The executives at Organa Brands, Columbia Care, KushCo and MariMed relied on a variety of tactics to take their companies national and, in some cases, global. We dissect those successes in “Growing Ambition.” (Photo courtesy of Organa Brands)
Organa’s products are carried in more than 1,500 stores in 10 states. Credit for the distribution network, Driessen said, goes to the company’s vape pen, which led Organa Brands’ charge into many of its current markets. (Photo courtesy of Organa Brands)
KushCo Holdings went public in 2016. “The public money has funded expansion into new states – but also expansion into new categories,” KushCo CEO Nick Kovacevich said. “Even though we started as a packaging company, we are no longer just a packaging company. Today, packaging is less than 40% of our revenue.” (Photo courtesy of KushCo Holdings)
Vertically integrated medical marijuana business Columbia Care got off to a rocky start. “Every market has its own unique challenges,” Columbia Care’s CEO Nicholas Vita said. “While we have made every mistake conceivable, what we have become quite good at is not making the same mistake twice.” (Photo courtesy of Columbia Care)
Are high-tech vending machines finally here? California-based tech company GreenStop hopes to revolutionize the retail experience by slashing wait time and boosting revenue with its vending machines, dubbed Smart Dispensaries. (Photo courtesy of GreenStop)
“Picking Up the Pieces” explains how to ease the damage to your cannabis business when natural disaster strikes. This year, the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire are causing devastation in Northern and Southern California, respectively, though how the wildfires are impacting marijuana businesses is unclear at this time. (Photo courtesy of SPARC)
“There’s a lot of chance and bad luck that comes with events like this,” said Erich Pearson, the founder of SPARC, which saw a cannabis cultivation operation in Glen Ellen, California, ravaged by fire. Pearson lost about $5 million worth of cannabis in October 2017, when wildfires roared through Sonoma County. (Photo courtesy of SPARC)
New plants are growing outdoors at SPARC in Sonoma County, California. The company now plans to protect the cannabis and its investment by installing fire breaks around the property and securing insurance that will help cover replacement costs. (Photo courtesy of SPARC)
