Tag: employees

Meet our Operations Manager, Zach Hershberger, who has been with the company since 2019. Drawing on his experience working in the food and beverage industry, specifically in the production of craft beer and cannabis beverages, Zach guides the Operations Team to produce and fulfill orders, launch new products, and implement new processes and strategies. Zach also offers technical support to our customers as well as identifies strategic production partners. No one loves creating processes at SōRSE more than Zach!  

You started your career working in two of Seattle’s craft breweries. How did you become interested in beer? What skills did you gain in those jobs that apply to what you do now? 

In college, I taught myself how to brew beer, which is really where my brewing career began. I gathered as much information as I could find from brewing books, Reddit, whatever source I could find, then learned by trial and error with limited equipment. Brewing is a process of tightening down variables. When you home brew, you have to be able to roll with the punches as well as problem-solve.  

After graduating from the University of Washington, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do career-wise, so I spent some time traveling around the US and Southeast Asia. When I got back, I was set on landing a job in the brewing industry because I was really interested in it and I thought I had a good understanding of the process from teaching myself home brewing. I printed out a stack of resumes and handed them to whomever I could at different breweries. Persistence landed me a job as a keg washer at Cloudburst Brewing which had been opened by the former innovation brewer and the lead brewer at Elysian Brewing. I worked with them for about six months and learned everything I could from them, then moved on to Hales Brewing because I would have more exposure to all aspects of the brewing process – including blending, kegging, bottling, and canning. Being a really good brewer requires resourcefulness. You run into issues all the time, and you have to be able to problem–solve, accept the fact there will be issues, and not let that slow you down. If you expect to meet roadblocks, you won’t be surprised by them. I’ve definitely brought that mentality with me to SōRSE.   

How did you come to work at SōRSE? What was your first year like? 

I left Hales after a few years to work at GreenMed Labs (GML) to help them with beverage production where a friend of mine worked. At that point, I had learned every aspect of the brewing process. I needed to decide if I wanted to go to another brewery, or pivot into another industry where I could build on my processing knowledge and where I could help a company scale up its production and make the process more efficient. I was also intrigued by the idea of cannabis beverages. I definitely had not seen anything like that before, and I felt like I had the skillset to help them improve their production of Happy Apple. You don’t really know a process until you can train someone else on how to do it. A big test for me was training the person who would eventually take my place and get him to the point where he knew the process from start to finish as well as I did.  

After working at GML for two years, I decided to work for SōRSE. By the time I left GML, the business was very self-sufficient and established; all of the systems and processes we had established were working really well. We had just launched Major, not knowing that that product was going to skyrocket. I was interested in what SōRSE was doing and could see that momentum was building. I approached our CEO, Howard Lee to see if there was a place for me in the company, and there, I started working in Operations. Together, we started creating systems for organizing orders, manufacturing and producing emulsion.  

What do you enjoy about the role of Operations Manager at SōRSE, and what’s been challenging?  

What I really enjoy about my position is building processes that work and being in the center of this web of people with different jobs all trying to achieve a goal. I like figuring out what the logical paths are to attain that goal and what each person has to do to achieve it. We are able to create processes with everyone’s input and implement them before they are needed. I like to stay ahead of things; I’d rather set something up, anticipating the problem before it arises, so we don’t have to scramble to fix it.   

The kind of work we do comes in waves. One week might be slow, and then the next week we’re slammed. There’s no predictable pace to it. My focus right now is working with everyone on the team to keep our systems running smoothly as we continue to grow. 

Can you share some highlights from your time at SōRSE?  

Building the process and making equipment recommendations used to create the first cannabis beverages made in Canada was a big highlight in 2020. We were able to connect them with the suppliers and co-manufacturers they needed to get the product on the shelves within six months.  

Other highlights were getting one of our co-man’s employees fully trained on our processes as well as making the mobile unit a reality. Launching powder was a big deal as well. Our suppliers are really happy with our ability to convert their raw material into powder format. I’m also proud that I wrote the original SOP packet for all of our processing that we are still using, which I edit and update regularly. It was like writing that 25-30 page research paper in college under a time crunch. 

Lastly, our relationship with our partner, Cann, a micro-dosed cannabis-infused beverage, has been a huge highlight and continues to be. When I first came on board, my title was “Technical Account Manager,” and Cann was my first account. When they first started, I was able to help the Cann team troubleshoot a few key issues they were having as they were getting off the ground. It’s really cool to see how successful they’ve become.  

If you could, what product would you create for consumer use?  

I think it’d be cool to have a small, discreet single dose packet of cannabinoids that could be offered in a variety of concentrations and combinations that you could pop in your pocket for everyday use – basically, different iterations of Pearl Mini, one of THC Essentials’ brands.  

 Can you share a fun fact that not a lot of people know about you? 

I’m not allergic to anything, but sometimes I tell people I’m allergic to tomatoes because I don’t like them. It’s a texture thing.  

Meet our Chief Operations Officer, Tyler Peterson, who has been with the company since 2016. Over the past four years, Tyler has touched every aspect of our business, from setting up production to developing new products and bringing them to market, as well as working at trade shows. You name it; he’s done it! Tyler draws on many of the professional experiences he has had in the past in his current role at SoRSE; he’s a hands-on manager who builds strong relationships with his employees and clients.  

 How did you end up working at SōRSE? What was the first year like? 

Prior to 2016, I had worked with Howard at two other startups. When Howard was presented with the opportunity to take the reins of SōRSE (then Tarukino/ Tribe Processor), he invited me to come along with him to manage Operations. The first year was about figuring out our direction, the technology we were using, and the beverages we were going to produce. From these ideas, we started fundraising to help prop us up. We acquired the emulsion technology and started running with it. The first year was crazy because we went from a virtually empty building with three people and ended the year with 20 employees, products on the market, and with the evolution of the technology well on its way.  

How much did you know about this space prior to coming on board? 

I knew quite a bit about Operations, but not so much about the cannabis industry. Prior to working at the startups with Howard, I was Head of Operations at a materials handling company. I came into SōRSE well versed in inventory, client services, sales, and everything else required to manage a company. The cannabis industry is considerably different in terms of rules and regulations, not to mention how heavily taxed it is. Because of that, there have been more failures than successes across the industry – it’s not necessarily easy to stay in business and make a profit.  

 What do you enjoy about the role of COO at SōRSE and what’s been challenging? 

I am a very hands-on person, and I love figuring out problems. What I need to remember to do in this role is take a step back and trust my employees to figure out the answers to problems while I oversee them and make sure they are making the right decisions. I have to let go of my desire to do what one of my employees can do, which means that I can focus my attention elsewhere. Operations is driving the company to the future – expanding into other states, creating new emulsions, working with large customers. All of this is exciting, but they are high pressure/high risk situations. Operations drives income and profitability, not just in one avenue but in multiple avenues. Our flexibility and determination is what keeps us moving forward.   

Can you share some highlights from the past four years? 

When I look back at where we came from, I’m pretty proud of what we’ve accomplished – like our first approval of products from the Liquor/Cannabis Control Board in Washington. Little things like that are big wins. The success of MAJOR is huge – its growth from month to month has been a highlight. I love hearing that customers love our products; it means we have created an emulsion that has changed people’s lives – not just consumers, but the retailers who are becoming more profitable and successful because of what we offer. Making a company profitable is also a big win. All that said, what I am most proud of is the team around me. People at SōRSE know what needs to get done and never question how to get stuff knocked out.   

Can you share something that a lot of people don’t know about you? 

I love show tunes, and I have inspired more than one person to overcome a fear or physical hesitation by breaking into song. I was in every play and every summer musical during high school. I am not necessarily the best singer, but I love it.