“The earlier that customers come to us looking for solutions, obviously the better. And the earlier they come to our distribution and other vendor partners like you guys, the sooner they get us involved in the process, the sooner we can make sure they don’t spend money willy-nilly. They have enough space for what they’re going to want to do. And if they’re already confined, a lot of times - unfortunately, to a certain zoning or space or building that they jumped into – we have to be realistic about how much of whatever they’re going to make. And if they don’t have enough space to make as much as they want, approach this differently: are you going to make crude with your guys’ CO2 extractors and sell it to someone who has an entire post-processing lab filled with our equipment?”
– Max Dubin

Max Dubin is the industry veteran you want to know and who has a long list of crazy stories you want to hear. More formally, he is the Manager of Sales Development, R&D, and Training at Across International (AI), leading manufacturer of heat treatment, laboratory, and material processing equipment. His story is not unlike most, having landed in the cannabis space from a fluke encounter over a decade ago as a “disillusioned” college student with a degree in politics, Latin American studies and creative writing. He started at AI in packing and shipping, where he talked too much and packed too slow, so quickly moved into customer-focused roles.

Rachael Stene, Senior Outside Sales Representative, chose a similar windy path. Prior to AI, she sold oyster mushrooms, which, while short-lived, taught her some valuable lessons about startups which she’s been applying to successful business development at AI ever since.

Across International has been manufacturing equipment for nearly 30 years for big names like Tesla, NASA, GE, and Toyota. For the past decade, they’ve been building a stellar reputation for their botanical laboratory equipment such as evaporators, vacuum ovens, ultra-low freezers, and more.

In this episode of The Extraction Insiders, Max and Rachael are joined by host Jason Laronde and guest host Dexter L’Amarca Vitalis Ancillary Sales Manager, to look back on the “long, strange trip” that brought AI where they are today and what they continue to learn in an ever-changing industry. Together, AI and Vitalis team up to provide a unique, inside look at the customer-vendor relationship. Plus, the group draws on personal experience to advise industry newcomers and veterans alike on business planning, building aligned partnerships, exciting developments in emerging markets, and much, much more.