Susannah Grossman is the engine driving sales of Mountain Medicine products into 150 cannabis retail stores across Colorado. Competing against nearly 500 infused product manufacturers within the state, Grossman has helped the five-person team at Mountain Medicine become one of the industry’s leading brands since its inception in 2009.
“We’re scrappy goats,” says Grossman, the company’s chief operating officer. “I think the real challenge, in terms of market penetration, has been just the sheer number of licenses that are active in the market. Obviously with so many options for retail partners to stock their shelves, it’s much like the reality of the alcohol market, where there is major competition to get on those shelves.”
Grossman also has a hand in media relations strategy, growth, compliance, marketing and financing. She also helps select new additions to the company’s menu along with CEO Jaime Lewis, executive chef Christian Suszynski, sous chef Brian Fulkerson and production lead Dana Zimmerman.
Grossman says Mountain Medicine’s small team and democratic way of doing business has helped the company retain its artisan identity and allows it to incorporate new ways of handling the workload without increasing the company’s overhead.
“Especially at the research and development phase, as we’re talking about things like sales trends, it’s all hands on deck,” she says. “It’s very important to make sure the whole team is engaged in the mission.”
Mountain Medicine had a larger sales staff when Grossman first joined the company. But after researching best practices inside and outside the industry, she decided to tighten the company belt and take on the accounts herself.
“Obviously, I have plans to expand the sales team, but I really wanted to tighten that up and ensure we had a really efficient program to begin with,” Grossman says. “I come from a public relations background, so I am used to being told no on the phone. It’s overwhelming until you get into it, but as long as you have a plan, then things are pretty easy.”
Grossman has a systematic approach to managing accounts that keeps her calendar filled with client’s buying patterns, weekly outreach by geographic region and many other tactics she employs to expand the business at a pace that keeps quality consistent and sanity intact. Mountain Medicine’s long-standing reputation as a “patient-first” company has helped her build new bridges to the ever-growing population of Colorado storefronts.
“I have a lot of conversations with people who already know our products,” Grossman says. “It’s extremely rewarding to see how people’s lives are changing. There’s no dollar amount you can prescribe to something like that. It’s huge.”
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