I went to Michigan State, studied Genomic and Molecular Genetics, graduated summa cum laude in 2012. Did research on the Human Microbiome Project — precise, data-driven work where you form a hypothesis, test it, and follow what the evidence says regardless of what you hoped it would say. That habit stuck with me.
Out of school I got into real estate. Got my license, then my broker's license, and built up a 26-unit rental portfolio with outside investors that I still own and manage today. It taught me how capital actually moves, how to underwrite risk, and how to close deals with people who have options. I didn't know it then, but I was building the foundation for everything that came after.
I co-founded 42 Degrees in the Michigan adult-use cannabis market. We were a processor — we didn't grow, we didn't retail. We made vaporizers, concentrates, and gummies, produced bulk concentrate, and did contract manufacturing for third-party brands. Year one was pre-revenue: lobbying municipalities, raising private equity, negotiating the real estate that became our facility. Year two was construction. Year three we hired our first employee and ran a two-year sprint to 120 people.
We launched 4 brands from scratch and licensed 4 more. Built a supply chain for each one. Shipped over 10 million units into wholesale channels. I handled the employment agreements, commission structures, licensing deals, and incentive plans. Ran the full P&L. The thing I'm most proud of operationally: we funded our entire Phase 2 expansion through cashflow from operations — no outside capital for that round.
Then the market got hard. 85% price compression on our core products over five years. We right-sized — which means layoffs, which is not something you forget. Raised another $10M+ across multiple instruments to keep the machine running. We opened January 28, 2020 and Covid hit weeks later. We barely had a supply chain standing when the industry's collapsed. We built ours through that chaos. Volume went up. COGS came down.
In year seven, a 24% wholesale tax landed on roughly half our revenue. Ran the numbers, made the calls, and transitioned out of day-to-day. Still a shareholder, board member, and advisor to the team.
Chapter 03 — Outside the WorkMarried 17 years. Two kids, 3 and 7. Most of my best hours are on bike rides to the park, at the YMCA, or on the mountain teaching them to ski. When I get time for myself it's backpacking, fly fishing, or waterskiing. We're in Traverse City — small town, great schools, great food, outdoor access year-round. Good place to be.
Chapter 04 — Why I Do ThisI spent ten years finding profit leaks the hard way — by running into them in my own business. I know what they look like, where they hide, and what it costs when you ignore them long enough.
In 45 minutes I can show you where your business is losing $50K–$500K you don't know about yet. We build a plan to fix it. If you hire me, I work through it with you. If you don't, you still leave with a clear picture of what's there. Either way, you're better off than when you walked in.
