Marijuana Business Magazine September 2019

a third party there to provide insight on how to deal with situations that we can be too close to. This is a fast-growing industry. What are your tips for scaling up and finding new talent quickly? Make sure you cover all of your bases before looking for a new team member. Create a detailed, accurate job description so interviewees are aware of what is expected of them. This sounds really basic, but busy companies often quickly put out a job description without giving it the proper thought. Once that’s clear, conversations can circle around finding out if a candidate can meet those expectations. Reputable temporary agencies can help you quickly locate talented candidates for your company. Reverse question: How do you know when it’s time to let someone go? Any advice there? I think it’s actually the same: being up front on what’s expected of them. Creating roles and responsibilities and measurable goals goes a long way in setting expectations on both ends. If you’re setting metrics and they’re continually unable to meet them, that’s a sign it’s time to part ways. What kind of company culture helps cultivate employee loyalty? To be successful in this kind of environment, you need to have good people behind you and give them something meaningful to commit to. At Stratos, we focus on creating a space where each teammember is valued and, at the same time, held accountable. We cite the equation: Commitment plus discipline equals accountability. And our job (as managers) is to empower our team and help each member succeed. It’s a big part of our culture to work as a team, help each other out and show gratitude. At the end of the day, rather than saying goodbye to each other, everyone says thanks. It’s so simple, but it means so much. It started with our founding owner. When he walked by people, he’d say, “Thank you so much for what you did today.” And it just spread through to the entire company. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. www.aptiaengineering.com Intelligent Extraction Equipment. Manufacturing production-scale process equipment for the hemp and cannabis industry. Solvent Recovery Standard 100, 200, & 300 liters/hr models available Larger models available upon request Competitive prices and lead times No steam or boilers required No hot oil heaters required Simple, robust operation - minimal moving parts