With a passion for the power of plants, Alyssa assists clients in the cannabis, alternative protein, food and beverage, and hospitality spaces with complex commercial transactions.
Alyssa oversees mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures divestitures and other transactions, negotiating terms, drafting agreements, and advising clients on how to create a path forward. She draws on her vast knowledge of the rules and restrictions of these highly regulated industries to structure transactions that account for licensing requirements, safety issues and other industry-specific concerns.
In addition to her transactional work, Alyssa helps clients communicate with regulatory and administrative agencies and advises on general regulatory compliance. She is well-versed in labeling laws, trade secret questions and food safety matters, and she also has experience with the complexities of alcohol licensing in the hospitality industry, particularly in related real estate and hotel transactions.
At the beginning of her career, Alyssa cut her teeth on cannabis work when the industry was very small. When she first began to assist growers and providers, Colorado was just beginning to navigate the regulation of cannabis. It was an experience she describes as being thrown into matters with no roadmap and no precedents—and she thrived on the challenge. Alyssa especially enjoyed the opportunity to work with the field’s early pioneers, helping to advocate for clients who took some of the biggest risks.
Today, Alyssa divides her practice between cannabis, food, and hospitality clients with a keen focus on the alternative protein industry. She’s excited to work in such rapidly growing and developing fields, and she is personally passionate about the potential for alternative proteins and their impact on future food supply and sustainability. With a practice that’s focused on forward-looking industries, Alyssa is a member of the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee and routinely works with clients on climate sustainability issues within corporate transactions.
Alyssa loves working with clients who have a strong vision for how the power of plants can make the world a better place. She concentrates much of her practice on entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and their investors, helping facilitate their growth. She’s proud to have worked with early clients who opened their businesses with nothing more than a dream and a vision, and who are now ready for high level mergers and acquisitions.
Alyssa is also deeply devoted to pro bono practice and has a personal commitment to always have at least one pro bono project active at any given time. Through Husch Blackwell’s Communities for Change effort, Alyssa helped launch the firm’s cannabis social equity initiative, assisting social equity applicants for cannabis licensing with their corporate structuring.