W H O ’ S Y O U R FAV O R I T E B U D T E N D E R ? T E L L U S W H Y ! E M A I L N O M I N A T I O N S T O J O S H @ A K L E A F . C O M
interview
Mike Gould ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH MIKE GOULD is the Procurement Manager at Alaska Cannabis Exchange and can also be found helping customers behind the counter, where he is a fan of concentrates and several of their in-house strains like Bear Berry and Purple Punch.
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"WHEN I DISCOVERED CANNABIS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I GOT A LOT BETTER GRADES AND IT WAS A LOT EASIER FOR ME TO FOCUS."
aklEAF.COM
WHEN DID CANNABIS FIRST COME INTO YOU R LIFE? Cannabis first came into my life when I was in high school. As a child it was hard for me to focus, and in elementary and middle school I had bad grades consistently. When I discovered Cannabis in high school, I got a lot better grades and it was a lot easier for me to focus. I also use Cannabis for my Crohn's disease - it helps me and relieves a lot of daily pain. HOW DID YOU BECOME A BUDTENDER? I lived in Seattle for a couple of years and met some good friends from a dispensary I would shop at frequently, and it got me curious about working in the industry. I returned to Alaska Summer 2019 and worked a restoration job for a bit, then decided to get my marijuana handler’s card and then started applying for budtending positions. I am now the Procurement Manager over here at Alaska Cannabis Exchange and really enjoy the job so much! We love being able to provide our customers with quality products from some of the best brands around the state at affordable prices.
JUly 2020
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB? I really enjoy being able to help customers find what strains and forms of marijuana work best for them. I also love to hear feedback from customers and employees on those products, and if it worked for them or not. WHAT’S YOUR PREFERRED WAY TO USE CANNABIS? My favorite way to consume Cannabis would be concentrates, and Loud Resin from Refine is my favorite! I recently won this really cool 3D printed custom Refine e-nail from a contest they held on Instagram. I also really like my Focus V Carta for easy and convenient dabbing. ANY STRAINS AND PRODUCERS YOU WANT TO SHOUT OUT? Purple Punch and Bear Berry by Alaska Cannabis Exchange, GMO by DYZ Alaska, Cupcake by Green Go and Purple Berry Kush by Aurora Blaze. My favorite concentrate producers would definitely be Refine and AKO - they are making really great tasting quality products in Alaska.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT CANNABIS FOR A CUSTOMER? First couple of questions I like to start off with are what form of Cannabis they are looking for, and if they are looking for indica, sativa or hybrid. From there I give them knowledge on things I enjoy and what I've heard others enjoy. If a customer happens to ask if we have a specific strain or item and we don't, I will try my best to find them something similar or something new they haven't tried before. WHY DO YOU LIKE WORKING AT ALASKA CANNABIS EXCHANGE? I love being able to work at Alaska Cannabis Exchange. Our crew is a hard working family. My GM Rina is amazing and has already taught me so much. The owners, Aaron and Geneva, are some of the smartest and most hard working individuals I've met - they really care about our consumers and products. I'm honored to be at ACE as the Procurement Manager and just a part of the team! Everyone at ACE works hard and I'm very proud of them. Shout out to Justin - I love being able to work with him and learn more about the industry and the people we work closely with. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES WHEN YOU AREN’T WORKING AT THE DISPENSARY? I try to hang out with my daughter and wife as much as I can. We have a son on the way this month - love you Max! My other hobbies besides terp hunting would be building Gundam models and streaming/ playing Escape From Tarkov on PC with my buddies.
ALASKA CANNABIS EXCHANGE CANNABISACE.COM @CBDACE (907) 744-4429
INTERVIEW & PHOTO by JOSHUA STAHLE/ALASKA LEAF
