“I grew up in Pullman, Washington, a remote college town on the east side of the state. With Washington State University nearby, it’s an odd combination of rural and cultured. There’s also an abundance of natural beauty and outdoor pursuits. I’ve retained my love of nature, and to a certain extent, isolation.”

I thrive with the social aspects of living in a city but I also need a quiet retreat. Growing up queer in an environment that was largely hostile has made me prize community, and to never take acceptance for granted. My friends were integral to maintaining sanity and it’s still true, especially as I navigate the pressures of running a business in an uncertain and ever-changing (but exciting!) industry.  

“I used cannabis to control my Crohn’s disease for about 15 years before even considering entering the industry.”

I used cannabis to control my Crohn’s disease for about 15 years before even considering entering the industry. I had a background in medical research and chemistry, and curiosity drew me in to how extraction and breeding different cultivars could make an impact on the different symptoms I was experiencing. Once I realized I had a lot of passion and a unique skill set to offer, the temptation to start a company was irresistible.

I’ve learned and grown more than I thought possible during the last 5 years of running my business, Peak Extracts. I’m proud of all the new skills I have, and the fact that we’ve survived and thrived despite many obstacles and incredible odds. However, the thing that brings me the most joy is the stories we have heard about how our products have made a positive impact on people’s lives. A man in his late 60s came to us in tears, because he had horrible neuropathic pain in his legs after an incident in the Vietnam war. He told us that he hadn’t been able to sleep with anything over his legs since, but using our Rescue Rub, he was able to sleep with a blanket on for the first time in more than 40 years. We’ve heard countless stories of people’s suffering being eased, and that’s what makes me most proud of our work and dedication. 

“A man in his late 60s came to us in tears, because he had horrible neuropathic pain in his legs after an incident in the Vietnam war. He told us that he hadn’t been able to sleep with anything over his legs since, but using our Rescue Rub, he was able to sleep with a blanket on for the first time...”

When I started this company I had limited experience managing employees, and a friend of mine warned me to avoid forming personal friendships with my employees, and to watch boundaries, as they can be tricky or taken advantage of. Regrettably, I did not heed their advice, and ended up growing too close to several employees, and not being strict enough with them. Although on multiple occasions my feelings were badly hurt when they used something personal they knew about me against me in anger, more importantly I let my affection and sympathy for them adversely affect the performance of the business by not uniformly enforcing the rules/protocols. Although I still have deep personal connections with many of my employees, I maintain strict work boundaries and never hesitate to enforce them based on attitude or work performance. It’s sometimes uncomfortable, but very clearly best for the performance and success of the company.

“Although I still have deep personal connections with many of my employees, I maintain strict work boundaries and never hesitate to enforce them based on attitude or work performance.”

My most challenging moment was when we were robbed in early 2017. We were still very new to market, and walking into a ravaged factory, with our valuable products and equipment strewn everywhere was devastating. It was several hours before we knew exactly how much had been taken, and whether we could survive the loss. We felt powerless, angry, and like all our hard work and success was actually quite tenuous and beyond our control. Fortunately, we survived and learned many valuable lessons from that experience.

SIDE SESSION

The mass incarceration for cannabis offenses, especially impacting minorities is an obvious gross miscarriage of justice. I don’t take it for granted that being white has allowed me to move through my career path with fewer impediments, and more should be done to balance the equation. Besides that, I am passionate about people being able to influence their own health and well-being through use of cannabis, and I do not feel it was the place of the government to interfere in the first place, or continue to forbid research and development. It’s just all so backwards and clearly motivated by corruption and greed. 

We have numerous farm partners that share our values, so we’ve formed close relationships with them and found great joy in collaboration. My father has been an interesting ally— he’s a retired statistics professor and has a wealth of information and insight to offer about business in general. In addition, we’ve bonded with another queer couple running a company in Oregon. It’s a tight knit community and I’m grateful for all the ways we can talk about our successes and struggles. 

About Katie Stem of Peak Extracts:

Eastern Washington native Katie Stem started her first business at age 22 while in the Americorps VISTA entrepreneurial division. A graduate from Carleton College in 2002, majoring in pre-med and literature, she has extensive business and management experience, as well as more than 10 years of laboratory science background. While working for Washington State University and Oregon Health & Science University, she experimented in the fields of physiology, pharmacology and neurology using natural products and pharmaceutical interventions for human diseases. In 2010, she completed her degree in traditional Chinese medicine and became a nationally-certified licensed herbalist and acupuncturist. Stem’s skills as both a scientist and herbalist are invaluable to Peak Exacts in formulation, R&D, and educational outreach. A medical cannabis patient since 2004, Katie has been heavily involved and connected within the community since the early days. Her battle with Crohn’s disease led her to explore alternatives to dangerous biologic and immunosuppressive drugs. Cannabis has been a powerful tool to manage her disease and she is a passionate educator and advocate within the industry. Stem maintains an acupuncture and herbal medicine practice in Portland that she’s had since 2010.