free time usually go?
Nicholas Warrender: I am relaxing with my family, my wonderful girlfriend Maria, and our toy poodle, Baby (@lilbabynuget). I also enjoy reading, and I am also focused on self-growth, including learning how to be a better entrepreneur and leader, and how to do 3-D animation.
What was the last concert you attended?
Nicholas Warrender: The last concert I saw was Brit Floyd, an awesome Pink Floyd cover band. My parents and I sat front row for that show at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois. It was a great show!
Finally, Nick, any last words for the kids?
Nicholas Warrender: Take it one day at a time. Run your own race. Don’t get distracted by what other people are doing. You can do it.
TweetAbout the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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