Steeper Grown was founded by 3 colleagues who now have a collective 32 years of real-world experience within the regulated cannabis industry. 

What began as friends who came together to leverage vertical farming technology & best practices learned in traditional Agriculture, is now a credible advisory team applying these principles to the cannabis, hemp, and small-scale farming industries.

Since 2015, they’ve consulted vertically integrated cannabis operations, cGMP-compliant manufacturing facilities, industry-leading cannabis brands, as well as helping structure and deploy capital raises, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions for both plant and non-plant touching businesses.

Mitch Anderson entered Cannabis in 2015. Partnering with Dan & Adam, Mitch brought a successful Food Sciences Executive Search practice to the industry, helping License Applicants, License Grantees, Extraction Equipment and Infused Product Manufacturers add critical leadership from desirable industry segments (such as Food/Bev, Biotech and Nutraceutical). In addition to his Search work, he joined a PA-based Medical Cannabis application team, helping them achieve the highest Cultivation Application score in the state. He’s since contributed critical application content to winning applications in OH, MO, IL, VA, and NY. Mitch has been particularly impactful throughout the contested Social Equity-driven programs in IL, NJ & NY, helping several non-MSO backed teams win licenses in Cultivation Infusion, Transport and Retail. He’s now a respected voice in the Cannabis community, has been quoted in MJBiz Daily, and is passionate about true Social Equity and Diversity.

Adam Hudgins is a world class cultivation design & process optimizer, having owned a large commercial landscape company for 5 years in Asheville, NC. He spent years as a live-nursery specialist for Lowe’s and acted as their retail buyer for two locations. Adam also worked for one of the largest commercial cultivators in the state for 3 years, directing the operation of 80 working acres, with responsibility for all aspects of the enterprise. From 2014 thru 2018, he ran a 14,000-square-foot cannabis cultivation facility in Denver, designing and implementing the vertical canopy system for flower room operations. He was responsible for all aspects of the grow, including nearly 5,000 plants in flower and approximately 7,500 plants in total. He’s since gone on to spearhead the construction of several major operations in the US & Canada, including Emerge Farms in Hayden, CO., one of the most technologically sophisticated cannabis grow facilities in North America, with vertical mobile rack systems for both flower and veg plants, and has been managing yields on par with the most efficient cultivators in the world.

Dan O’Neill is an Experienced Entrepreneur and Problem Solver with extensive pre cannabis industry business development strength in the technology, construction, design, reclaimed wood, agriculture, packaging segments. His first industry venture within the Cannabis sector was Ideal Harvest, a manufacturer of compliant solutions and expert consulting to guide both start-up and established entrepreneurs through every aspect of growing their cannabis business. Their turnkey solutions were centered around true vertical growing with total compliance, cost effectiveness, and profitability. He then moved on to become a principal at Emerge Services Group (ESG), a Colorado-based cannabis consultancy and services provider, where he & his future business partner, Adam Hudgins, refined their vertical growing technological prowess & operations expertise.