Bruce Kennedy ~ WeedWorthy ~

The producers of an odor-elimination product are looking towards the cannabis sector as a lucrative expansion opportunity.

As the national momentum for marijuana legalization gathers speed, a lot of entrepreneurs from other fields are looking for ways they can apply their products, techniques and experience to the legal cannabis industry.

There are many such examples of companies using previously existing technologies to enhance and advance businesses in the cannabis sector, such as in marijuana grow operations. But some people are trying to find ways to take their current products and customize them to suit marijuana businesses and consumers.

One such executive is Ted Hoster, owner and president of the Triumph Marketing Group (TMG), which produces Approach Odor Eliminator – an enzyme-based product that destroys, rather than masks, offensive odors, and leaves behind carbon dioxide, water and heat as a byproduct.

“My skill is finding things that look like a rock…in one market and that look like a jewel on your mantelpiece in another market,” Hoster tells WeedWorthy. “I’ve done that five times.”

Hoster was an executive at Merrill Lynch in the 1980s. He says Approach has generated $1.5 million in revenue so far, mostly in sales to the healthcare, hospital and hospitality markets. But he sees the cannabis industry as a natural customer for his product.

“What we are doing is pivoting into more ag and industrial applications,” he says.

For the cannabis industry, Hoster says the effort to control terpenes – the hydrocarbon that gives marijuana and other plants their distinctive scents and strong smell – has created a natural target for his product. Two cannabis grow productions in Colorado have already expressed interest in using his air filtration system instead of the traditional activated charcoal filters, to clean air coming out of their operations and remove pot’s skunky odor from the surrounding area.

“We believe the capital expense (of our system) is lower than charcoal filters, and the operation expense is similar,” he adds. “And we are in the process of validating those claims.”

Hoster also believes Approach can become an industry standard for the cannabis system when it comes to managing terpenes, especially in grow operations near homes. And because Approach breaks down organic wastes, he expects his product will find a place in water management systems of cannabis grow operations as well.

“We haven’t found anybody who is addressing this form of product yet (in the cannabis industry)” he says, “although I expect others will catch on.”