The Challenge
What do you get when you combine a local entrepreneur, recreational cannabis, and a dream to build an empire? You guessed it, that’s Green2Go and its owner, Steve Lee. Oh, and did we mention that he’s also Kennewick mayor pro tem and serves on the city council? The man with a plan came to us in need of marketing help – someone to create a consistent brand for his flagship business and with the marketing savvy to harness his crazy ideas and bring them to life. The fact that our first project in this partnership started with event promotions involving Snoop Dogg, well – that was just a bonus!
But the incredible potential of his business was very shaky to start due to constantly changing state and federal regulations surrounding the legalization of marijuana. This uneasy political landscape provided plenty of caution as we proceeded building out G2G brands after the passing of Initiative 502. In addition, local governments and general public opinion was still very conservative, so the list of marketing channels available to Green2Go was quite limited.
Executed Services
- Brand Strategy
- Brand Development
- Copywriting
- Print Collateral Design
- Apparel Design
- Website Development
- Website Toolkit
- Social Media Toolkit
- Tradeshow Design
- Campaign Collateral Design
- Print Advertising Campaigns
- Photography
OUR Approach
We helped him build Green2Go from the ground up. A refreshed visual identity, an extensive graphics kit for social media and web platforms, numerous apparel and merchandise “looks” to keep his massive local following looking their best – were just a few of the places we started. As state laws changed and evolved, we introduced new advertising opportunities in the form of billboards, print trade publications and more. More than anything, Steve wanted to appeal to a broad audience of all ages, but specifically, he wanted to be “your Grandma’s pot shop.” If it was okay for Grandma, then it’s okay for anyone (ages 21+, of course).
Then came the boom. This unique approach of focusing on the grandma’s of our region, served the business well. Steve expanded the business into several brand extensions that included a second cannabis retail location, a glass and merchandise shop, a glass art studio, a scientific glass producer, and a standalone CBD shop with medically-certified staff. Setting up brand style guidelines for his businesses was a key component in ensuring that no matter how many future business ventures he added, there would be continuity and consistency for the expansion.
OUTCOME
In Green2Go’s first year, Steve set a very high standard for the cannabis industry – soaring to the #3 ranked store in the Washington state for top gross sales. And since then, he’s averaged a cool ~$15M per year in sales, while paying ~$5M per year in taxes that benefit our community. He’s built a massive following for each of his businesses, here locally and across the Mid-Columbia and Southeastern Washington, notching over 1,000 followers among his social media accounts. Digitally-speaking, we’ve helped integrate several web-based convenience features, including an e-commerce platform for sales of apparel, glass art and other merchandise, as well as promotional material for a company-wide loyalty/rewards program and more.
Green2Go Wellness+, the newest business, has been a huge boon to the community and individuals looking for non-THC products since opening in November 2019. Focal Point helped create an extensive list of collateral to support the grand opening, including custom building graphics, signage and more.