NUWU Sessions: Grayson Bowman on Kuno's mission to serve veterans
"Welcome to NuWu Sessions, where we invite guests in to enjoy one of our top-shelf table packages in Las Vegas' first and only cannabis consumption lounge: The Vegas Tasting Room. In today's episode, we've asked Navy Seal turned Director of Special Operations, Grayson Bowman, to come by and get high. Read on as we discuss Grayson's military experience, current career, and future goals for the new veteran-created brand, KUNO. It's only here on Nuwu Sessions so let's get into it!"
In honor of Veterans Day, Grayson Bowman, the Director of Special Operations from Flower One, is joining us to speak about the veteran-inspired brand Kuno. Grayson Bowman joined the Flower One team in May of 2021, just in time to assist their C.E.O., Kellen O'Keefe, with creating the Kuno brand.
Grayson was a Navy Seal veteran who served for a little over 10 years and was able to prove himself in a variety of special operation missions while navigating dangerous environments. Now let's dig a little deeper into Flower One, their veteran-inspired brand, and the leadership that has helped Flower One become an industry giant for over 20 years.
About Flower One & Kellen O'Keefe
Flower One Holdings Inc. is the Canadian parent company of Flower One and all subsequent cannabis brands created or partnered with Flower One Holdings. Flower One is based in North Las Vegas and has been one of Nevada's largest cultivators and producers of cannabis products. The cannabis giant has made a name for itself after creating one of the largest production facilities in Nevada, including a 400,000-square-foot greenhouse and a 55,000-square-foot production facility. Not to mention a second production facility that is 25,000-square-foot indoor cultivation and commercial kitchen to produce top-performing edible and beverage brands.
Flower One is also known for its strategic collaborations with reputable cannabis brands such as Cookies, Lift Tickets, Heavy Hitters, Kiva Confections, Palms Premium, Huxton, and GPen. Flower One markets itself as an industry leader that is one of the first to provide a "high-quality, low-cost brand fulfillment partner."
Flower One stands out not only because of its strategic partnerships and large-scale operations but also because of the leadership and culture behind such a reputable cannabis brand. Their current C.E.O. and president of the company, Kellen O'Keefe, is a cannabis industry veteran in his own right. Kellen worked as Senior Vice President of MedMen for 3 years before transitioning to Flower One as Chief Strategy Officer. This role cemented O'Keefe as a leader at Flower One, where he was promoted to President and C.E.O. within a year and a half of joining the company.
Kellen O'Keefe was the person who brought on Grayson Bowman as Director of Special Operations at Flower One. Where Grayson's years of military training helped him navigate a role that, as Grayson puts it, "is a concise way of saying that I do a little bit of everything." In his role, Grayson gravitated towards where help was most needed. Since then, he has reshaped the company's security team and led the sales team. Now he's helping to promote the veteran-inspired brand.
About Grayson Bowman
After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2006, Grayson joined the Navy, intending to join the Navy Seals, and enlisted in the BUD/S program. The BUD/S Program stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, which is one of the most rigorous military training programs. According to their website, their program is "designed to find and develop men of the strongest character who give everything they have to accomplish their mission."
Grayson didn't pass the BUD/S program on his first try. Still, instead of admitting defeat, he joined a Navy fleet, learned Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, and completed other rigorous assignments to retake the SEAL BUD/S program. He passed his SEAL BUD/S training the second time and was placed in SEAL Team Seven for about seven years.
After a decade of service, Grayson found himself on a forked road where he had to decide whether to stay in the Navy for the rest of his career or move to a different industry. In September 2017, Grayson decided to leave the Navy and seek a new career. Fortunately, Grayson's transition into civilian life was made easier by several nonprofit organizations he was proud to mention during his interview, including the HONOR Foundation, SEAL Future Foundation, and Elite Meet. According to Grayson, "They helped me navigate that path; how to get a resume, figure out my story, and what I wanted to do."
These organizations allowed Grayson to complete an internship with Blackstone, a private equity firm based out of New York. Blackstone offers veterans Military Internship opportunities which Grayson happily accepted. After completing two back-to-back internships with Blackstone, they offered him a full-time position. Grayson stayed with Blackstone for over 3 years until the COVID pandemic hit New York.
After COVID-19 shut down the world, Grayson used that time to take on remote work and travel until he figured out his next opportunity. During his travels, he reached out to old friends and colleagues to see how the pandemic had impacted them. One of his long-time friends, Kellen O'Keefe, reached out to him with a job offer.
Kellen and Grayson have been friends since they were in High School and Grayson credits Kellen as being "one of the first guys I ever smoked weed with." Kellen offered Grayson the opportunity to join the Flower One team in Las Vegas. Grayson accepted, looking forward to the challenge of joining an industry that is still in its nascency.
During the interview, Grayson commented on his transition to the cannabis market, stating, "It's crazy because I joined the NAVY in 2007 when cannabis was still illegal, and then in that 10-year timespan, everything changed. Suddenly, I could go to a dispensary, and cannabis is now accessible, which was a big learning curve."
Grayson officially joined Flower One in May of 2021. After getting the Director of Special Operations position, he began tackling any large-scale problem the company faced, particularly in Sales and Security. Then Grayson was challenged to create and help market a unique cannabis brand through Flower One. That's when the concept of Kuno was born.
About Kuno
Bringing his unique veteran experience to the cannabis industry, Grayson saw an opportunity to create a brand that could help change the military's perception of cannabis. Grayson mentions that "Kuno was created to make quality cannabis products readily available to veterans." Grayson notes that in the military, cannabis is a career ender and many veterans leave the military with a negative perception that cannabis will ruin their lives.
Meanwhile, these same veterans are left to deal with life-long ailments such as PTSD, opioid addiction, alcoholism, and varying forms of T.B.I. (Traumatic Brain Injury) without affordable access to medication and services to help with these ailments. Though recent studies have found that, on average, most patients that gain access to medical marijuana significantly reduce or eliminate their use of opioids and other illicit substances (for further data on marijuana and veteran issues, please read the following link; NORML). With that knowledge, Grayson and Kellen sought to create a brand that was a friend and a partner to veterans, focusing on educating veterans on the health benefits of cannabis.
According to their website, Kuno is "a cannabis brand that focuses on bringing awareness to the psychological health benefits that cannabis may provide to veterans who have laid their lives on the line for our country." The branding for this veteran-inclusive cannabis brand had to represent more than overtly military designs and packaging, so Flower One decided to put a veteran's constantly loyal partner and friend, the military working dog, Kuno.
Kuno is a Belgian Shepherd Malinois who served in Afghanistan, where he risked his life during a night raid in the mountains to locate and neutralize an Al Qaeda compound. This sacrifice, which cost the British working dog one of his hind legs and part of his rear paw, meant that no one was injured during the raid, and he saved countless lives that night. Labeling Kuno as a brand that is a partner and friend to veterans was the first step in giving e brand a clear mission and purpose. Then the challenge became to make the brand truly serve veterans in as many ways as possible.
Kuno officially launched at the end of June 2023 as a collaborative effort with the Matthew Axelson Foundation golf tournament in Genoa, Nevada. Kuno will penny out a half ounce with any Kuno purchase in-store during the Kuno launch and every subsequent launch. Kuno also offers Veterans a discount on any Kuno products (a welcomed relief in dispensaries where military discounts are not an option). Lastly, a portion of the proceeds from every sale is donated to veteran-focused charities such as the SEAL Future Foundation.
Grayson emphasized during his interview that affordability is a big concern in the veteran community. Once cannabis products hit the retail space, the heavy taxes and regulations deter those in need from being able to purchase products. Grayson commented that the adverse effects of making cannabis too expensive "is forcing people to turn to the black market where they risk buying unsafe products, so we're looking to get weed in the hands of veterans as cheap as possible."
Yet, Kuno's concern for the wellness of veterans goes beyond giving them access to affordable cannabis. Recently, they've partnered with a veterinarian clinic called "Heaven Can Wait," where they offer veterans with service dogs a chance to go and get a complete checkup for their dog for free. Kuno's collaborative efforts with local businesses are paving the way for veterans to have access to services and medical solutions they are not currently receiving.
Conclusion
Grayson finalized the interview by giving some words of wisdom to fellow cannabis industry members. Grayson stated, "I think anyone can slap a brand on something and have a funny name and sell weed, but I think having a purpose behind it and giving back to the community is important, and it's going to give you more joy than just trying to make money."
Thank you for joining us for another NuWu Sessions blog post, and don't forget to follow Kuno on Instagram @Kuno.Cannabis. If you want to support Kuno and the veterans they serve, come to our Downtown store and purchase your favorite Kuno products today!