Business View Magazine | February 2020

19 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2020 Jeff Wells is the CEO of Metrc, the leading provider of track-and-trace systems for cannabis regulators, based in Lakeland, Florida. He answered the following questions for Business View Magazine’s Front of Book section. BVM: What does Metrc do? Wells: “We help regulators see where cannabis products are, where they came from, and what’s in them. In 1993 I started Franwell – our founding company – that provided supply chain solutions to the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Now, Metrc’s software, RFID technology, and support teams track cannabis products from seed to sale, ensuring a closed, legal ecosystem. Our solution ensures a secure supply chain, transparency, and public health and provides a safe marketplace for everyone. We support twelve states, the District of Columbia, and over 15,000 business licenses.” BVM: How did the company fare in 2019? Wells: “Last year was a busy one for us. We closed out a record year of business, serving more than 121,000 users and helping states record more than $11.5 billion in cannabis industry sales. And our team grew by 60 percent, now numbering over 100 employees. This includes key hires in the company’s executive suite: Lewis Koski as COO and Jesse Naranjo as CTO. Koski was director of the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, where he helped build the first state agency to develop and implement medical and adult-use cannabis policy. Naranjo was promoted to CTO after serving as the company’s leading software developer since 2012. I truly believe that our Metrc