Join us for a high-impact, entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur conversation with The Wood Cannabis co-founders Eric Velez-Cruz and Justin John, moderated by Mackay Forum Chair, Saquib Vali.
Best friends since age 11 and partners through school and sport, Eric and Justin combined their complementary backgrounds in business and engineering to transform a bold 2021 idea into one of Canada’s fastest-growing independent cannabis retailers. In just four years, The Wood scaled to eight-figure revenue and was recognized as Independent Retail Store Brand of the Year at the ADCANN Awards, earning distinction for its differentiated positioning, customer experience, and operational excellence.
As regulatory shifts reshaped the cannabis landscape, the founders reached a pivotal inflection point: commit to long-term consolidation in an increasingly competitive market - or execute a disciplined, strategic exit while momentum and valuation were strong. They chose to sell.
Now, having completed a successful transition, the duo is channeling that same systems-driven, growth-focused mindset into building their next venture in the HVAC services sector.
In this candid lunch keynote, you’ll gain practical insights into building enterprise value, scaling with intention, and preparing a business for transition (whether you are in growth mode, considering capital raises, or planning your eventual exit).
In this session, you will learn:
- Allocate capital with discipline: How to deploy cash strategically to accelerate growth while preserving optionality.
- Build with the exit in mind: How early financial discipline, KPIs, and milestone planning drive long-term enterprise value.
- Differentiate to compete in concentrated markets: Strategic positioning and customer experience as levers against larger incumbents.
- Systemize for scalable growth: The operational infrastructure — people, processes, and technology — that makes a business transferable.