THE CANNABIS OPERATIONS
BUILDING AN EMPIRE
living in a COVID world. It affects everything from lead times on raw materials, to shipping, import and export fees to permit review. Each authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) has their own unique approach to conducting inspections, and it can add time to the process.
TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? We take a view of sustainability through everything we do, whether that is packaging for shelves or crates to be shipped across the country containing large fixtures, to reducing our truck loads to decrease carbon emissions. We try to work with local vendors as much as possible and capture in bulk. We also install low-flow toilets, and automated dimmers and timers on our LED fixtures to reduce our outputs. For those nonbelievers, taking an approach with sustainability in mind also helps the bottom line by reducing operating costs.
WHAT IS TODAY’S CONSUMER LOOKING FOR? Today’s consumer is looking for the best quality products that fit within their budget and a welcoming environment.
TELL US WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND SO UNIQUE? CEO and co-founder Berner started his cannabis career as a budtender in the Bay
Area during California’s early days as a medical cannabis forerunner. He quickly realized there were not any “brands” and the cannabis itself was sold in very unappealing bags, so he wanted to establish a brand with appealing packaging. He wanted to build out the Cookies brand further and started Cookies SF, a non-cannabis line of streetwear and lifestyle products, so that the Cookies brand could live outside of just cannabis and become more of a bigger movement and cultural phenomenon. Berner also is involved in every step of the product-development process—from PR to marketing, to creative to operations—and is extremely dedicated to ensuring that our products are consistently the highest quality in every market. Berner has built this brand from the ground up through social media primarily, and has an incredible cult following of fans from all over the world.
WHAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE MOVING AHEAD?
ONE-ON-ONE WITH...
There are endless opportunities for innovation. If you’re looking for it, opportunities will reveal themselves.
Director of Retail Development Aly Dean
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING/EXPECTING? We are still experiencing a period of differentiation within the dispensary environment, which is an exciting phase to be in. Companies are still defining how they want their stores to look and feel, but soon we will head into a copycat phase. Within retail in general, I’m seeing a movement toward curated customer experience married with expeditious access to product.
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO CREATING A “MUST VISIT” LOCATION IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE? Creating a “must visit” location means creating an immersive customer experience that provides a glimpse into the future of cannabis retail.
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Describe a typical day. What’s the biggest thing on your to-do list right now? The only thing that is typical about this line of work is that no day is the same as another. I wake up early, try to meditate or do yoga, and then hit each day with new calls that start around 7:30 a.m.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Anyone who works in the development space probably will say it’s the satisfaction of closing
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 7, 2021
a big deal or seeing beautiful spaces being delivered, or turning the keys over to a new building that has been built—but for me it’s much more. It’s seeing the happiness and appreciation on the faces of our customers and partners when a deal is done, or they do the first part of their walkthrough and realize the space is as much theirs now as it was ours during the building process.
What was the best advice you ever received? Never burn a bridge
and follow all leads. You never know where a deal could originate or a qualified vendor referral can come from. Even when you get busy, always make a point to circle back with people at a later date.
How do you like to spend your down time? What’s down time? I gravitate toward activities that center me, so that usually means going on a jog outside in the sunshine, going out to try new food with friends or taking a trip somewhere new.
