Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 12, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 25 M A N U F A C T U R I N G A W A R D S Rising Star C o m m C a n , I n c . Location: Millis Industry subsector: Marijuana Employees: 90 Founded: 2015 Top executive: Marc Rosenfeld, CEO Primary product: Marijuana The Rosenfeld family: None of the three siblings who manage the company had any particular affinity for the product when they founded it. T he Commonwealth Can- nabis Co., known by most as simply CommCan, is a family and woman-owned business based in Millis and experiencing tremendous growth in a nascent industry, at a time when multi-state operators have moved into Massachusetts and aimed to dominate the legal marijuana market. e company is in the process of more than tripling its grow space, introducing increased automation, and working on expanding its product line, with the aim of eventually offering wholesale options. While COVID-19 has weakened others, in the last six months, CommCan has largely thrived. Ellen Rosenfeld, the majority owner of CommCan who owns it in partner- Run by business people As a family-owned business in a market dominated by large players, CommCan has found ways to diversify and grow BY MONICA BUSCH Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer ship with her brothers, said the family was drawn to the business for the same reason as everybody else. "You think you're going to make a billion dollars," Rosenfeld said. Six years in, the company has found success not because the Rosenfelds were cannabis aficionados, but because, in Rosenfeld's estimation, they were business people with experience in de- velopment and an innate knowledge of how to handle communities, planning boards and permitting processes. Cannabis, she said, "involves every- thing that we know how to do." So, aside from potential monetary benefits, why take the plunge at 59 years old? "e thing that excited me was the opportunity to get into a brand new industry," Rosenfeld said. "I couldn't get over that." If there's one thing most success- ful business owners know how to do, it's to diversify and adapt, and that's what CommCan is doing. When the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in Massachusetts, temporarily closing adult-sale cannabis operations, Ros- enfeld handed out flyers directing her customers to apply for medical cards. In June, she estimated CommCan's medi- cal business increased tenfold. Looking forward, the company is working on a carbonated cannabis drink line. e first drink CommCan designed was lemonade, and the second is an Arnold Palmer. Now, the company is working on a root beer. "We can't keep it in stock," she said. At the end of the day, Rosenfeld, who said she learned about business management from her father, is energized by what she does, which has undoubtedly played a part in CommCan's ongoing growth. While others might feel defeated when challenges, like COVID-19, are thrown in their way, Rosenfeld buckles down and, when it's needed, she pivots. "I love it," Rosenfeld said. "I absolutely love it." The Rosenfeld siblings in the cannabis grow room of their Millis facility PHOTOS | COURTESY OF COMMCAN, INC. W The owners of CommCan (from left) Marc, Ellen and Jon Rosenfeld

• Cover