Founder and CEO's Cannabis Industry Story
My name is Colin Mudd, Founder, and CEO of Konopé Compliance. For the past ten years, I have been in the regulated Colorado Cannabis Industry in one capacity or another. Below is a brief description of the past decade.
Back in the spring of 2009, I met Doug Anderson, the owner of Colorado Herbal Remedies in Fort Collins. At the time, he and I worked together at a restaurant in Old Town. Over the next two years, Doug and I started what would turn in to be one of the top dispensaries in Northern Colorado. During the first two years of CHR, we went from purchasing flowers from medical caregivers that had leftover product after taking care of their medical cannabis patients. There were little to no state or local regulations in place when we started. We had to learn, like everyone else, how to navigate the first ever cannabis business regulations in the United States. It was one of the unique experiences of my life.
I was very fortunate to be able to be a part of the small community of cannabis businesses back then. To now see what it has become and to know we still have so far to go is why I wanted to start Konopé Compliance. I want as many cannabis businesses to succeed as possible, so this movement that has slowly turned into a legitimate industry can continue to grow and help as many people as possible have a better quality of life, no matter how they choose to use cannabis.
My time at CHR came to a close in 2011, and I moved on to work for Colorado Bottling Company who manufactured and was owned by, Keef Cola, just outside of Boulder. After two years as a sales rep, Keef went through a transition period that allowed me to go on to work with Terrapin Care Station at their store off of Manhattan Circle in Boulder.
After deciding to move to Denver, I took a budtending opportunity with The Clinic. I was able to work my way from a budtender at the Colfax location to an assistant manager at the brand new Wadsworth store and later I was able to be the head manager at their next brand new store, The Clinic on Jewell. After the Jewell store opened, I was promoted to take a management role at their flagship store off of Colorado Blvd.
From The Clinic, I went on to consult with Local Product on their MJ Freeway POS management and day to day sales in the dispensary. Next, I budtended at Natural Remedies and eventually became the manager for a little over a year. I helped them transition to using METRC in 2014 and helped open their recreational storefront in 2014.
Since 2014, I have been the Compliance Director at the top infused product manufacturer in Colorado along with a CBD supplement company. I have been responsible for all compliance operations within the company in Colorado and from 2015 to present was in charge of handling national compliance for expansion into other markets. I helped develop packaging and labeling compliance in Nevada, Oregon, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, and Puerto Rico. I am an adviser to the board for a winning Ohio Level II cultivation license. At the end of 2018, I assisted with operational compliance for the Ohio cultivation license opening in 2019.
From a budtender to a dispensary manager to National Compliance Director to now starting my first business after a decade in the cannabis industry, I have been fortunate to find a job that I am passionate about and an industry that I care about advancing to legitimacy. I look forward to working with the Colorado cannabis industry and beyond, to provide employees and businesses with compliant solutions for their regulatory problems so they can to continue to help as many people as possible with this unusual plant.
-Colin Mudd
Founder + Principal Consultant for Konopé Consutling, LLC