Difference between revisions of "Adam Bierman"

Latest revision as of 14:25, 15 April 2015

Adam Bierman (born February 8, 1982) is a serial entrepreneur and consultant for the legal marijuana industry in Los Angeles, California. He is managing partner of MedMen, a consulting and management firm serving the licensing, design and management needs of the legal marijuana industry.

Early life

Bierman was born in Scottsdale, Arizona to Mindy Bierman, a social worker who held a Master of Social Work, and Rick Bierman, who worked as a corporate attorney.

Bierman spent time in Arizona and in Texas before moving to Maryland, where he lived until 1989. He then moved to California where attended La Costa Canyon High School in northwest San Diego County.

He attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts (2000-2001), Los Angeles City College (2001-2002), and University of Southern California in Los Angeles (2002-2003). He studied political science and made the Dean’s list throughout his higher education. Other than his year at Brandeis, he has resided in California as an adult.

Early career

While at Los Angeles City College, Bierman started the TPSM Sports Agency. The agency grew to represent more than 40 professional baseball players, some of whom are now playing in the major leagues, including Evan Longoria, Jerry Blevins, Efren Navarro, Casey Fien, and Ryan Cook. The agency was ultimately acquired by XTS Sports.

Bierman was living out of the one-bedroom apartment he shared with his brother when he started the business, launching without any financial backing or even a credit card in his name. At the time, he was a baseball player for Los Angeles City College. A number of his friends and teammates who were entering the draft asked him to be their agent, which led to the idea for the company. He experienced his first amateur draft while in the process of transferring to the University of Southern California, then ultimately left the school when the demands of the business became too overwhelming to balance with his studies.

MedMen

In 2010, Bierman founded MedMen in Los Angeles with Andrew Modlin, his design-focused business partner and fellow entrepreneur. MedMen is a turnkey management company providing services for the cannabis industry. It was launched to serve the emerging and rapidly expanding multibillion dollar legal marijuana market.

Since its inception, MedMen has helped more than 100 businesses in the U.S. navigate the complexities of entering and succeeding in the legal marijuana market, from effectively completing state applications to managing the day-to-day operations of a mature business. In 2014, it secured $3.75 million in financing to launch operations in Nevada and Illinois, funding which represented the largest capital investment at the time in a full-service cannabis management firm. In February 2015, MedMen obtained the state and local permits required to open a medical marijuana cultivation facility in Henderson, Nevada, marking the first full suite of licenses in that state for the company.

MedMen brings together expertise in three critical areas—licensing, design and management—to help businesses maximize their space and brand identity, and grow a legitimate and stable operation. The objective of the firm is to help ensure each business is following the proper legal and compliance procedures, but also meeting its potential in the areas of raising capital and securing financing, as well as with real estate, interior design, construction, security, staffing, marketing, graphic design, website design, and maintenance.

Bierman’s role at MedMen is to help clients navigate all aspects of the industry. Charged with fundraising, business development, and operational oversight, Bierman fuels the company through profitable deals to ensure it has the resources to expand and run as efficiently as possible.

Modlin is a design expert who heads MedMen’s creative team and is charged with improving the patient experience, in addition to setting up cultivation space and opening marijuana businesses. Michael Reifsteck joined the team as chief financial officer. Reifsteck previously served as corporate controller of the yogurt company, Chobani. During his time at Chobani, the company grew from $260 million to $1.2 billion in revenue.

The company also brought on board specialists in nuclear pharmacy, chemistry, and large-scale commercial grow environments. Its programmers are working on creating software that runs marijuana grows as efficiently as cucumber and tomato grows.

For his work with MedMen, Bierman has appeared on and been featured in a number of major news outlets and publications, including CNBC, Fortune magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. He has also appeared on the cover of the Los Angeles Business Journal and has become a regular blogger with The Huffington Post.

Personal life

Bierman resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two infant sons. He donates to causes related to the legalized marijuana industry. He is a supporter of CannaMoms, a group which advocates for legislation favoring the rights and options of parents who want to use cannabis to care for critically ill children.

He also supports the Marijuana Policy Project, which aims to reform U.S. marijuana laws, advocating for policies that reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana. MedMen commits a percentage of its gross revenue to the group.