Better Know A Canasmith - Rob Rhodes
Meet Rob Rhodes, the master of all things order processing at our farm. When it comes to keeping things running smoothly, Rob is the behind the scenes hero who ensures each order is handled with precision and care. From the moment a request comes in to the second it leaves our door, Rob’s expertise and attention to detail guarantee that our customers get exactly what they need, when they need it. I got the chance to sit down with him and learn more about his experiences working at the farm.
Michelle Smyth: Can you describe your role and day-to-day responsibilities at the Canasmith farm?
Rob Rhodes: As department manager I oversee the fulfillment of orders, making sure that all of our flower grams are accounted for, ensuring that the numerous orders that we receive make it out in a timely manner. I also work in tandem with our trim lead and sales rep ensuring that we have what we need for orders.
MS: How did you first get involved in the cannabis sector, and what inspired you to join this field?
RR: This has been my first and only job in the cannabis sector. The original packaging department manager is actually the one who pointed me towards this job. I started in 2017 I think it was in the trim department, stayed there for a few months before I moved over to the greenhouse crew. I worked on that crew before I finally moved to the packaging department and have been there ever since. I took over as department manager back in March of this year.
MS: How do you explain what you do to friends and family and what is the most common reaction you recieve?
RR: At first I would just talk around the subject, but after a couple years I grew more comfortable and developed the "if you don't pay my bills, don't care" attitude and would just tell people what my job is. More often than not the reaction is either positive or neutral. Only a handful of people have ever had a negative reaction but that usually changed when I'd tell people what my job actually entailed. So many people think that you just spend the entire day getting high, which is so far from the truth. I've had quite a few people get really excited about it and ask if they could get a job out here.
MS: Tell me a little about your approach to work life balance with managing so much of the order process at the farm and a growing family at the same time... What's your secret?
RR: I don't really have a secret approach to the work life/home life balance. I jokingly say a lot of coffee to keep me going. Obviously my husband knows what my job is, but I keep the details from my kids and just tell them I work at a farm. As judgemental as people can be I try to keep away whatever ammo they could try to use.
MS: We hear a lot about Cannabis moms, what do you want people to know about Cannabis dads?
RR: I think whatever parent designation is used, we all just do our best to do our job and take care of our families. There are actually two other dads that work at the Canasmith farm as well as two moms. Whether a parent decides to be completely up front with what their job is or not is their choice. Myself being a gay man and a dad I have to look at things differently because gay parents are often already under such scrutiny for having kids. So until mine are older, they just know that I work at a farm and sometimes I come home smelling funny.
MS: How would you describe an average day at work using only movie titles?
RR: Animal House. But don't get me wrong, even on our most hectic days we all get along great, laughing, joking, and talking. When it comes down to it however, we all bust our butts to make sure things go smoothly.
MS: Very important question… In your opinion, do pineapples belong on pizza? Why or why not?
RR: I personally think pineapple on pizza is disgusting, but to each their own. I just don't like sweet stuff on a pizza, I think pizza is supposed to be savory. Even overly sweet sauce is gross to me. If I want sweet, I'll eat cookies or ice cream.
MS: What's your favorite stoner movie?
RR: Reefer Madness from 2005. It's a comedic musical remake of an old 1930's propaganda film about the dangers of cannabis. An added little treat to the remake is when it came out, the DVD case was chocolate scented.
MS: What is something you want people to know about Canasmith?
RR: Canasmith is a small, local business that I feel treats its employees really well and is so easy to work with for schedules, calling in sick, or time off, especially if you have a family. I've never had a job that is so accommodating when it comes to time off for kids. Honestly I don't think any other job I've had would be as cool when it comes to scheduling around family as this place.
Thanks to Rob for taking time to chat today and thanks for supporting our little farm! We will continue share more from our incredible crew so you can better know a Canasmith!
