Navy Veteran and O2VAPE Founder, President and CEO Dana E. Shoched entered the cannabis space after honing her craft in fields like pharmaceutical sales and toxicology for approximately 16 years. With a firm understanding of the problems facing many in this country, Shoched entered the cannabis market to become part of the medical cannabis community and the number of individuals in need.
Cannabis & Tech Today spoke with Shoched to learn more about her and O2VAPE’s journey over the past decade.
Cannabis & Tech Today: Can you share your journey into the cannabis industry and what inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
Dana E. Shoched: When I left the Navy, and I entered into pharmaceutical sales for 13 years and toxicology for three years, I saw firsthand how the opioid crisis was tearing lives apart, and it really shook me. I thought there had to be a better way. I knew about Michigan’s caregiver program and how cannabis could help people, especially veterans like me. So, I started growing at home for my patients. After a few years, oil was coming on the scene, and I transitioned to become one of the first in the industry to be selling batteries and cartridges. Thus, O2VAPE was born.
I bootstrapped O2VAPE from my garage with just my determination and a few loyal supporters of family and friends. Like anything new, it was slow to start and there were days when I was sitting on the edge of the abyss and hanging on by a finger. But I kept pushing. Now, a decade later, O2VAPE is a successful business with a full staff, great benefits including profit sharing and 401k, and no outside investors, and I am still the sole owner. I built this from the ground up, and I’m damn proud of it.
C&T Today: What challenges have you faced as a woman in the cannabis industry, and what does it mean to you to be a leader in the industry?
DES: Tech’s always changing, but what’s crucial are the safety and quality standards. We’re not just riding the tech wave–we’re setting the bar. That’s why we’re involved with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). We want to make sure we’re on top of things.
Right now, I’m excited about the upcoming launches in our All Glass line that is geared for live rosin and live resins. They heat evenly and don’t let the oil touch any metal, which is a big deal for maintaining purity. Keep an eye out for more details on that soon. We’re always testing and tweaking, making sure our products hit the market right and ready. This industry evolves fast, so we’ve got to stay sharp and engaged, especially when it comes to product quality and innovation.
C&T Today: What advice would you give to other women looking to enter or advance in the cannabis industry?
DES: Stick with it, and don’t let roadblocks stop you. This industry is full of challenges, but if you hit a wall, figure out a way over, under, around it, or, like me, bust the darn wall down.
And hand-pick your team carefully. For me, my team is my second family. My advice is to look for people who complement your skills and take care of them. It’s not a solo mission; it takes a crew to make things work. Look for people who share your commitment and values and can help you grow the business. Also, if you’ve got a new product or idea, lock down your intellectual property with patents, trademarks, and registrations early on to protect yourself.
C&T Today: Can you discuss a recent project or achievement that you are particularly proud of and what you are most excited about for the future of the industry?
DES: 2024 is our 10-year anniversary at O2VAPE. I’m proud that we’ve made it this far without outside funding and are still here after the pandemic and the EVALI crisis that rocked legitimate businesses like us. Even though it had nothing to do with hardware it did make people more aware and care about what hardware they were using. Our commitment to quality helped us maintain high safety standards, which is crucial for earning customer trust, and I am proud to say we’ve never failed to deliver high-quality tested hardware.
I really believe that being a business owner means that you’re part of a bigger community, and I believe in giving back to our community. It really matters to me that cannabis is something which can help veterans and so many other people heal from PTSD, chronic pain, and other illnesses to have a better quality of life.
Now, we’re at a point where we’re looking to bring high-quality vape products to other markets. We’ve already started expanding our presence in Germany, and this fall, we’ll be representing at a new event in Lima, Peru, as many markets in South America are expanding access to medical cannabis. Vapes are an important part of delivering medicine with consistency. So, after 10 full years of working on this business, and what a wild ride it’s been, it’s really fulfilling to think about all the customers we’ve reached and those we will connect with just over the horizon.
