Mission Statement
To push the cannabis industry forward by connecting suppliers and retailers to make them more compliant, efficient, and profitable.
We accomplish this through innovative technology, in-depth training and education, efficient supply chain management, and reliable service.
The following principles represent our shared values:
Integrity
Integrity means doing what we said we would do. Integrity promotes trust and dependability. We uphold the highest standards of integrity in everything we do.
Education
Knowledge is power. We believe in sharing knowledge by training budtenders about products and their medicinal benefits, and through sharing data and insights with suppliers and retailers in order to maximize sales through the supply chain.
Value
Money saved is money earned. We believe in generating win-win outcomes by providing exceptional value to our ecosystem of suppliers, sales reps, and retail stores.
Convenience
The state of the cannabis industry reflects the historically underground nature of the business. With California’s citizens voting to legalize cannabis, it's time to usher in the same level of convenience, reliability and service considered standard in nearly every other industry.
Management Team
Pushr’s founding team brings more than 70 years of experience from a range of industries and disciplines including, medicine, cannabis, finance, marketing, sales, management, and clinical psychology.
Dan Ripoll | Chief Executive Officer
Dan Ripoll is co-founder and CEO of Pushr. Dan extols the company’s vision and its mission, raises capital, and recruits world class individuals to join the Pushr team. Having started his career at Merrill Lynch's New York headquarters, Dan brings 12 years of finance, and 7 years of tech startup experience to the table. Prior to starting Pushr, Dan co-founded Content BLVD, an influencer marketing platform that connects consumer brands with YouTube stars. Dan is a strategic thinker with a gift for identifying new opportunities and navigating the uncertainty inherent in startup environments.
Dan has accumulated a wide range of skills including strategic planning, capital raising, public speaking, team building, lean startup experimentation, financial modeling, business development, product management, and digital marketing. Dan graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Economics.
Antoine Royster | Chief Operating Officer
Antoine Royster is a visionary senior executive with more than 20 years of business management experience. He is a graduate of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Management Development for Entrepreneurs program 2006. Prior to founding Dream One Transportation, Mr. Royster was employed by Nestle USA, Kiewit Construction, and Southern California Edison in management roles.
Mr. Royster founded Dream One Transportation in 2002. He served as President since the firm's inception. As a visionary senior executive with entrepreneurial and operations experience developing sustainable commercial enterprises, Mr. Royster has driven global supply chain operations for clients world-wide. Mr. Royster has consistently developed and won multiple RFP’s and projects through planning, innovation and problem solving.
His relentless focus on supply chain management, operations, business development, profit and loss best practices, process improvement, logistics and partnership development enable Mr. Royster to provide solutions to the myriad challenges that arise during the course of business. His background in industrial chemicals, transportation, e-commerce, public utilities, construction and the food industry has given him a well-rounded perspective on supply chain efficiencies, channel revenue generation, labor negotiations, product marketing, project management, leadership, training and financial responsibility.
Mr. Royster focuses on top line revenue while monitoring the details of the bottom line. He has sold over $15M in products and services globally. He values creativity and functionality and likes to bring his education, background and passion to the game everyday.
Mikayla Kemp | Director of Education & Onsite Training
Mikayla is director of education and onsite training. Mikayla ensures that both Pushr’s sales reps and budtenders at our retail store accounts are educated on the health benefits and proper use of the products we carry. Mikayla’s efforts translate directly into higher sales because educated sales reps and budtenders dramatically outperform the average sales person. Prior to joining Pushr, Mikayla worked for MedMen where she trained all of the budtenders across their chain of retail stores. A biologist by training, Mikayla is passionate about cannabis, and she excels at breaking down the hardcore science of cannabis into bite sized pieces that the layperson can understand. Mikayla graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BS in Biology.
Alison Schur | Director of Procurement
Alison is a graduate of the University of California at San Diego (B.A) and USC, holding a Master’s Degree in Public Health and Nutrition and a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.
At Pushr, Alison is responsible for signing new suppliers, and ensuring that the supply chain is being managed efficiently. A Licensed Clinical Psychologist by profession, she is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience operating a thriving business within the ecosystem of Infinity, [makes it more real to name it] a multi-million dollar eldercare organization, she is skilled at navigating a complex organizational environment while forging key business relationships with all levels of internal management. Alison has provided high level consultation and negotiation not only to secure new business but also solidify and maintain existing partnerships with dozens of business decision makers. Alison has demonstrated her ability to operate on multiple fronts simultaneously, as she continued to build her personal business within the larger organization, constructing a team of professionals under her license that she manages on a day-to-day basis. This has created a skill base that she carries into Pushr.
Ted Schwartz | VP of Sales
Ted Schwartz is the Vice President of Sales at Pushr. Ted is an executive from the medical tech start up space with over 20 years of experience in raising capital, building teams and growing sales. He has helped build shareholder value through IPOs and acquisitions.
Ted has been working in California’s regulated cannabis marketplace since 2017. Prior to Pushr he was the founder and CEO of Bang Surgical, an education and training technology used to improve surgical outcomes and reduce hospital expenses. Ted has built and managed nationwide distribution sale channels and direct sale teams at several companies. He served as VP of Sales and Marketing at LifeModeler Inc and Director of Sales and Training at Intuitive Surgical Inc. Ted dresses better than Antoine. Ted is a graduate of Pepperdine University with a BA in Political Science and a medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine.
Linda Ripoll | Dir. of Social Media & Community Management
A seasoned retail copywriter with over nine years' experience working for some of the world's top retailers including Home Depot, Carter's, Robinson's May, Liz Claiborne and Havertys. Linda brings expertise in direct mail, short and long form copy, eCommerce, print, packaging and interactive copy. Linda is experienced with social media content development and strategy as well as community management and crisis management. She is highly creative with excellent interpersonal skills and a penchant for making her co-workers smile. Linda holds a BA in Sociology from UC Berkeley, and a Masters Degree in Screenwriting from the University of Miami.
