Why Work With Lit Alerts?
Born in a Dispensary
Founded in 2021 by a dispensary owner and an online marketing executive, we are a lean team built especially for cannabis retailers, agencies and consultants. Our superpower is our ability to remain lean and focused on our customer without the distractions most software companies incur. We’re buiulding a software company in a new age of automation, In our observation, many cannabis operators are not (yet) self service software candidates. They need tools that are plug and play and require very little setup and maintenance (if any).
It’s 2024. It’s time to automate mundane, costly tasks for cannabis operators and give them the information they need to succeed. We are ruthlessly focused on producing software tools that save our customers time and generate more money in the bank. We’re not messing around here.
We’re going to be the very best at one thing and one thing only. Providing simple, automated and cost effective software for cannabis operators.
What We Believe
1. Cannabis operators know what they need. We listen to our customers and build features that they ask us to build.
2. We don’t make false statements about what our software does or does not do.
3. We operate our business with the utmost of honesty and integrity. We want to be our customers’ best vendor and our partners’ best partner.
4. Solving challenges for the cannabis industry is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We also believe it is one of the greatest local business opportunities of the century.
Our Team
Nate Girard – Co-founder and Operating Partner
Nate is our leader. We sometimes refer to Nate as a line item on our balance sheet because he is so valuable to our company. He is the dynamic force behind CannaVersions, Lit Alerts, and the visionary owner of Bloom Brothers—one of the best cannabis stores on the East Coast.
With a comprehensive understanding of real estate, cannabis, and hospitality, Nate prioritizes client and partner gratification above all. Whether crafting customized consulting plans, managing transactions with meticulous care, or curating exceptional experiences at Bloom Brothers, he believes in the power of creative thinking and operational expertise. At Lit Alerts and CannaVersions, it’s all about cutting-edge solutions, while at Bloom Brothers, he leads his team in redefining the cannabis retail experience.
Cody B – Co-founder and Operating Partner
Cody is our heart. His customer focus on product development is one of our main differentiators. He ensures our customers’ feedback is taken seriously and that their questions are answered quickly. If you use Lit Alerts, you’ve probably already heard from Cody. He drove the initial design of the tool with a focus on simplicity and usability. Cody continues to manage some of our earliest customer relationships because they trust Cody.
Cody is a versatile executive with experience at many household names in entertainment including WWE, ESPN, DirectTV and Yahoo Sports. His career has spanned multiple industries and he specializes in software development, subscriber acquisition and retention, digital transformation and team management.
Austin Westfall – Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Austin is our brain. He is the mastermind behind Lit Alerts. Our customers ask and he makes it happen. An engineer at heart, Austin is a problem solver. Austin has elevated himself to a leader in the space by demonstrating a keen eye on the end user’s need and delivering software solutions to fulfill those needs.
Most recently completing nearly a decade long run at WellAware, Austin has demonstrated his ability to build large scale B2B and consumer software solutions. He has also co-founded multiple startups and thrives in the early stages of product development, showing his versatilitity as a technology leader.
Rick Bashkoff – GM
Rick is our focus. He forces us to think and act like a company in growth mode and keeps us on course to scale the business. Rick creates and executes various types of business models and business plans. He’s held senior positions at one of the largest record companies in the world, a pioneering media tech startup, an enterprise SaaS company in growth mode and an early stage cannabis tech company. Throughout his career he has been an operator and active investor focused on software, CPG, cannabis and crypto.
Rick met the founders of Lit Alerts in May of 2023 and quickly recognized the strength in the product and the team. In August of 2023, the founders invited Rick to drive growth and operate the company.