FIVE QUESTIONS How is The Parent Co. trying to reach consumers from diverse communities? In a new industry, I think it takes some time to figure out the sophistication that is required to be really good marketers. We're in the infancy stage of that. We're now bringing in more data to help us be more strategic in how we reach and attract different consumers. We've taken a really great look at our portfolio to see where there are gaps in terms of our coverage of the consumer. And we have some initiatives underway that will help us broaden our appeal to many demographics: leveraging different form factors and also leveraging influencers that may appeal to that community more than others. Obviously, our relationship with Jay Z and Roc Nation is an important one. We also have a great relationship with Carlos Santana. He's incredibly bullish on the brand and its positioning to Latin consumers. I believe that using influencers to reach these communities will be important. The Parent Co., like other cannabis companies, has initiated cost-cutting measures. What has that included? Largely, most of our manufacturing has been outsourced. We tapped into Nabis to be our distributor; they're doing it at a percentage that I could not do in-house. That's how we've been able to still maintain a growth mindset and profile, because we shed the things that strategically we just weren't the best at. We've made some operational choices to simplify who we are and what we do. We can now ship those dollars into capabilities and activities that actually separate us from the rest of the pack. We've done the tough lifting in terms of the rightsize of the organization. Now we're going to have a little bit of fun. This interview was edited for length and clarity. Chris Casacchia is a writer for MJBizDaily. You can reach him at chris.casacchia@ mjbizdaily.com. TIRED OF TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION? Let the Engineering Team at Thermal Care cool down your process. Using the latest variable speed compressor technology, our chillers match the demand of your process for maximum efficiency and precise temperature control. COMPLIMENTARY SIZING CARD 888-210-8356 ● sales@thermalcare.com www.thermalcare.comhttps://go.thermalcare.com/MJBiz2023-NQV-KSE-SPB