For a CEO of one of the oldest and largest cannabis companies in town, Tim Cullen has a nontraditional background. He spent over a decade using his background in biology to teach students; then with his wife’s support, Cullen took a risk that changed his life. In 2002 his father was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. After seeing the plant’s beneficial effects first hand, Cullen legally registered to become his father’s caregiver. He grew prime cannabis from his basement and, in the process, discovered his own green thumb. Then in 2004, Cullen himself was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and obtained his first medical marijuana card.

After gaining a highly compatible business partner in Ralph Morgan, Cullen and his venture, Colorado Harvest Company, took off. Starting on the dense “Green Mile” stretch on Broadway St. in Denver, differentiation was key. Colorado Harvest’s guiding principle has been that exceptional customer service brings consumers back time and time again. To Cullen this mindset involves offering his employees an incredible benefits package and treating them like family. Cullen attributes his overall success to “making good business decisions, lots of hard work and luck.” For his free time, Cullen prefers to spend his time outdoors with his wife and 4-year-old son. Skiing, white water rafting, camping and enjoying the mountains are his “play hard” tactics after he’s worked hard all week long. Looking to the future, Cullen sees negative stigmas surrounding cannabis dropping from society and the more leniency from federal and state levels.