Hoop,
This comment of yours is the crux for me:
"Schwazze will own the Colorado market and his expertise in running national companies will play a big part in what the future plan is. With the Starbuds name in some other states and Jamaica, the branding is already there. Dye is proving himself to be one of the leading cannabis CEO's in the business and that is with him just learning the business in the past year."
Right now, national branding isn't possible for a plethora or reasons (cannabis being schedule 1, banking, transporting the product across state lines, etc. But also advertising, unable to create a brand identity effectively beyond small geographic locations, word of mouth.). When MJ is legalized, national distribution channels become possible, and the key question will be whether a company like SHWZ is ready for the sizable (in fact, out-sized), completion they will be battling. Right now companies can own a geography by acquiring licensed dispensaries within that geography. Legalization nationally greatly reduces the power of the dispensary model, competition will come in from grocery stores, liquor store chains, etc. Online sales increase, and distribution across states becomes possible. I think Dye is tapped into all that, as you note, he's mentioned the importance of branding, bringing multiple products into SHWZ dispensaries to create that customer model where the best brands can be determined, and then championed. His ties to Albertsons and that national model of consumer packaged goods sales is of course pivotal.
Dispensaries will be niche sales locations, local craft pot in the future, mom and pop. The real money will be in product development, branding of those products into the next Coors (a crappy beer but became a national seller, or even Rolling Rock), both local favorites that were transformed into national sellers through marketing and branding. Starbucks - again not my go to coffee, but a regional favorite that became both a series of commercial locations and products on the shelves of stores. The goal is to sell the next Starbucks of Cannabis in my opinion. Yes, you can make great money owning the stores that sell the coffee, but if you can develop the products and also own distribution channels to sell it, even better. I think that's where Dye's team is going. Can they fend off the big players in the end to get there is an open question. If nothing else, they will gobbled up by a larger player who will implement that strategy. Either way, SHWZ is a great horse to back.
