Susan Hwang

Susan Hwang is taking the concept of luxury cannabis to the next level as the CEO of the Arizona-based retail brand Best Dispensary.

In 2020, the company opened what Hwang calls “the only luxury dispensary in Arizona.” The flagship store in Mesa oozes elegance and a flair for the finer things in life, but its extravagant theme extends beyond mere aesthetics.

“We really think of luxury as a great state of comfort,” Hwang says, “and because of that, we anticipate the needs and desires of our customers. Our staff are more like the employees of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and we really focus on making a memorable shopping experience for our customers.”

Hwang immigrated to the United States from South Korea at the age of 12, landing in Los Angeles first, before moving to Tennessee, where she graduated from high school and started college.

“We didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t really speak or understand English, so it was definitely a culture shock,” she says.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in microbiology, both from Arizona State University. Instead of pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry, she jumped at the opportunity presented by the legalization of medical marijuana in Arizona.

Today, her company, Jamestown Center Inc., holds multiple vertically integrated cannabis business licenses, including two medical marijuana dispensary licenses and two adult-use retail licenses. Hwang is also a board member and co-founder of the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and plans to expand the Best Dispensary brand into other states and countries.

“It’s my ultimate goal to really shape and grow our cannabis companies to the standard of the pharmaceutical industry, but much more ethical and much more compassionate,” she says.