Brett Puffenbarger, CEO of Old Dominion Cannabis- Interview Series

Of all the state markets across the American cannabis industry, few draw as many expert eyes and predictions as Virginia.

The state’s current medical market remains strictly limited, with only a handful of dispensaries serving vast regions across the state. Compounding this scarcity, none of these medical locations are owned by local, independent entrepreneurs—instead, every single dispensary is operated by multi-state operators (MSOs).

However, with legal recreational sales in Virginia set to begin on July 1, 2027, industry professionals are facing major questions and concerns regarding the licensing process, the total number of permits to be issued, and which counties will prove most welcoming to commercial cannabis.

To get a boots-on-the-ground perspective on the early stages of Virginia’s adult-use market, mycannabis.com spoke with Brett Puffenbarger, CEO of Old Dominion Cannabis.

Which topics from your education have been most useful throughout your career? When it comes to strategic marketing, which concepts have proven especially valuable and effective?

The most useful parts of my education were the concepts I could immediately apply to real businesses—understanding the customer, identifying an actual market need, positioning a company effectively, and measuring whether a strategy is working. My favorite marketing lesson is: “Market the solution to their itch, not your scratch.” Too many companies build their marketing around what they want to sell, the features they are proud of, or the story they want to tell. Customers are focused on their own problems. Effective marketing begins by understanding that problem and presenting the product or service as the clearest, most relevant solution. The message must meet customers where they are, in language that reflects their priorities rather than the company’s internal perspective.

The other critical lesson is that marketing requires a plan in which each step builds upon the one before it and ultimately leads to sales. Awareness should lead to engagement, engagement should generate qualified interest, qualified interest should create opportunities, and those opportunities should become revenue. Retention and referrals should then compound the value of the original acquisition. Each stage requires the correct metrics, but those metrics must be understood sequentially. Website traffic or social engagement might look impressive, but they have limited value if that attention never produces qualified leads. Likewise, a large number of leads does not matter if the sales process cannot convert them. The goal is not to collect disconnected marketing statistics; it is to understand how every stage contributes to the next and continuously improve the entire path to revenue.

What were some of your key responsibilities while serving in the United States Marine Corps? What did your military service teach you about teamwork, leadership, and accomplishing objectives?

I served as a machine gunner supporting route-clearance operations and providing security for explosive ordnance disposal teams. That work taught me the importance of teamwork, communication, and duty. Everyone had a defined responsibility, but accomplishing the mission depended on understanding how your role affected everyone around you. It also taught me that leadership is not merely about giving orders. Leadership means communicating clearly, taking responsibility, adapting when circumstances change, and fulfilling your duty even when the work is difficult or uncomfortable.

One of the most important concepts I carried from the Marine Corps into business is the commander’s intent. Commander’s intent means ensuring that everyone understands the objective, the reason it matters, and what success should look like—not merely giving them a list of instructions. Conditions can change, information can be incomplete, and the original plan may no longer make sense. When people understand the intent behind the plan, they can make intelligent decisions and continue moving toward the objective without waiting for someone above them to approve every adjustment.

That is crucial in business. Too many leaders give employees tasks without explaining how those tasks support the larger goal. When something unexpected happens, the employee either freezes, follows an outdated instruction, or makes a decision that conflicts with the company’s priorities. If the team understands the mission, the desired outcome, and the boundaries within which they can operate, they can adapt while remaining aligned. Commander’s intent creates better communication, faster decision-making, greater accountability, and teams that can execute without being micromanaged.

What successful sales and marketing strategies did you develop while working with Harley-Davidson? How did you maintain consistent sales within a specialized market like motorcycles?

One of our biggest successes came from recognizing a gap in the international market. New Harley-Davidson (HOG ) motorcycles generally could not be purchased through dealers outside the United States and Canada, leaving overseas dealers dependent on used inventory. Our dealerships operated one of the largest rental fleets in the country, so we began selling those rental motorcycles to international dealers at nearly the original MSRP. They received desirable, exclusive inventory, while we turned over our fleet at a premium and replaced it with newer bikes. Everyone benefited from the arrangement.

Experiential marketing was equally important. Harley-Davidson is not just selling motorcycles—it is selling an identity, a community, and an experience. We invested heavily in events because they brought people into that culture and generated significant retail activity. In many cases, we made more money selling shirts, jackets, accessories, and other merchandise than we did selling motorcycles. The events created emotional connections, strengthened customer loyalty, and gave people reasons to return even when they were not ready to purchase another bike.

What initially attracted you to Florida’s medical cannabis industry? What was it like working in the industry during the early, highly regulated days of the state’s medical program?

I initially entered Florida’s medical cannabis industry as a consumer who understood its value firsthand. After losing my job at Harley-Davidson because of a positive cannabis test, I contacted the founder of a Florida-based cannabis company and explained my experience with retail operations, experiential marketing, and opening new locations. That conversation led to me helping launch retail locations for the company.

Those early days were wild because the rules were incomplete, unclear, and constantly changing. We sometimes called competitors to compare notes about city or county zoning requirements because nobody had definitive answers. We were trying to build compliant businesses using partially developed regulations that could change from one day to the next. It required constant communication, adaptability, and a willingness to solve problems without an established roadmap.

Through your work with companies serving the cannabis industry, what were the most common challenges clients faced? From a marketing perspective, how did you communicate solutions that addressed their specific needs?

One of the most common problems was that companies either were not measuring performance at all or were measuring the wrong things. Even when they had the right tools, they often did not understand how to use them properly or how to turn the information into better decisions. After that, the biggest challenges were usually cultural—setting expectations, holding people accountable, and getting teams to consistently follow the systems that had been put in place.

There is also a tremendous amount of bad information in the cannabis industry. People frequently try a system or strategy, fail to implement it correctly, and then conclude that the system itself does not work. In many cases, the real problem is user error rather than the tool. My role has been to identify the actual breakdown, help the client measure what matters, and communicate the solution in terms of the specific problem it solves. Again, it comes back to marketing the solution to their itch, not your scratch.

As a veteran, how have you seen cannabis help fellow veterans in ways that traditional VA-approved pharmaceuticals sometimes have not? Why are veterans’ voices particularly important in cannabis advocacy?

I have seen cannabis help veterans manage pain, anxiety, sleep problems, PTSD symptoms, and other challenges without some of the serious risks associated with certain pharmaceutical drugs. That does not mean cannabis is risk-free or appropriate for everyone, but for many veterans it can offer a less harmful and less physically addictive alternative to medications such as opioids. Veterans deserve the ability to discuss cannabis honestly with their healthcare providers, evaluate the available evidence, and make informed decisions without stigma or fear of punishment.

Veterans’ voices are also politically important. Cannabis reform has traditionally been viewed as a left-leaning issue, while veterans’ issues often receive particularly strong support from conservative audiences. Veterans can help bridge that political divide by demonstrating that access to cannabis is not simply a partisan or cultural issue—it is also a matter of healthcare, personal freedom, harm reduction, and supporting people who have served their country.

I have seen that influence firsthand with my stepmother-in-law, who is very conservative. Through honest conversations about cannabis, veterans, medical access, and the realities of prohibition, I was able to change her perspective. She became a strong supporter of cannabis reform. That experience showed me how a trusted veteran’s voice can reach people who might otherwise dismiss the issue because of its political associations. Veterans can reframe the conversation in a way that creates understanding and brings more conservatives into the pro-cannabis coalition.

How would you describe Virginia’s cannabis licensing and application process? Because Old Dominion Cannabis plans to be vertically integrated, what additional requirements and complexities must the company address?

Virginia’s adult-use licensing system is brand new, so every prospective applicant is learning it in real time. I am honestly both shocked and impressed that the state was able to develop an initial regulatory framework in approximately two months, meet its deadline, and give the industry the beginning of a clear direction. The rules are not perfect, and there are still unanswered questions, but creating a framework this quickly was a significant undertaking.

Vertical integration does not fundamentally create a different kind of application challenge—it means operating several distinct businesses simultaneously. Cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, retail, delivery, compliance, security, inventory management, and marketing each have different operational demands. The challenge is demonstrating that we can build and manage all of those functions cohesively while maintaining compliance throughout the entire supply chain.

How do you expect Virginia’s adult-use cannabis market to operate? What major roadblocks or widespread challenges do you anticipate for applicants and future business owners?

I expect Virginia’s market to follow patterns we have seen in other states. There will likely be a few major winners, some established out-of-state operators, and many businesses that struggle or fail once price compression begins. Early cannabis markets can look extremely profitable because supply is limited and prices are high, but those prices almost always decline as production increases and competition develops. Companies that build their projections around early-market pricing are going to be particularly vulnerable.

Overall, I think Virginia’s structure includes some meaningful protections for smaller operators, although I do not support giving existing medical and hemp businesses such a substantial head start. I am also extremely concerned about the proposed timeline between licenses being issued in May and operations beginning in July. For most businesses—particularly cultivation and manufacturing operations—building facilities, completing inspections, hiring and training staff, establishing supply chains, and becoming operational within that window is practically impossible.

Which regions of Virginia do you expect to attract the greatest concentration of cultivation facilities and dispensaries? Do you anticipate some localities prohibiting cannabis sales within their boundaries?

I expect dispensaries to be concentrated in Virginia’s largest population centers, particularly Northern Virginia and the greater Washington metropolitan area, Richmond, and Hampton Roads or Virginia Beach. Retail businesses need customer density, accessible locations, and sufficient traffic, so the major metropolitan regions will naturally attract more dispensaries.

Cultivation is likely to follow a different pattern. I expect a significant amount of cultivation and manufacturing activity along the Interstate 81 corridor, where real estate is generally more affordable and large industrial or agricultural properties are easier to find. I do not expect widespread local bans. Some communities may opt out or create resistance, but I live in a very rural part of Virginia, and cannabis is not broadly opposed here. That makes me skeptical that Virginia will develop a large number of cannabis “dry counties.”

How do Good Highdeas’ fractional CRO and CMO services support the different needs and functions of cannabis businesses?

Good Highdeas provides experienced revenue and marketing leadership without requiring a company to immediately hire multiple full-time executives. As a fractional CRO and CMO team, we help businesses connect marketing, sales, partnerships, customer retention, operations, and revenue strategy instead of treating them as unrelated departments. That is especially valuable in cannabis, where businesses often grow quickly but lack the systems, internal expertise, or accountability needed to scale sustainably.

Our work can include market positioning, brand strategy, sales-process development, go-to-market planning, customer acquisition, team structure, performance measurement, technology implementation, and revenue forecasting. We do not just hand a client a strategy deck and walk away. Depending on the engagement, we can help build the systems, train the team, oversee execution, and measure the results. The goal is to identify what is preventing growth and then create a practical, accountable revenue engine around it.

Social-equity programs have produced widely varying results in other state cannabis markets. How effective do you expect Virginia’s social-equity efforts to be, and what factors will determine their success?

Many social-equity programs in other states have been little more than window dressing. In some cases, they created systems that allowed large, well-funded companies to use qualifying applicants as figureheads, gain access to cheaper or easier licenses, and then acquire control for pennies on the dollar. Instead of creating sustainable ownership, those programs created opportunities for exploitation. I am glad Virginia has taken steps intended to prevent that type of arrangement.

My biggest concern is the economic viability of Virginia’s microbusiness licenses. Some microbusinesses will absolutely succeed, particularly those with strong brands, disciplined operations, and clearly defined markets. However, I do not think the permitted production volume will allow most of them to compete effectively. A large percentage of prospective applicants I speak with are focused on microbusiness licenses without fully understanding the financial limitations. That is especially concerning if qualifying for an impact-based license does not actually improve an applicant’s likelihood of receiving a license. Social equity

should create sustainable businesses—not simply make it possible for someone to submit an application.

Thank you for joining us, Brett! For more information on Old Dominion Cannabis, please visit its website.