Member Since January 2022
About
Alen Nguyen co-founded MainStem with his cousin in 2014 to solve supply chain and product distribution for ancillary products in the cannabis industry. As its Chief Executive Officer, Alen has seen MainStem become the leading B2B e-commerce marketplace and integrated supply purchasing platform for cannabis companies across the U.S. over the past seven years. After obtaining his Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Washington and working within the aerospace industry near Seattle, Alen quickly realized his true passion lay on the business end of the spectrum and procured an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2013. Surprisingly, it was his time in aerospace that helped Alen identify the massive gap between the commercial cannabis supply chain and product distribution that ultimately paved the way for the creation of MainStem as a better way to connect cannabis businesses directly with suppliers. The need to build cannabis infrastructure from ground zero provided an opportunity to explore how highly regulated but still fragmented systems could fit together on a macro level. This pursuit eventually made MainStem the industry’s leading purchasing platform, providing access to more than 12,000 products from over 485 brands to thousands of customers across the United States. When he’s not developing solutions to some of the cannabis industry’s biggest issues Alen can be found spending time with his wife and three children.
Alen Nguyen
Published content
expert panel
A mentor’s advice can change the way you view yourself and your business. For those lucky enough to find one, a mentor can be an invaluable ally when starting a business. Their expert guidance and leadership can help provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to push past obstacles and build something truly sustainable. The members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have each had their own role models and mentors throughout their business journeys. Below, they each share the top lesson they learned from their mentor and how that lesson impacts the way they lead their businesses now.
article
Apr 21, 2022
Once conspicuously low-tech to avoid scrutiny, today’s cannabis industry requires a high-tech approach.
expert panel
Diversity isn't always visible, but the way you support it should be. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has always been a topic of concern in the world of work, but it has recently become a major priority for many organizations, with about 79% of them stating they’re planning to dedicate more of their budgets to DEI efforts in 2022. However, it’s likely that these companies will approach DEI in different ways. There are a myriad of ways to support diversity, equity and inclusion in business — especially as a business leader. To help give you some ideas of where you can start, 11 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share the ways in which they’re working to create and encourage more diversity in their particular business niche or industry and why that’s so important to do.
Company details
MainStem
Company bio
MainStem is the leading B2B integrated supply procurement platform for cannabis companies. The MainStem platform provides access to thousands of products from hundreds of brands. MainStem enables companies to find the best price on supplies while also simplifying the fragmented finance and operations technology ecosystem. With almost a decade of experience in the cannabis industry, MainStem is dedicated to helping cannabis companies grow with robust technology and by partnering closely with cannabis growers, manufacturers, and dispensaries. You can now work with MainStem in all states and regions where cannabis companies are operating.