Michael Johnson
Michael JohnsonAge: 39
Title: CEO
Company: Metrc
In 2022, Metrc was selected by six states to be their track-and-trace provider, a major milestone for both the company and CEO Michael Johnson that brings Metrc’s total government contracts to 23, with more than 30,000 growers, labs, dispensaries and regulators all using the platform.
Prior to being named CEO, Johnson served as Metrc’s president and CFO, transforming its organizational infrastructure, hiring top leadership across all phases and leading the company to year-over-year growth of nearly 50%. And though he cites the company’s founder as the visionary behind Metrc’s initial success, Johnson has been instrumental in the company’s evolution to what he calls “Metrc 2.0.”
“During 2023, we expect to make meaningful strides in improving the customer experience,” he says. “We believe our customer-centric focus will be a critical inflection point in the future success of Metrc.”
Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Johnson spent his career scaling hyper-growth tech businesses, working with investors and overseeing financial operations. Most recently, he served as the CFO of InformedDNA, the largest provider of genetics services, where he led the company to consecutive years of high growth. Before that, Johnson served as the CFO of CM Group, a family of global marketing technology brands, where he drove cost efficiencies and increased margins through acquisitions and restructuring. He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Johnson says his time at the CM group taught him how to work with entrepreneurs and advocates who are truly passionate about what they do, something he sees in cannabis.
“I also find that the commitment to customer experience, branding and creatively telling a product story are well aligned between these two industries,” he says. “I find inspiration in working both with and for incredibly creative people.”
Q&A
What parallels do you see between the cannabis industry and your prior experience with CM Group?
The cannabis industry is comprised of a truly passionate collection of entrepreneurs and advocates. Similarly, the CM Group, now rebranded as Marigold, served professional marketers with marketing automation, engagement, and direct email solutions who are equally as passionate. I also find that the commitment to customer experience, branding, and creatively telling a product story are well aligned between these two industries. I find inspiration in working both with and for incredibly creative people.
What is the biggest factor that led to Metrc’s success? How did it contribute?
Over the past decade, Metrc has grown into the most trusted cannabis compliance software solution in the world. Our founder, Jeff Wells, is the visionary behind Metrc and I ascribe our success to his passion. Jeff worked incredibly hard to get us to where we are today. I joined Metrc a few years ago and am contributing to our evolution into ‘Metrc 2.0’, which is defined by our commitment to the customer experience. We believe our customer-centric focus will be a critical inflection point in the future success of Metrc.
What was your biggest milestone in the cannabis industry?
In 2022, Metrc was selected by six states to be their track-and-trace provider. This milestone represented an overwhelming commitment to building secure and safe cannabis supply chains.
What is the next anticipated milestone for Metrc?
During 2023, we expect to make meaningful strides in improving the customer experience. I cannot emphasize enough how seriously we take our role in the cannabis market and how crucial ensuring licensees, regulators and businesses alike are set up for success when using Metrc.