Edward Boatman • Jun 3rd
Kellie Gaustad manages a brand that helped define the modern cannabis concentrate market. Since 2014, Dabstract has prioritized terpene preservation and the purity of hydrocarbon extraction. A decade ago, the cannabis industry looked entirely different. The tools, systems, and roadmaps we rely on now simply did not exist. As the Brand Manager, Gaustad has evolved right alongside the brand, navigating the company's growth from a single-state operation into a brand now successfully operating across seven distinct markets. And with that, expansion brings unique regulatory obstacles to ensure the brand stays compliant in each state.
Managing this expansion requires a high-functioning hybrid of brand management, operations, and project management. Gaustad coordinates her teams in each market, including field marketing reps, brand ambassadors, and state-specific salespeople. She directs the entire operational pipeline, steering social media campaigns, shipping in-store promotional materials, and protecting the brand’s digital footprint across all markets.
This multi-layered oversight becomes a daily test of endurance as Gaustad navigates the operational friction that comes with cross-market operations. Because every state border introduces a new set of laws, managing her teams in each market means maintaining strict compliance across seven entirely different playbooks.
Expanding into multiple states introduces a specific type of operational excellence. Gaustad describes the process of managing these expansions as complex. The challenges stem from a fragmented regulatory landscape where packaging and marketing rules change at every border.
The complexity is most evident when comparing product packaging and availability across different markets. In some states, Dabstract can use its full brand imagery and logos on its packaging. However, in states with more restrictive rules, concessions must be made that alter the product packaging’s appearance. This means the team has to be meticulous, ensuring the product images and availability shown in their marketing materials precisely match what's legal and available in each specific state.
These rules force Gaustad to maintain distinct kits for each market. Under no circumstances can a cannabis brand allow a high-performing promotional asset from one state to migrate into a menu of another state accidentally.
Because the legal cannabis landscape didn't exist in its current form ten years ago, brand managers like Gaustad and the Dabstract team have had to build their own operational frameworks from scratch. Standard tools were not designed to handle the intricate compliance requirements of cross-state cannabis sales, forcing professionals to innovate entirely new systems to track sales, manage product descriptions, and distribute compliant imagery.
Before centralizing operations, the Dabstract team relied on a mix of spreadsheets and data storage. Gaustad knew Dabstract needed a more sophisticated approach to scale effectively. She developed a centralized brand hub using Lingo, organizing assets into specific kits and portals tailored for each market. The fragmented links became a centralized source of truth. This structure avoids the deep-nested folder traps common in traditional cloud storage.
For Gaustad’s team, the difference is tactile. This bespoke system effectively prevents a brand representative in one state from ever seeing, or accidentally using, the promotional assets meant for another. Gaustad created a self-serve kiosk in which the correct version is the only one available. Now, the kit is the visual gallery. When a rep opens their portal, they aren’t looking for a file name; they are looking at the exact promotional banners and product shots approved for their territory.
Removing the spreadsheet also removed the request loop. Previously, if a dispensary needed a high-res logo, they would email the rep, who would email Gaustad, who would then search for the link. By killing the spreadsheet, Gaustad has democratized access for her team and retail partners.
One of the most persistent hurdles for an expanding cannabis brand involves menu remediation. This is the process of fixing inaccurate product listings on dispensary websites. Gaustad frequently finds dispensaries using incorrect packaging images, pulling low-resolution photos from a general internet search, or creating their own, leading to inconsistencies with menu listings.
To combat this, Dabstract employs a specific workflow:
Gaustad operates with a clear hierarchy of importance for these listings, prioritizing the photo, the product title, and the description. While a perfect listing is the goal, an incorrect image is critical. It compromises the consumer experience before the purchase happens, leading to immediate disappointment when the product they receive looks nothing like the one they saw online. The product title anchors brand recognition and provides essential SEO, while the description helps the consumer understand exactly what experience to expect.
An example of menu discrepancies in the title and the phenotype captured on May 1, 2026 at locations in Maryland.
Beyond the visuals, maintaining the accuracy of terpenes and flavor notes is a struggle against commodity shopping. When a menu lacks specific data, consumers are conditioned to purchase based solely on price and the highest THC percentage. Gaustad fights this by ensuring all brand profiles include the full cultivar data, moving the conversation away from potency and back toward the authentic plant experience Dabstract intended to deliver.
Because cannabis is a high-guidance category, budtenders act as the primary sales engine. Dabstract incentivizes budtender education through a variety of platforms to ensure budtenders are educated about the product and can inform consumers.
Gaustad notes that stores with high training completion rates see a measurable bump in sales. To ensure this education persists, she includes the training presentations and audio recordings directly in the centralized asset portal. This allows new dispensary staff to access the Dabstract standards at any time without waiting for a field rep visit.
Being new to cannabis brand management can be daunting when handling a brand that has scaled, or is in the process of scaling. Gaustad has some recommendations on how to make it easier to get your brand portals started.
“Pause before the first upload” she emphasizes. She advocates for building a wireframe, or a strategic outline of what the portals and their kits should look like before any files are moved.
“I think doing outlines and wireframes of where everything lives was super helpful for us as we were getting stuff started,” Gaustad says. This pre-planning phase serves several critical functions:
For Gaustad, this structured approach has turned expansion into a repeatable process rather than starting from scratch. By establishing these visual blueprints early on, she has reached a groove where she can efficiently copy and paste most kits while maintaining the specific regulatory nuances of each territory. This system ensures that the source of truth remains accessible and accurate for every stakeholder, from the sales reps to the dispensary floor.
“I want to maintain as much consistency as possible across markets…that’s my job. I make sure everything is consistent across the brand.”
Gaustad spends her days navigating the hurdles of seven different regulatory playbooks to ensure the brand standard is consistent within all markets. Every time she audits a dispensary menu or gatekeeps a state-specific asset, she is protecting over a decade of development and ensuring the brand continues to stand out among its peers.
This work moves the needle for the entire concentrate category. When Gaustad provides a source of truth that includes full cultivar profiles and high-resolution imagery, she is giving the retailer the tools to move beyond the price-and-potency trap. She is helping the consumer evolve from a casual shopper into a terpene enthusiast who values the purity of the extraction over the highest THC percentage on the shelf.
Image courtesy of Dabstract
Ultimately, her strategy ensures that the intentionality of the Dabstract brand does not get diluted as it crosses state lines. When a consumer sees a consistent, professional image, and an accurate product description, they are seeing the result of the invisible operational guardrails Gaustad has built.
At Dabstract, the mission is to ensure that as the brand grows, its standards remain immovable. Gaustad is not just managing a digital catalog; she is building a bridge between Dabstract and a crowded retail floor, while ensuring that the plant’s profile is never lost in translation.
She is successfully navigating the complexities of cross-market cannabis brand expansion, one wireframe at a time.