Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1105495
B R A N D O N WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2019 5 MANITOULIN DELIVERS MORE THAN FREIGHT MANITOULIN DELIVERS RESULTS! From dedicated sales representatives providing a high level of customer service managing your business, and terminals across Manitoba and throughout Canada with more than 3,000 pieces of transportation equipment, to 24/7 online shipping assistance and live agents ready to find a solution to your specific need, Manitoulin will deliver the results you need. 1-800-265-1485 • manitoulintransport.com www.treherne.ca Campground Reservations: trehernecamping.ca VISIT TREHERNE! Home of the Run for the Hills Marathon held annually in September. Situated in the scenic Tiger Hills, Treherne offers a wide variety of shops, activities and tourist attractions including: * Aquatic Centre with Aqua Climb Wall * Full Service Campground * Nine Hole Golf Course * Walking Trails * Museum * Glass Bottle Buildings "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go." -Dr. Seuss I f you were trying to guess where you'd find the headquarters of a major North American distribu- tor of pipes, vaporizers and other accessories for cannabis users you might start with Vancouver or some other big city known for cannabis culture. Bran- don probably wouldn't be on your list. But for Robert Ritchot, CEO and co-founder (with his wife Kim) of B.O.B. HQ, a home in the Wheat City has provided an opportunity to quietly grow a business that was able to make major steps in time for the legalization in Canada of recreational cannabis. "Last spring, we were thinking for sure that we had to come up with a strategy to capitalize on the opportunity that legalized cannabis would create," Ritchot says. Part of that strategy was to set up the company as a one-stop shop for both for traditional "head shops" and the new legal cannabis dispensaries that wanted also to sell accessories. (The company doesn't sell or produce cannabis or products for growing cannabis.) It meant being prepared to work with new cus- tomers, including stores in those provinces where cannabis is sold in government-owned retail loca- tions. And it meant offering product education for new employees of these stores who might not be familiar with the industry. "Our customers had a lot to learn in a really short time," Ritchot says. The company started in 1998 as B.O.B. HQ, a small retail store that sold a variety of decor and life- style products and cannabis accessories. It now oper- ates two businesses that act as distributors to retailers: Humble + Fume in Canada and Windship Trading in the U.S. The benefit to customers is that they can deal with one distributor for all their cannabis accesso- ries, including pipes, products for storing cannabis (such as humidifiers) and products for preparing it, such as grinders. And there are a lot of such products on the market. The website at parent company B.O.B. HQ lists more than 15,000 items. To make is easier for customers and prepare for the rapid growth of the industry, the company selected a smaller number of high-quality products made by suppliers with the ability to provide quantity and quick service. As a result, the Humble + Fume website lists about 1,200 product offerings, grouped in four categories: Prepare, Consume, Pre- serve and Live. Windship Trading takes a similar ap- proach in working with American retailers. That way, if you operate a smoke shop or can- nabis dispensary and you're looking to stock acces- sories, you don't need to research and then do busi- ness with hundreds of different suppliers. Instead, you can work with Humble + Fume or Windship Trading as your one-stop shop. For an industry that used to be synonymous with ramshackle head shops and crafters selling pipes at festivals, it's been a fast transition to a high-tech, inter- net-based business. "The supply chain is struggling to keep up with the demand," Ritchot says. With legalization in Canada and in many U.S. states (currently 10 have legal recreational cannabis and another 14 have legal medical cannabis), the scale of the industry has increased substantially. "A year ago we could order $100,000 worth of widget XYZ. Now we need a million dollars' worth of XYZ." The company has its marketing, procurement, sales and fulfillment teams in Brandon, connecting with customers across the continent and processing orders. It's growing as well, with new sales staff in Ontario and B.C. As of early April, Humble + Fume had near- ly 60 employees. Counting staff in U.S. operations, the overall company had about 120 employees. "We've been fortunate to find really good people," Ritchot says, noting that many employees have been with the company for many years. The longest serving employee has been with them for 20 years after starting at the age of 17 as a student doing a work experience in the retail store. Ritchot now notes that it took a very "open-minded" teacher to approve a work experience like that at that time. Low employee turnover, he says, "has helped to cre- ate a strong team that understands the culture. That's helped to make our success." Though the retail store is still open, Ritchot has dis- covered a passion for a different side of the business — which led to the company's current focus. "As much as I enjoyed the retail, I was hooked on distribution." As the business has grown in Brandon, managing a continent-spanning company from a smaller city two hours from an international airport has some- times been a challenge. But the people have made up for that. "It might not have been the easiest path to success," Ritchot says. "But adversity is a great teacher." BUDDING BUSINESS Cannabis accessories company was ahead of the legalization curve BY BOB ARMSTRONG Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Prairie Lofts, Charleston & Harlow, the SKIN Clinic, K|G Style Hair, Charleston & Harlow, Muse Boutique & Bridal Studio. Below: Fraser Sneath Coffee (top), Tour Fit Club. Photos courtesy of Brandon Downtown Development Corp. Prairie Lofts, Skin Clinic and Fraser Sneath Coffee photos by Bluebird Creative.