From Grow Room to Growth Strategy: Alexander Perry's Journey Through Cannabis

Where have you previously worked in cannabis? What was your role and title? How/why did you end up working there?

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I’ve had the pleasure of working as Grow Manager for Boulder Rx, Headquarters, and Solace Meds Wheatridge here in Colorado. I first got my start through mutual friends at Boulder Rx in 2011 as a grow-assistant.

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When their Grow Manager left, I was trusted with overseeing the grow operations from that point on. I’ve also had a few great stints working as a Sales Associate at L’Eagle Denver and Simply Pure Denver. Experiencing both worlds has really helped understand the complete seed-to-sale journey, which has been extremely beneficial during my time at Dutchie as an Implementation Strategist.

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What did you like most about working with cannabis?

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I loved coming to work every day and seeing the plants change overnight, the camaraderie of our grow and trim crews, as well as visiting the shops to see our bud as it made it to the shelf. I loved working every day to optimize our grow methods and yields. A little chemistry here, a little biology there.

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What’s a stand out memory from that time?

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At Boulder Rx, a standout memory was coming up with our own barcoding and inventory tracking system for our plants pre-State Traceability (Metrc).

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What have you learned moving from plant-touching work to tech? Did anything about the change surprise you?

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I’ve learned just how differently people do things, and how there’s no absolute correct way to approach growing, selling, or marketing cannabis. There are some seriously creative people in this industry that come up with some incredible solutions to common challenges. A big surprise to me is how many people from wildly different backgrounds end up in this industry, which strengthens it that much more.

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What’s your advice for those starting out in cannabis? What is there to look forward to?

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My advice is to keep your eyes and ears open when it comes to developments in cannabis (terpenes!), shop around local dispensaries, and stay in touch with local and national sources in regard to regulation to stay compliant. If you’re looking for a gig in this industry on any level, you can be assured that things will stay exciting and move fast as they continue to evolve.