How Groundworks cultivates an artful dispensary experience across 24 stores
4+years in partnership with Flowhub
About Groundworks
Founded in 2014, Groundworks Industries is one of the largest cannabis operators in the state of Oregon. They’re vertically integrated to handle the entire cannabis supply chain from production all the way to retail.
On the dispensary front, Groundworks operates 24 locations across Oregon. These fall under three recognized brands: Serra, Electric Lettuce, and Farma.
At every storefront, Groundworks focuses on setting the bar for progressive cannabis culture through artistic vision and quality customer experiences that build demand and retention, as well as rock-solid workflows to maximize profit margins.
Retail and inventory management at every Groundworks location is powered by Flowhub Maui, an elegant cannabis POS that’s built for speed, stability, and expansion.
In this story, Groundworks shares their stressless experience in Maui.
Onboarding multiple dispensary locations
Getting Groundworks live on Maui meant seamlessly transitioning all store locations onto the new platform at once. Kurt Folkerth, Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks, was grateful to see this process go smoothly.
“We transitioned all 24 locations over to Maui in one fell swoop. The backend support really was integral to making the transition as smooth as it possibly could have been.”
Kurt Folkerth
Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks
Once Groundworks was up and running on Maui, Kurt realized they could use the system to power a centralized distribution model where products are stickered and tagged at one location and transferred in bulk to their final destination.
He explained, “All our staff have to do is hit ‘Accept’ in Metrc when the product arrives. Everything's already waiting in the 'Transfers' tab, ready to go.”
On top of the efficiency gains of centralized distribution, Groundworks is particularly focused on streamlining inventory management.
Kurt said, “It’s so important to stay on top of inventory because if it starts to slide, it triggers a snowball effect that is difficult to catch back up with.”
A favorite feature of Kurt and other inventory-facing team members is Maui’s in-app Metrc Discrepancy Management. The first-of-its-kind workflow allows Groundworks to resolve discrepancies directly within the point of sale.
“The live Metrc sync is a blockbuster feature. It gives us a good way to see how people are managing their inventory. I just have to click ‘Sync with Metrc’ and the inventory syncs up. It's much better at keeping track of in-store processes, especially when you have 20+.”
Kurt Folkerth
Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks
Redefining the dispensary customer experience
Groundworks does an excellent job pairing sleek, beautiful storefronts with unique and functional workflows that impress customers and make daily operations far easier.
One example is their offering of specialized totes. Groundworks works with vendors to create bundled product selections that include items you can’t find anywhere else.
These specials are powered by Flowhub Maui’s Deals Engine, specifically by using the “bundling” feature to include multiple inventory items on a single SKU.
The new process saves Kurt and his team a ton of time. Previously, “it was a headache that took many long nights up until two in the morning to create."
Electric Lettuce, which makes up the majority of the retail locations under the Groundworks parent company, is a thoughtfully curated experiential brand. It embraces a sense of nostalgia while delivering value through on-brand product selections and visually designed environments highlighting the history of marijuana use between 1965 and 1971.
Their Grass Guides (aka budtenders) educate and serve customers in a setting that feels modern and yet very reminiscent of the past.
The combination of Electric Lettuce’s hippie vibe, store layout, and intriguing product offerings has clearly resonated with Oregon cannabis consumers. They’ve now expanded to 17 of these locations across the state and have been voted "The Best Designed Dispensary in the State of Oregon" by Leafbuyer's nationwide cannabis consumer survey.
“Electric Lettuce is like your older brother who's already graduated but never moved out. He's wrenching on his Trans Am with a bandana on in the driveway and smoking a joint. He’s just really approachable and down to earth.”
Kurt Folkerth
Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks
Data doesn’t lie
With 24 locations (and counting), Kurt and the Groundworks team understand the impact data can have on their business.
Kurt said, “All of our decisions are made based on data.” Which is why he’s been a fan of Flowhub Maui’s reporting functionality since day one.
“Flowhub reporting is very integral to what I do every single day. We use inventory reports, inventory activity reports, transaction reports, deals reports, and more. We really use everything.”
Kurt Folkerth
Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks
He recently discovered a trend of cannabis shoppers looking for an economic deal related to weight. More specifically, shoppers wanted more affordable ounces.
As a result, Groundworks adjusted prices to meet consumer demand. Leveraging more affordable bulk flower to retain customers in a time of economic uncertainty.
“I would highly recommend Maui. The optionality of features on the backend is wide-ranging, which is good because we need to be able to pull from all different types of data strategies and make informed decisions. Data doesn't lie.”
Kurt Folkerth
Retail Operations Manager at Groundworks
Thank you, Groundworks! You’ve become an integral part of the cannabis culture in Oregon and we’ll continue to enjoy watching you succeed.
