Freedom increasesan all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting cannabis inmates and their families, is entering a new phase of impact, bringing together advocacy, community and culture through strategic partnerships, national events and retail-led fundraising initiatives.

This expansion comes under new leadership, with Bill and Jeff Levers, founders of Beard Bros. Pharms and Beard Bros. Mediastepping in as CEO and COO, bringing with him a clear and purposeful vision: to significantly increase awareness, visibility and industry participation in Freedom Grow’s mission.

Since its founding, Freedom Grow has been on the front lines of cannabis justice reform, working tirelessly to support individuals incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offences. Through its signature Wish program, the organization provides commissary funds, books, educational materials and family outreach, ensuring that those still behind bars are not forgotten.

What began as a lifeline for incarcerated individuals has evolved into a broader movement—one based on compassion, awareness, and real, measurable action.

A legacy built on advocacy and human impact

Freedom Grow has supported countless individuals and families navigating the harsh realities of cannabis incarceration, providing emotional and financial relief during and after incarceration. At the same time, the organization continues to raise awareness by amplifying the voices and stories of those still serving sentences for cannabis-related offences.

This work is ongoing, deeply personal, and far from finished.

Leadership that drives a new era of visibility

With decades of combined experience in cannabis, media and advocacy, Bill and Jeff Levers are using their platforms and network to elevate Freedom Grow to a new level of national visibility.

Their leadership marks a strategic shift that goes beyond traditional non-profit outreach and embedding Freedom Grow directly into the fabric of the legal cannabis industry through media, partnerships and hands-on experiences. Their goal is simple but urgent: make sure people who still pay the price of prohibition are impossible to ignore.

Scaling the mission through events, partnerships and retail activation

Freedom Grow is now expanding its reach by connecting with platforms that bring advocacy directly to the heart of the cannabis industry and culture.

Through its involvement with Seshn eventsFreedom Grow is helping to create immersive, community-driven experiences that combine education, networking and purpose by turning industry gatherings into opportunities for awareness and action.

In parallel, Freedom Grow continues to participate in high-impact initiatives such as Vlasic Classic Charity Golf Tournament series, which brings together cannabis leaders, brands and operators to raise funds and support reform efforts. These events have become a powerful tool for uniting the industry around a shared responsibility: ensuring that no one remains imprisoned for cannabis while the legal market thrives.

Retail Enablement: A Scalable Path to Impact

Looking forward, one of Freedom Grow’s most important areas of focus is activating dispensaries and retail brands as direct contributors to the mission.

The organization is actively working with distributors in legal markets to implement point-of-sale bundled donation programs, allowing consumers to contribute directly to Freedom Grow at the checkout. This initiative creates a simple yet powerful way for everyday cannabis purchases to drive meaningful change.

To support this effort, Freedom Grow has already been approved and verified Dutchione of the leading retail technology platforms in the cannabis industry. This integration enables seamless adoption of rolled-up campaigns across participating dispensaries, making it easier than ever for retailers to align with a cause that reflects the industry’s true roots.

Beyond retail, brands can also engage directly through Freedom Grow’s Lidh Commissariat Programan initiative designed to create meaningful and ongoing support for incarcerated individuals. Through Commissary Connects, brands have the opportunity to fund commissary accounts, sponsor care initiatives and align their business with tangible and human impact, turning brand participation into direct support for those still serving.

Together, these initiatives create a full-circle ecosystem – where retailers, brands and consumers can all play an active role in advancing cannabis justice.

More than events: A movement in motion

These efforts represent more than partnerships, they signal a shift in how advocacy is integrated into the modern cannabis ecosystem.

Encompassing its mission in events, retail environments and everyday transactions, Freedom Grow is:

• Expanding awareness beyond traditional advocacy channels
• Creating ongoing and scalable fundraising opportunities
• Strengthening alignment between the legal industry and its responsibility to those affected by the ban

Looking Forward

As the cannabis industry continues to grow, Freedom Grow remains grounded in a simple but urgent truth: legalization without justice is incomplete.

Through its ongoing support programs, strategic partnerships, retail initiatives and community-driven events, Freedom Grow is committed to ensuring that those who have paid the price for prohibition are not left behind.

Because this isn’t just about cannabis, it’s about people, responsibility and making sure the industry remembers where it came from.

About Freedom Grow

Freedom Grow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cannabis inmates regain their freedom and supporting them and their families through financial assistance, outreach and public education. Learn more at freegrow.org.

BOCA RATON, FL – Big spring (OTCQX: SBIG), the AI-powered marketing and customer engagement platform serving regulated retailers and brands, today announced the launch of AI Audience Builder, a breakthrough capability that enables retailers to create precisely targeted customer segments using simple, natural language powered by artificial intelligence. There are no filters. There is no manual logic. No data expertise required.

The launch positions Springbig at the forefront of AI-driven retail marketing, providing a tangible productivity and revenue advantage for dispensary operators competing in an increasingly data-intensive marketplace.

Instead of navigating complex segmentation workflows, marketers can now describe an audience in their own words and watch Springbig’s AI build it instantly, dramatically shortening the time from idea to campaign execution.

Transforming the way marketers work with data

Audience segmentation has long been one of the most powerful yet consistently underutilized levers in retail marketing. The barrier has never been data availability. It was accessibility.

Traditional segmentation requires marketing teams to build logic by hand, configure multiple filters, and maintain a working knowledge of underlying data structures. For operators running lean teams across multiple locations, this friction translates directly into lost revenue opportunities.

AI Audience Builder removes that barrier entirely. Key skills include:

• Create natural language audiences based on intent, purchase behavior or campaign goals
• Instant segmentation without manual filter configuration or technical training
• Faster campaign execution that compresses setup time from hours to seconds
• Higher targeting accuracy based on real-time customer data
• Broader team access, empowering any marketer, not just data specialists, to run sophisticated campaigns

“For too long, the most powerful tools in retail marketing required technical expertise to unlock.” said Jaret Christopher, Chief Executive Officer of Springbig. “AI Audience Builder changes that equation. When a marketer can describe who they want to reach in plain English and have that audience built instantly, it’s not just a better workflow. It’s a direct revenue driver. We built this because speed and accuracy at the campaign level is where it’s earned, and we’re giving each of our clients that advantage.”

Speed ​​and accuracy where it matters most

In high-velocity retail environments, the window between consumer intent and purchase decision is narrow. AI Audience Builder allows operators to react in real time, building and launching hyper-relevant campaigns without the delays historically caused by manual segmentation.

This capability delivers tremendous impact during peak promotional periods, product launches, and high-traffic events, where message relevance directly determines conversion and revenue results.

Operators using AI Audience Builder can expect to:

• Launch campaigns faster with dramatically reduced setup time
• Reduce segmentation errors that dilute message relevance and waste overhead
• Increase customer lifetime value through smarter, behavior-driven targeting
• Unlock deeper intelligence from existing customer data without additional infrastructure
• Scale marketing output without scaling headcount

The result is a more agile, more profitable marketing operation that keeps pace with consumer behavior and operational demands at the same time.

A platform built for AI-Native Marketing

AI Audience Builder is the latest addition to Springbig’s expanding suite of AI-powered capabilities, which include campaign automation, personalized messaging, loyalty optimization and performance analytics. Each capability is designed with the same goal in mind: to reduce friction for the marketer and increase return on every customer interaction.

For investors, AI Audience Builder represents a significant advancement in platform sustainability, operator efficiency and the revenue impact that Springbig delivers to its customer base. Features that measurably improve operator outcomes strengthen retention, expand usage and accelerate the platform’s competitive differentiation in the regulated retail technology sector.

“Springbig has made a deliberate and committed transition to being an AI-first company.” Christopher said. “We’re integrating artificial intelligence into the core of our MarTech platform and across our organization. The goal is straightforward: automate what’s manual, simplify what’s complex, and use AI to drive operational efficiencies both within Springbig and for every customer we serve. AI Audience Builder is an example of this commitment in action, but it reflects a much larger transformation of our business.”

“The opportunity in AI is not abstract,” Christopher added. “Every campaign that’s built faster, every audience that’s targeted more precisely, every message that comes at the right moment drives measurable revenue for our clients. That’s what we’re building towards: an AI layer that makes the entire marketing operation smarter, faster and more effective at every touchpoint.”

Availability

AI Audience Builder is available now to all Springbig platform subscribers at no additional cost.

To learn more or schedule a demo, visit Springbig.com.

About Springbig

Springbig (OTCQX: SBIG) is a leading provider of comprehensive AI-powered marketing, loyalty and communications solutions for retailers and brands operating in regulated industries. Through its advanced CRM and marketing automation platform, Springbig enables businesses to increase customer retention, drive revenue and deliver personalized experiences at scale. Springbig serves hundreds of retail locations across the United States and Canada and is dedicated to building the technology infrastructure that powers the next generation of regulated retail marketing.

Media contact:

Gabby Marazzi

info@springbig.com

Springbig.com

Investor relations:

investors@springbig.com

Belleville, NJ – Nevaeh Verde DispensaryBelleville’s premier cannabis destination, is celebrating its first anniversary with a Cannaversary community event on March 21, marking a major milestone for the locally owned business that has quickly become known for its superior retail experience and dedication to cannabis education.

Located in the heart of Belleville, Nevaeh Verde was founded with the goal of creating a cannabis retail environment that feels welcoming, sophisticated and informative. Since opening its doors, the dispensary has focused on helping customers make intentional and informed purchasing decisions by featuring high-quality cannabis brands, artisan growers and products grown using organic and living soil methods.

“Our goal has always been to enhance the cannabis retail experience,” said Sasha Huetz, Manager of Nevaeh Verde Dispensary. “We wanted to create a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, learning about the plant and discovering products that really support their needs.” To celebrate its first year in business, Nevaeh Verde will host a Cannaversary party on March 21, featuring:

• Live DJ
• Local food vendors
• Brand activation
• Gift of products
• Community engagement with cannabis brands and educators

The dispensary will continue the celebration with a special 4/20 event on April 18, giving customers and the surrounding community an opportunity to come together ahead of the national cannabis holiday.

These events reflect Nevaeh Verde’s broader mission of building a community-centered cannabis culture rooted in education, access and quality products. As New Jersey’s cannabis industry continues to grow, Nevaeh Verde remains committed to providing a retail experience that combines knowledge, hospitality and carefully curated cannabis products.
Members of the media are invited to attend the Cannaversary celebration or schedule interviews with the Nevaeh Verde team.

Event details:
Cannaversary Celebration, March 21, 2026, 1-7pm Nevaeh Verde Dispensary 176 Belmont Avenue Belleville, NJ

Celebration Event 4/20, April 18, 2026, 1-7pm Nevaeh Verde Dispensary Belleville, NJ
Location: 176 Belmont Avenue Belleville, NJ 07109

For Media Contact:
Darla Huetz
info@nevaehverdedispensary.com