Today’s guest is a rare revisit action with a previous guest - Phil McFarland from episode 25 - when he was on the even of shutting down what had been one of Chicago’s premier craft beer bars. The advertising career that gave way to his life as a craft beer bar operator was about to give way to something new - as he took on the sales director role at one of Chicago’s premier craft breweries, Half Acre, just as it was making a step change in its growth and ambition.
That was then. Now, we’re meeting Phil after another big transition as he traded that role for one in Cannabis. And in this new role of Director of Innovation Acceleration, a lifetime of skill and experience is coming to bear on an industry with an unprecedented opportunity in the US - rapidly legalizing, evolving, and expanding, cannabis is a rare new frontier for beverage and packaged goods.
How does Phil’s background in advertising, retailing, and sales direction parlay into the future of Cannabis?
Well, we’ll try to connect the dots for you.