From Lab Rats And Eyeballs To Cannabis: Scarlet Express CEO Discusses Closed-Loop Delivery, How To ‘Survive In Chaos’
First, Claudia Post oversaw the safe delivery of eyeballs, kidneys and other organs. Today? Her specialty is cannabis.
Most recently, she launched Scarlet Express with financial backing from Ben Sopranzetti, vice chair of the Department of Finance and Economics at Rutgers Business School.
The Philadelphia-based startup is a state-approved, closed-loop delivery organization providing discreet, secure and expert cannabis supply chain management nationwide.
And Post is the perfect person for this type of venture. A serial entrepreneur, Post launched MOST Consulting Group, a one-stop shop for cannabis marketing and advertising, and founded Diamond Transportation Group, a same-day, time-critical delivery service, in the early 1990s.
See Also: $2.9B European Cannabis Market: A Strategic Blueprint For Cross-Border Transportation Logistics
Post went on to open 12 warehouses along the East Coast offering trucking, pick-pack-ship, logistics and other services. And anyone who follows the inner workings of the nascent cannabis industry knows that transporting marijuana across state lines is fraught with challenges.
Despite President Joe Biden’s proposal to reclassify marijuana from its position as a Schedule I drug to a less dangerous Schedule III, a mishmash of federal and state laws, combined with varying enforcement policies, makes interstate transport federally illegal and a headache for businesses.
Benzinga spoke with Post at the recent Benzinga Cannabis Market Spotlight event. Here’s what she had to say about the dire need for efficient cannabis transportation:
BZ: How did you wind up in cannabis?
Post: I’ve been in the cannabis industry for 14 years. I opened a marketing communications agency called MOST Consulting. We do design, content, strategy — anything in the communication space. Need a truck wrap? We’ll do a truck wrap.
Also, my son is a very famous glassblower. He makes pipes, bongs and collectibles. His nom de plume is Snick Barnes. He’s in Philly, but he’s known all over the world. And he said, “Ma, you’ve got to get into cannabis. It’s going to blow up.” I said, “Okay.” And he was absolutely right.
BZ: He was ahead of the curve.
I’d …