35-year healthcare career leads to a CBD business with a difference

In 1955 I was born in Levittown, New York. My dad, a U.S. Postal worker, worked two jobs to ensure that my three younger siblings and I received a parochial school education.

I was always interested in health care and when I graduated college in 1978, I received my nursing license. For five years I worked in a New York Burn Center while attending business school and upon graduation, I decided to pursue the medical sales industry.

My previous education in nursing contributed to my success in sales. Throughout my career, I was quickly promoted to district, regional, and national sales and marketing positions, ultimately achieving my first CEO job in 1995. I worked as the CEO of three organizations, all of which grew rapidly through organic growth and acquisition.

Two of the companies were sold and the third was taken public through a lucrative IPO. After a 34-year long career I retired in 2012 to become a full-time grandpa.

In 2015 my wife suffered a back injury that left her in extreme, chronic pain. She was aware of the dangers presented by opioids and refused them, prompting my search for a solution and more importantly, my discovery of CBD.

After purchasing a leading CBD cream, my wife quickly began to feel much more comfortable. While we were both amazed by the results, the product had a terrible odor, a greasy texture, and contained THC. I knew that with a little scientific effort, all of these shortcomings could be easily corrected. This idea led to the creation of AmourCBD.

I learned that with additional filtration steps, THC could be completely removed from the product. My team and I developed an odorless formula without menthol, the strong-scented chemical found in products, and further improved it by using lidocaine in conjunction with the CBD. This resulted in a non-greasy, easily applied and absorbed cream.

From the beginning, I was determined to do CBD right. After almost a year, AmourCBD received the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" from the FDA and became the first CBD Pain Relief Cream with Lidocaine and 200 milligrams of CBD. AmourCBD's FDA-registered, odorless, non-greasy, zero THC pain relieving cream has become a very popular choice, and we are flattered by the amount of people visiting our website and purchasing AmourCBD products to improve their quality of life.

Along with pain relief, AmourCBD's tinctures, pills, and gummies are also used to help manage anxiety and sleep-related issues. Both anxiety and sleep deprivation levels have increased throughout the pandemic, and we are humbled by the testimonials describing how AmourCBD has helped individuals feel less anxious and sleep better during this stressful time.

There is no doubt that our products are making a positive difference in people's lives, and we take pride in offering the highest-quality, safest CBD products available. We invite you to visit amourcbd.com and try it for yourself.

• Ed Donnelly is the founder of AmourCBD in Oak Brook.