Marijuana, or cannabis, is a common plant that can be cultivated for recreational or medical purposes. There are many different types, all with their own set of effects and applications.
Of these types, industrial hemp has been traditionally used for textile production for thousands of years. Recent studies have found it to be an effective source of fiber, both useful in the manufacturing process and as part Of an ingredient in dietary supplements.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in marijuana use as a cultural norm rather than a fringe one. In recent years, there have been several milestone events showing the public’s acceptance of marijuana as an acceptable drug to regulate and add to medication protocols.
This article will focus on some of the people who are shaping the industry today and why they are doing what they do.
Jody Harris
Jody Harris is a pioneer. She is the first woman to head a cannabis business, and she is doing something groundbreaking by creating her own company.
Since 2009, Jody has been running Harris Financial Services, an independent cannabis financing platform. By creating her company and running it on her own, she is truly owning control of her business.
She was previously employed at Oregon Public Federal Credit Union as the vice president of sales and marketing. During her time there, she developed relationships with local banks to serve the cannabis industry. She also helped found a non-profit organization that works with police and community members to prevent crime in the marijuana industry.
Meg Sanders
Meg Sanders, who also goes by the nickname Red, is one of the leading figures in the cannabis industry in Portland. As president and owner of Cascade Cannabis Company, she is spearheading efforts to expand the city’s medical marijuana program and introduce new products such as CBD-infused beverages and supplements.
As a former journalist and editor for The Oregonian/Willamette Week, Sanders’ understanding of business and marketing is an asset to her colleagues at Cascade. She also serves as a vice president at Portland’s chapter of ODA, the organization that manages Drug Court.
At 52, Sanders is one of the youngest executives in the cannabis industry. She says she was motivated to get involved in business by her mother, who suffered with cancer and depended on cannabis to help manage pain and inflammation.
Katherine Miller
Katherine Miller is one of the most well-known figures in the industry. She is the owner and operator of High Times Dispensary, one of three marijuana dispensaries in Portland.
She has been a significant force in the cannabis community for years, and she is still going strong at age thirty-eight. She got her start working at a progressive marijuana dispensary in Portland called High Times Pot Palace.
At the time, it was an against-the-grain idea: opening a pot store near downtown and focusing on medical cannabis rather than just selling buds. Today, she knows her business better than she did when she opened it herself less than a year ago.
She says that since her first day on staff, she has seen employees grow into adults with pot and nothing else every month brings the same level of excitement as opening your store and selling something you believe in.
Kate Robinson
Kate Robinson is the CEO of Green Leaf Farms. She was previously the president and co-founder of Greenhouse Development, a company that builds and manages cannabis cultivation facilities.
She also ran her own development company called Kate Robinson & Co., which was an investment and consulting firm focused on business strategy, leadership development, and organizational transformation.
During her time as a developer, she helped create multiple neighborhoods in Portland with their own cannabis businesses. She currently works with these businesses to help them establish themselves as legitimate companies in their communities.
She believes pot smokers should be proud of what they do for a living, saying: “There’s nothing ashamed about being involved in the cannabis industry.
Bree Davies
Bree Davies is a rising star in the cannabis industry. A recent graduate of Portland State University’s business school, she’s carving out her own path as an entrepreneur.
She began her career as a researcher at a drug research firm, where she helped develop tests to detect THC in plants. She also researched potential treatments for childhood autism.
She left that job to start her own cannabis business, an apparent logical next step for her career progression. She now runs a testing company called Cannalysis that tests cannabis products for potency and environmental effects.
Her business specializes in providing it-self evaluations of marijuana products, asking whether they are safe and whether they work. She says she hears stories all the time from people who have used her services and were satisfied with their experience.
Sara Bittick
Sara Bittick is the founder and CEO of Greenwave Grow, a cannabis company in Portland that produces hydroponic systems.
Bittick grew up in Texas and was introduced to marijuana by her father, who was also involved in the cannabis industry. He worked for Phillip Morris as an expert in branding and marketer of tobacco products, so she knew about marijuana but didn’t know how to use it.
Her father helped her learn about marijuana growing up, so she named her company after his favorite flower: the Dutch tulip. She wanted to create a brand that represented positivity but also quality as you look at the plants used in production.
She wasn’t content just producing a piece of equipment and selling it, so she devoted time to developing customer service and technical support roles at Greenwave Grow.
Shaleen Baldwin
Baldwin, a doctoral candidate in public health, is working on her second project for the year—a study of how community-based organizations work together to respond to disasters.
In her current project, she’s examining how Portland pot shops are working together to respond to the city’s crackdown on storefront Marijuana Business Open Houses (MBO).
These events feature marijuana businesses explaining their business and products, as well as hosting events and parties for the public.
Baldwin says she hopes her research leads to better MBOs that can be used around the country to respond to disasters.
She also hopes it adds more credibility to pot shops as open-access community spaces.
Amber Sparks
Amber Sparks was the first woman to run a cannabis business in Portland. She founded Blueline Dispensary in 2014, and she’s been running it ever since.
In her role as owner and operator, Sparks runs Blueline as a manager rather than a proprietor. This allows her to set higher standards for herself as an operator and for her staff, who must earn their positions through hard work and talent rather than just being placed on the job by virtue of gender.
By not having herself as the “boss” as often as a full-time owner would have, Sparks is able to set higher standards for herself and her staff. She knows she must deliver if she wants to maintain her independence and standards.
She also knows that if she wanted to lower those standards, then she would have to let people know what they were capable of.
