Paul ParisiAs the head of sales for Dove Robotics, Paul Parisi is responsible for bringing automation to Massachusetts cannabis operators. The company, which is an offshoot of parent company Calvary Robotics, set up its Fitchburg, Massachusetts, facility as a test case for outsourcing cannabis weighing and packaging. Based on the response in the commonwealth, the company will be opening similar facilities in many other markets in the near future, Parisi says.
“The vision is to have 10 more of these in five years,” Parisi says. “So we have our hands full at the moment.”
Parisi was a transplant from the hospitality industry. He spent years managing high-end restaurants, building wine lists and working as a wine director before meeting Mark Chaney, the owner of Calvary Robotics and several other automation businesses, who offered him a position in what would be Dove Robotics.
Parisi’s first reaction was that he already had a job and loved his life.
“But then I went in and saw the facility, and I was like, ‘Holy crap; this is like science fiction,’” he says.
Parisi took the job and became the driving force behind the company’s success.
“Honestly, not to sound cheesy, but I’m big on core values like transparency, integrity and empowerment,” Parisi says. “When you have something you really believe in that you sell and you feel it could help companies pull anywhere from 2 to 15 points off their bottom line, where it increases margins, mitigates risk, and really helps them, I’m convicted with that piece.”